YOU can do it too!

Biggest Loser Weight-Loss Ready Checklist!

Begins Tuesday, September 15th. Weigh-in weekly, then watch the Biggest Loser at 8pm on NBC and be continually inspired.

1. Buy progress measuring devices: a scale, heart-rate monitor, body bugg: (http://www.apexfitness.com/ or www.bodybugg.com ) and measuring tape to track your progress. - weigh yourself and take your body circumference measurements before September 15th.

2. Buy a calorie-count book: (http://www.calorieking.com/) a food/fitness journal (http://www.dietminder.com/) and a eraser/bulletin board to log daily exercise:(http://www.boarddudes.com/).


3. Join a gym, buy home fitness equipment: (www.performbetter.com or www.power-systems.com) , hire a trainer (Bultron711@rcn.com) and find a workout buddy.


4. Plan your meals: do a pantry sweep (get rid of all unauthorized foods), go to the grocery store and stock up on healthy food.


5. Update personal music device: load your personal cassette player, mp3, CD, or Ipod with motivating workout music. (http://www.itunes.com/)


6. Create your Weight-loss vision board: supplies needed: poster board, magazines, glue stick. The vision board, when placed in a common area, while help to keep you focused on your goals and fitness.


7. Join an online diet community, challenge or contest. (www.mytrainerbob.com ,http://www.jillianmichaels.com/, http://www.biggestloserclub.com/, http://www.weightwatchers.com/, http://www.bikinibootcamp.com/, http://www.beachbody.com/, http://www.bodyforlife.com/)

8. Create your Biggest Loser Challenge goals: short-term and long-term, personal and professional.


9. Create accountability: tell everyone you know about your new weight-loss goals and focus. Build your own personal support system.


10. Buy a Bob or Jillians book: "ARE YOU READY" by Bob Harper and "MASTER YOUR METABOLISM" by Jillian Michaels. Both are great resources to use during your weight-loss journey.

It's Time to Kick Your Butt Into Gear -- Step It Up!
If you're looking to squeeze that butt into skinny jeans this fall, I have just the exercise for you. These step-ups target your glutes, hamstrings, and quads and will help you build a rockin' lower body.

This exercise requires a bench or another type of sturdy platform that is ideally at about knee level. While you're stepping up onto the bench, pay attention to a couple of things. Make sure you maintain good posture — keep your abs drawn in and don't arch or round your back. Also, control your descent rather than letting momentum drop your body as you're stepping down. If you don't think you can step up very high, find a lower bench to work with — a step stool will do the trick!

Step-ups

1. Stand facing a bench or platform with your feet hip-width apart. Place your left foot up on the bench, making sure your whole foot (including the heel) is firmly on the bench.
   
   
   
2. Exhale as you press down into your left foot and step your right foot up onto the bench. Both feet should be firmly planted on the bench at the midpoint of this exercise. Slowly lower your left leg back to the ground, then lower your right leg. Repeat, completing 12 to 15 reps on your left side before switching to the right side for another 12 to 15 reps.

Do You Have the Right Shoes?
Sometimes people complain about numbness in their toes during workouts. If you're experiencing this, it's most likely because you need bigger shoes. The shoes you wear when you work out should be a half size larger than your normal size, because the feet tend to swell during exercise. The extra space in the shoe will create a comfort zone without screwing up your foot mechanics. www.jillianmichaels.com

Medical
All About Gout

A disease often linked to poor diet and excess body weight, gout has a long history. Accounts of gout cases go back thousands of years. Historically, it was common among royalty and other wealthy classes, who could afford to eat diets that put them at risk. For this reason, gout is often referred to as "the disease of kings." And since many Americans nowadays eat diets that are in many ways similar to those of history's kings, it's no surprise that gout is making a comeback.

In many people with gout, the first sign of the condition is severe pain, swelling, and redness in the big toe. Pain and inflammation can also occur in the feet, ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, or elbows. Usually the pain becomes severe over a matter of hours and resolves over several days. Gout is more common in men than women, and it affects older people more often than the young.

Continue reading to learn about the factors that raise the risk of developing gout — and what you can do about them. Read more

Feel Great!

Pay Attention to You

When is the last time someone asked you how you were feeling? More important, when is the last time you asked yourself that question?

As you work on shaping up and becoming a healthier person, keep in mind that there is more to this effort than just changing your appearance. Just as you can gauge your weight loss by stepping on a scale regularly, you can, and should, measure your progress another way — by taking stock of how you feel. Is your energy level increasing? Are you getting enough sleep? These are all important signs of good health — and by paying attention to them, you'll be doing yourself a big favor!

Remember that a strong component of a healthier lifestyle is feeling good, not just looking good. Be alert to changes in your energy level, your mood, your interactions with others, how quickly you fall asleep at night, and how rested you feel in the morning. Record your observations in your Journal, and be honest with yourself about your high and low moments. It's exciting to review your Journal later and realize how far you've come — not to mention how great you feel!

All these signs are just as important as your size, if not more. Be proud of yourself for how far you've come!

www.deniseaustin.com

A Sore Subject

By now you've probably noticed that after working out a particular body part, it's often sore for the next day or two — especially if you're not in the habit of exercising. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness, and it's caused by tiny tears in the muscle fiber. Over time, the tears heal and cause the muscle to grow. Don't worry: The discomfort you're feeling is typical after an intense resistance workout, so don't let it keep you from sticking to your workout plan.

Challenge yourself to keep going, even if the going gets tough. You can fend off the soreness somewhat by stretching the body parts you're working out during the rest periods between supersets. If you're already sore, ibuprofen or aspirin will ease the discomfort a bit; and some studies suggest that extra doses of vitamin C can help get rid of the ache. Engaging in some light aerobic exercise, because it increases blood flow, will also help reduce soreness. Remember: Pain is not part of a successful workout, and if a muscle is still painful after four or five days, check with your doctor to make sure you haven't sustained an injury.

www.5factordiet.com

Tips to lose weight faster

A few small changes to your routine can help you become trimmer and more toned. » An apple a day

• Easy moves for amazing abs
• Find calories burned calculator

Debunk Digestion Issues
The appendix was once dismissed as a useless relic of human evolution. But new scientific discoveries show it has big disease-fighting promise and may factor in easing digestion woes. A clean, healthy digestive system can add years to your life. Keep everything going strong!
5 steps to keep your system running smoothly »

Are You Eating a Breakfast That Lasts?
As many of you know, breakfast is an absolute MUST in my book. Eating a hearty breakfast helps reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, keeping you satisfied throughout the morning and allowing your mind to focus on things other than your next food fix. While you probably don't have time to make a gourmet meal before work each morning, that's no excuse to skip breakfast. There's nothing easier than pouring low-fat milk into a bowl of whole-grain cereal; more involved recipes can be made ahead of time, or you can cut down on the morning workload they entail by preparing the core ingredients the night before.

Try this vegetarian egg bake — it's packed with high-volume, low-calorie veggies and lots of healthy protein that will keep you satisfied and prevent energy lags later in the day. The salsa adds a nice kick! Make this the night before and give it a quick warm-up in the microwave in the morning.

Vegetarian Egg Bake

Ingredients

• 10 egg whites, beaten
  
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• Cooking spray
  
• 1 large onion, diced
  
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1 cup fresh spinach
  
• 1/2 cup salsa

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine egg whites, milk, and pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Spray a large, heavy skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Sauté onion 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and spinach and sauté another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Transfer vegetables to egg mixture and combine thoroughly. Pour into a lightly oiled glass pie plate and bake 15 minutes or until eggs are set. Do not overcook.

Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature with salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Get the nutritional information.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY

The Breakfast-Ghrelin Connection
A breakfast that combines complex carbohydrates, such as those in whole-wheat toast and oatmeal, with protein is key to keeping ghrelin levels in check. Carbohydrates have a profound effect on ghrelin — as insulin is released in response to the conversion of carbs to blood glucose, ghrelin goes down. Protein, while not as immediately effective as carbohydrates, still has a significant effect in reducing ghrelin. Skipping breakfast will do nothing but slow you down, leaving you sluggish and more likely to consume extra calories later in the day. www.jillianmichaels.com

Eat Right!

Get Past Your Cravings!

Those stubborn cravings we all get can be more than just annoying. They can even derail your hard work and effort! You can get past them, though, without bingeing or racing off track. Here's how!

If you feel hunger coming on, you shouldn't automatically reach for food. Before you eat, take a minute to think about what you're feeling. Ask yourself if you're really hungry. If you haven't eaten in a while and your energy is low, maybe your body is telling you to eat! If that's the case, grab a healthy snack and you'll feel better in no time.

But if you've just eaten, you might be having a craving. One of the best ways to beat cravings is to distract yourself. Take a walk, phone a friend, or get up from your desk and move. Sometimes just changing your surroundings can change the way you feel!

Thirst can also feel like hunger! Pour yourself a refreshing glass of water and then see how you feel. Here's another simple trick: If you're having a craving, pop a piece of gum in your mouth. Sometimes the act of chewing is enough to get your mind off that pesky craving. You can do it! www.deniseaustin.com

Behavioral Health
Coping With Cravings

This week, let's focus on cravings. You know, those urges that tell you to stop everything and eat a certain food? The truth is, these cravings and urges are normal and to be expected. They are not a sign of failure. Instead, they provide an opportunity to learn what your triggers are.

Try thinking of cravings as ocean waves. Just as a wave recedes after it peaks, a craving will recede if you do not feed it with your thoughts or actions. Instead of giving in to a craving right away, give it some time to pass. Distract yourself for a few minutes by reading or writing in your journal, taking deep breaths, going for a walk, talking about how you feel, or using such positive self-talk as "This urge won't last forever, and I am in control. I am feeling uncomfortable, but I can wait this out." Remember, bingeing might make you feel better for a short while, but you will feel better in the long run if you find a healthier outlet instead.

Read on for more helpful advice on dealing with those tough cravings. Read more

Diet Tip

Shop the Perimeter

Imagine going into your wedding day without a plan. There'd be utter chaos! Without a rehearsal no one would know what to do. Without seating charts the wrong people would sit next to one another and you'd have to get out the fire hose to separate them.

When it comes to food shopping, though, everyone just wings it. They waltz down the aisle loading their carts, and then wonder why the pounds creep up. "But I thought eating at home was healthy!" they wail.

It's not healthy if you don't know how to shop for food. Sure, you know how to put it in your cart, and you certainly know how to eat it. But if you're serious about looking great when you're waltzing down that OTHER aisle, you'll need a plan of attack.

Plans are about taking away individual choice. That may sound harsh, but it's not. People get nervous and uncertain when they're faced with too many choices.

A plan of attack takes away the pressure of decision-making. Always bring a grocery list of precisely what you need to buy, "need" being the operative word. What you need is skim milk, salad ingredients, lean turkey slices, low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit. You do not need a new ice-cream flavor with a whole candy store swirled in.

The key to your plan: Shop the perimeter. That's where the healthy stuff is: fresh fruits and vegetables and just about everything on your list. These are foods that are so fresh they need refrigeration. If it's a food that can sit on a shelf for a year, you have to wonder what kind of preservatives it's packing.

The next time you're debating which way to turn in a supermarket, remember: The perimeter is your safest plan of attack. That's because fresh food needs to be chilled, and refrigerators need to be plugged in. To electrical outlets. Near the wall.

On the battlefield of the supermarket, the enemy usually camps out in the aisles while the good guys patrol the perimeter.

www.bridalbootcamponline.com

5 Ways to Calm Hunger Pangs
Do you start getting hunger pangs at 11:50 a.m. in anticipation of lunch? We've all been there. The cause is the hormone ghrelin; released when the stomach is empty, it sets off a chain reaction in the body to make you hungry. In general, you want to keep levels of ghrelin low during the day so you can keep hunger in check. Apart from an empty stomach, there are several factors that can raise ghrelin levels, including drinking alcohol, eating too few calories, and eating greasy, fatty foods. Here are some strategies that will help you manage these triggers and keep your ghrelin levels from rising:

Have a substantial breakfast. One study showed that people who ate a higher-calorie breakfast produced 33 percent less ghrelin throughout the day and felt satisfied for a longer period of time. Try a whole-wheat English muffin with organic peanut butter, a cup of strawberries, and some low-fat yogurt.

Choose complex carbs and get more fiber. Insulin and ghrelin go hand in hand. When insulin goes up after you eat, ghrelin goes down. If you eat the wrong kind of carbohydrates — refined carbs such as white bread and pasta — your blood sugar rises dramatically. In response, your body releases a surge of insulin to clear that sugar from the bloodstream. The insulin does its job very efficiently, and the resulting low blood sugar causes hunger sooner. These constant blood sugar ups and downs can wreak havoc on your metabolism, so it's best to eat complex carbs and fiber, which delay the release of sugar into the bloodstream so that insulin levels are kept stable and you feel full longer.

Eat on a schedule. Research has found that ghrelin levels rise and fall at your usual mealtimes, so eating on a schedule prevents spikes in ghrelin. If you're running errands and are away from the kitchen at one of your typical mealtimes, carry a small bag of almonds or other nuts with you — you can eat a little something to keep your stomach satisfied until you can get home and have a real meal.

Emphasize high-volume, low-calorie foods. Levels of ghrelin remain high until food stretches the walls of your stomach, making you feel full. High-volume, low-calorie foods, such as salads and soups, reduce ghrelin levels long before you've overeaten. All green veggies and any foods with a high water content count as high-volume, low-calorie foods.

Eat protein. Protein-rich foods can also suppress ghrelin levels — they help create a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Try adding whey protein to a low-calorie smoothie. (If you're sensitive to gluten, just be sure to check the ingredients list; some whey protein products contain gluten.) One study found that whey brought about a prolonged suppression of ghrelin.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY

No Food Before Bed
For most of your day, the object is to keep ghrelin levels low — you don't need any extra diet-endangering hunger! But at night, you do want ghrelin levels to rise. Your body requires ghrelin to move effectively through all the necessary phases of sleep. Without the proper progression, you won't get to stage 4 sleep — the phase of deep sleep, during which you get a big pulse of growth hormone — or to the REM sleep that helps protect levels of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain you're full. To keep ghrelin levels up at night, don't eat after 9 p.m. Close down that kitchen after dinner and get restful sleep! www.jillianmichaels.com

Fitness Flash

Work Your Legs Like a Dancer

While we weren't all born with the legs of a prima ballerina, we can definitely get our leg muscles looking leaner with a simple exercise — the plié!

Pliés are great because you can do them anywhere — the only thing you might need is the back of a chair, to hold on to for balance. In addition to working wonders for your thighs, butt, and calves, pliés help improve your posture and alignment. There's a reason dancers do them so much — they're a miracle exercise! To get an even more effective workout, I encourage you to hold small dumbbells while you plié. This will work your arms and will increase the resistance of your body as you bend and lift.

To start, begin in ballet's second position, with your feet wider than hip width apart and your toes turned out. Pull your abs in toward your spine. If you choose to use weights, hold them in front of your thighs or at your hips. Now, inhale as you bend your knees and lower yourself (plié), bringing your knees out to the sides. Exhale as you press through your heels and inner thighs to rise. Repeat, and hold the down position of your last repetition for as long as you can, trying to open your knees outward as you do so.

Go on, achieve the legs you've always wanted. They're only a plié away! www.deniseaustin.com

The No-Gym Workout

Getting exercise is essential to staying healthy, but you don't need to belong to an expensive gym to stay fit. You can get the exercise you need by doing aerobic activities, strength training, and stretching, all on your own. Find easy ways to incorporate exercise into your life.

Pandemic Flu: Should You Opt Out of the Vaccine?

Many participants in a recent study think they could protect themselves by taking personal control measures such as hand washing, social distancing, or eating a healthy diet — but researchers don't think those steps are enough and encourage people to get vaccinated. Learn more about vaccine concerns. Get the latest swine flu updates.

How to Read a Nutrition Label

If you're following the South Beach Diet, you already know you don't count calories, fat grams, carbohydrates, or anything else. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to the Nutrition Facts label on packaging. If you have a hard time making heads or tails of food labels, take our cheat sheet with you the next time you hit the grocery store.
Get nutrition label tips.

Cholesterol-Lowering Snacks

"I can't stop snacking between meals, but I want to try to eat things that will help me lower my cholesterol (instead of raising it!). What would you recommend?"
Visit the Heart Health Center on Everyday Health and get the answer from Dr. Agatston.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF TH DAY

Make It a Milestone
Diane used her 50th birthday as her inspiration to drop weight. What's your motivating event? Do you want to look hot for your high school reunion? Want to beat that family history of type 2 diabetes? Or maybe you're motivated by the thought of walking your daughter down the aisle someday? Whatever motivates you to get the job done and lose the weight, use it! Finding that drive will help you reach your goal. When you get there, don't look back! Stay focused on how much better you feel as a result of your healthier lifestyle, and assure yourself the weight will NOT be returning. www.jillianmichaels.com

Food & Nutrition
Resisting Food Advertising

Have you ever noticed that the foods advertised the most heavily also tend to have the highest calorie counts and lowest nutritional value? Promoting junk food and fast food is big business. Companies spend millions of dollars a year in an attempt to get you to choose their burger or chip over another brand. These highly advertised foods are plentiful, easy to get, inexpensive, and engineered to taste good.

Ironically, there is little advertising promoting the foods we should be eating — like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans and legumes. Bombarded with powerful advertising images saying that nutritionally poor foods are best, it's no wonder we're reaching for the wrong foods! Some have compared the effort of trying to eat healthy in modern society with trying to be a recovered alcoholic in a town with a bar on every block.

How can you maintain a healthy weight in spite of the pressure to eat unhealthy foods? Continue reading for four helpful tips. Read more

How to Move Your Way to a Healthy Heart

Exercise not only helps you lose weight (and keep it off for the long haul), but it also makes your heart stronger. Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of the bestselling The South Beach Diet Supercharged and The South Beach Heart Health Revolution, recommends a minimum of 20 minutes of interval walking (during which you alternate periods of fast walking with periods of slower recovery walking) every other day. Stuck indoors? No problem. Do your interval training program on a treadmill, a stationary bike, or an elliptical machine.
Get guidelines on how to do interval training indoors.

Drinking and Heart Health

"I've heard that drinking red wine is good for the heart. I don't drink, but should I start drinking for the heart benefits?"
Visit the Heart Health Center on Everyday Health and get the answer from Dr. Agatston.

Quote of the Day

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
– Steve Jobs

About Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the American computer pioneer who cofounded Apple, is known for his intensity, his brashness, and his focus on elegant design. He was born in 1955 in Los Altos. At age 21, he and Steve Wozniac built the first Apple computer in his garage. Its successor, the Macintosh, introduced the mouse. After Jobs was ousted from Apple, he bought Pixar Animation, creator of Toy Story and Finding Nemo. On his return to Apple, he introduced the iMac and iPod, restoring the company's luster. He now lives in California with his wife and three children.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Prevention is Your Defense Against Disease

What are you doing to prepare for flu season? It may seem early to have this conversation, but I want you to start preparing now — and I’m not talking about stocking up on hand sanitizer or practicing how to sneeze into your sleeve! I’m talking about strengthening your immune system so your body is better prepared to fight the flu virus when comes knocking at your door.

1. EAT CLEAN: One more reason to stick to The Eat-Clean Diet™: a balanced diet provides your immune system with all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to work efficiently and effectively. Foods rich in vitamin A, C, D, E, zinc and selenium are all immunity boosters. Many of the recipes in my cookbook and in the EatCleanDiet.com recipe section include these ingredients!



2. MANAGE YOUR STRESS: Scientists have found that prolonged long-term stress not only affects your immune system’s ability to produce the cells that fight infections, it also affects your body’s ability to produce immunity-boosting hormones.

Our lives will never be stress free, but we can minimize the negative affects of stress on our immune system by managing the stress we do experience. Remember, assess the professional and personal projects you have before taking on new ones, take a bit of personal time each day, ask for help when you need it and get enough sleep and exercise.

3. STAY ACTIVE: The immune system requires glutamine to function properly. Much of the glutamine in the body comes from muscle cells. That means, a loss in muscle tissue results in a decrease in immunity. Since women experience a loss in muscle mass as they age, it is particularly important that they exercise regularly with a focus on weight training to maintain both their muscle and immunity levels.

Research has also shown that regular, moderate exercise has long-term positive effects on the lymphatic system, the network that transports immune cells through the body, on top of helping us to sleep better and decrease stress levels.

In short, if you dedicate yourself to following the Eat-Clean Diet™ Lifestyle, your body will be better able to fight against any illness that comes your way!

Yours in Health!



P.S. Do you like this newsletter? Share it with a friend or family member.

20 Unexpected Antioxidant-Rich Foods

There's been a lot of press lately on the benefits of antioxidants, the cell-protecting nutrients found in a wide range of foods that help combat heart disease, cancer, the effects of aging, and other conditions. To help you add more disease-fighting antioxidants to your diet, we've created this quick, alphabetical list of 20 foods you may not have realized are excellent sources of antioxidants.
Read up on the top 20 unexpected antioxidant-rich foods.

Should I Pick Up the Pace?

"My doctor told me that I need to get more aerobic exercise, but I hate going to the gym! I do like to walk, but how fast and how long should I go to improve my cardiovascular health?"
Visit the Heart Health Center on Everyday Health and get the answer from Dr. Agatston.

10 Steps to Manage Your Weight

By applying a few simple strategies to your everyday life, you can learn to continually make smart food choices, get the most out of your exercise routine, fight those temptations, and sustain your new weight. After all, aren't you worth it? Follow these weight management steps.

Simple Steps

Give Yourself a Fitness Makeover

Are you bored with your exercise routine? Do you dread taking the same walking path around the neighborhood or hitting the treadmill at the gym for the zillionth time? Always doing the same thing can zap your motivation. That's not good! Exercise should be fun, invigorating, and energizing! If it's not, it's probably time for a fitness makeover!

A fitness makeover is simple and fun. All you have to do is find different ways to get your heart pumping and your muscles working. Here are some ideas you can try:

• Get a partner. Everything is more fun when you do it with someone else! Plus, having a partner increases your accountability — you're less likely to break an exercise date if you know someone is counting on you. Enlist your spouse, a neighbor, or a friend and work out together. Go for a walk, pick each other up for the gym, or just lift weights together in your basement — it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you are moving!
• Sign up for a class. If you're used to working out alone, a workout class will make exercise exciting for you! The music is upbeat, the other people in the class motivate you to push yourself, and the instructor is there to direct you and correct your form. Check out the class offerings at your local community center, park, or gym.
• Take a walk to the library or video store and browse the workout section. So many types of workout videos are available — from kickboxing, dance, and Pilates to step aerobics, Tae Bo, and bootcamps — the possibilities are endless! And best of all, you can try these new routines in the comfort of your home, return them, and borrow new ones so you can constantly vary your workouts.
• Put on your explorer's hat and go on an adventure! Call up the parks department in your city or town — or look online — to locate beautiful walking or biking trails. Then hit a new locale each week. Walking tours are also a great way to get to know a place.
• Dress the part. It may sound silly, but a new workout outfit can freshen up your fitness routine! The right shoes make all the difference, so treat yourself to a new pair. If you don't want to splurge right now, pick up fun and affordable workout clothes at local discount stores.
• Kick up your heels on the dance floor! Go out with your significant other or friends and dance the night — and the unwanted fat — away. You can burn around 300 calories an hour by dancing fast or line dancing. Or just turn on some music in your living room and dance to get your heart rate up. Why not sign up for that dance class you've been interested in? It'll help you stay fit and have fun!

Starting next week, challenge yourself to take your workout to the next level by trying something new. Remember to choose activities you enjoy — or you'll just be working against yourself! Members who aren't feeling challenged on my site are probably ready to jump up to the intermediate or advanced fitness level. Give it a shot; you can always adjust Your Profile again if it's too hard. You can do it! www.deniseaustin.com

Stay Energetic All Day With Oatmeal

Many people remember oatmeal as something suited to cold winter mornings, but this age-old dish is perfect for snack time. According to a Penn State University study, oatmeal helps you maintain a steady level of energy throughout the day. This is because of its large amount of extra soluble fiber, which helps slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, helping you avoid sugar spikes and keeping you from getting that sleepy feeling shortly after you eat. So when shopping for oatmeal, challenge yourself to look for brands that are low in sugar, because the added sweet stuff defeats the purpose of maintaining level blood sugar.

www.5factordiet.com

Exercise Classes Can Change Up Your Routine
Signing up for an exercise class is a great way to add variety to your weekly cardio routine. And let's face it — misery loves company, right? Having companions with you to sweat through all that cardio can be a great motivator.

Just be sure that if it's a cardiovascular class, it involves a minimum of 45 minutes of activity and keeps your heart rate up. For maximum calorie burn, I recommend working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, or MHR. (To calculate your MHR, subtract your age from 220. Multiply that number by .85 to get your target heart rate.) Wear a heart rate monitor or check your pulse a few times during the class to make sure you're staying on track.

Go to your local gym or fitness center and see whether you can get in on one of these bad boys:

Spinning: Climb on the bike and pedal to motivational music and instruction. Spinning doesn't require a whole lot of coordination, and you can go at your own pace; in any case, it's a real calorie burner.

Step: Start stepping up and down to the beat of your step aerobics instructor. The stepping motion offers a boost to cardio by adding another level of intensity.

Boot camp: This high-intensity workout will kick your butt — in a good way. It's a combination of cardio and strength training, and it works the whole body.

Kickboxing: A personal favorite of mine, kickboxing aerobics classes incorporate punching and kicking motions and are great for toning muscles and releasing pent-up stress.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY

Another Change of Pace
Sick of the treadmill? Try the rowing machine. I love rowing because it allows you to work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. You can tone your back, biceps, and quads, all while working your cardiopulmonary system. To get the most out of it, keep the resistance at a minimum of 3. Make sure you press through your heels as you extend your legs. Keep your abs tight, and relax your neck and shoulders. To target different back muscles, alternate an overhand grip with an underhand one every five minutes. Roll up your sleeves and hang in there! www.jillianmichaels.com

Weight Loss: How Does It Help Your Heart?

A new study finds that weight loss rejuvenates the physical structure of the heart — and it doesn't matter how the weight loss happens, either by dieting or surgery. Learn more about the health benefits of losing weight. Need to shed a few pounds? Find the help you need.

Answers to Your Heart Health Questions

Read Everyday Health expert and preventive cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston's responses to your questions about heart attack symptoms, high blood pressure, healthy lifestyle changes, and more. Read the latest from Dr. Agatston and ask a question of your own.

Feel Great!

Eat Right and Feel Gorgeous

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "You are what you eat." Well, forget about weight for a minute — this saying is true when it comes to your looks too! Certain foods help your body feel great — and luckily, the same foods that keep you healthy and fit also help keep you looking your best. We can thank Mother Nature for that!

Incorporate these miracle foods into your diet, and you'll notice the difference in your appearance right away! All of these foods are also perfect for a healthy, low-fat diet:

• Citrus fruits help your body form collagen, which is essential to keep skin looking young and smooth!
• Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C and potassium — all of which help give skin a radiant glow!
• Garlic is said to combat wrinkles and help restore tissue. It's like a natural antiwrinkle cream!
• Dairy foods — like skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese — help keep your bones and teeth strong, and your smile bright!
• Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin A, which promotes clear, smooth skin!

Remember: Good looks are about much more than being thin or having expensive makeup, hair, and clothes. Enrich your looks by being smart about food, and get that beautiful glow naturally!

There are two parts to every goal: First, go for what you want, and second, enjoy it! — Denise

Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

They're a crucial part of a healthy diet, but not all carbohydrates are equal. Find out which carbs you need, and which you should avoid.

More Debt, More Weight?

Financial stress can affect your health in more ways than one — a new study says debt may contribute to weight gain. Take a quiz to see if stress affects your eating habits.

Jillian Michaels on Skipping Meals

Now and then, your body may tell you that it's just not hungry at meal time. So is it okay to go without eating? Read Jillian's response to this reader's question.

4 Ways to Break Through a Weight-Loss Plateau

While it may be frustrating, it is not uncommon to reach a weight-loss plateau in Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet, especially as you get closer to your target weight. While slow and steady weight loss is best for long-term success, there's nothing more discouraging than not seeing any change on the scale.
Get 4 tips on how to deal with a stalling weight loss.

What Is a Heart Scan?

A heart scan is a noninvasive procedure that shows the amount of calcified plaque you have in your coronary arteries. Currently, two types of heart scanners are being used. The first is the multislice computed tomography (CT) scanner, which creates an extremely detailed cross-sectional image of your arteries using x-ray cameras. The second is the electron-beam tomography (EBT) scanner, which creates images of the heart using an electron gun.
Visit the Heart Health Center on Everyday Health and learn more from Dr. Agatston.

Tips for Controlling Your Appetite
If you suffer from constant food cravings, there are some steps you can take to remedy the situation. The first step is to make sure you're eating correctly for your metabolic type. (You can find out how by taking the "What to Eat" quiz on my site!) This will help a lot. If you're certain that you are eating as you should for your metabolic type and you still feel hungry all the time, consider these tips to curb your appetite:

Don't skip meals. You should be eating three square meals a day, plus one snack, and spacing your meals throughout the day so that you don't go longer than four hours without eating. This will keep your blood sugar levels and hunger hormones stable.

Drink tons of water. When you feel as if you're starving, pour yourself a huge glass of water or grab a bottle of seltzer — it will help quell the urge to snack.

Sleep! Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, regulate our appetite, and both are directly affected by how much sleep we get. These hormones work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night helps the hormones work properly, which in turn will help curb your appetite.

Examine your hunger. The next time you feel hungry between meals, consider the last time you ate. If it was less than three to four hours earlier, your stomach isn't growling, and you're not weak or tired, you're probably emotionally unsatisfied in some way rather than genuinely physically hungry.

Think about what, besides eating, soothes you. Steer yourself toward positive feelings of self-worth and you'll choose activities and behaviors that inherently contradict self-loathing and self-destructiveness.

Don't panic. You can and will lose weight. Even if you're eating a little more than the meal plan calorie allowance, you can still lose — it just might take a little longer. Exercise is also crucial. Working out harder and more often will help burn the extra calories you might take in if you have a bad day.

Do not beat yourself up! Sometimes we slip up, and that's okay — healthy living is not an all-or-nothing proposition. I'm here for you, and I know you can do this. Believe in yourself and try to incorporate my suggestions into your life, and let's see how you do.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY

Fast Forward
If food commercials on television make you feel hungry and drive you to snack uncontrollably, record your shows so you can skip the commercials. Or keep a few magazines close by so you have something to zone out with until the commercials are over. Or, you can always drop to the floor and do a few stretches or sit-ups to regain control and remind yourself why you're doing my program — I'm not joking!

www.jillianmichaels.com

Aging and Exercise: What You Need to Know to Stay Fit

Is it possible to get better with age? In some ways, by staying healthy and active, you can. In fact, studies show that older people who maintain active lifestyles that include exercise experience fewer health problems as they age. Learn more in this article on our partner site, Spine Universe.