Skinny Sipping : The Best and Worst Beverages for Weight Loss

Skinny Sipping: Drink Pounds Away

Many of us watch what we eat but not what we drink when on a diet. That’s a mistake. The average American gets a fifth of daily calories from beverages. Choosing the right drinks can tweak your metabolism, curb your appetite, and reduce your total calorie count. Which drinks are spoilers and which are helpers on the path to weight loss?

Spoiler: Soda

Every time you chug a bottle of soda, you’re consuming hundreds of empty calories. Switching to diet soft drinks is an obvious way to cut calories, but the research is mixed on whether this switch results in weight loss. Some studies show a short-term benefit. Others find diet soda drinkers gain weight. If your calorie intake exceeds what you burn off, just switching to diet soda may not do the trick.

Helper: Water

Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day, and the benefits don’t stop there. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may encourage the stomach to feel full more quickly, so you don’t eat as much. In addition, new research suggests drinking plenty of water may have a positive effect on your metabolism.

 

Jury’s Out: Fruit Juice

Juice can have as many calories as soda, but it has far more to offer in the way of nutrients. This presents a dilemma -- you want the vitamins and antioxidants without all the extra sugar. The safest bet: Look for 100% fruit juice. Steer clear of juice drinks that have added sweeteners. Look for the percent of real juice, noted on the nutritional label. You can also slash calories by drinking water with a tiny bit of juice added.'

Helper: Vegetable Juice

Vegetable juice is every bit as nutritious as fruit juice with about half the calories. A 12-ounce serving of tomato juice has 80 calories, compared to 160 calories for orange juice. Vegetable juice with pulp is also high in fiber and can help control hunger.

Jury’s Out: Smoothies

Blend a banana, strawberries, and blueberries into a frothy smoothie, and you’ve got a delicious arsenal of disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. The homemade variety is best when you’re counting calories, because you can control the ingredients -- skim milk and fresh fruit are all you need. Restaurant smoothies may contain ice cream, honey, or other sweeteners that boost the calorie count sky-high.

Jury’s Out: Low-Fat Milk

Consuming calcium-rich foods may do a body good, but calcium probably won't help you lose weight, new research now reveals. Some earlier studies suggested calcium may prompt the body to burn more fat, but there’s little evidence to support these claims. Depriving the body of calcium, on the other hand, has been show to trigger an increase in the production of fat cells. To get the benefits of calcium without consuming extra fat, stick to skim or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Spoiler: Energy Drinks

Sports and energy drinks are calorie bombs like soda. They may have more added nutrients, but you can find the same vitamins and minerals in low-calorie foods. People who are serious about losing weight should stay hydrated with water rather than sports drinks.

Helper: Black Coffee

When you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than soda or energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of coffee (about 3 to 4 cups a day) may improve mood and concentration, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

Spoiler: Fancy Coffee

Once you add heavy cream, flavored syrups, and/or a snowcap of whipped cream, that innocent mug of black coffee becomes a minefield of fat and sugar. Specialty coffees can contain up to 570 calories per cup -- possibly more than an entire meal! If you don’t like your coffee black, add a little skim milk and artificial sweetener to keep the calorie count low.

Helper: Green Tea

Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little caffeine. Not only is it calorie-free, some research suggests green tea extract may stimulate weight loss through the action of phytochemicals. These are plant-based compounds that may temporarily cause the body to burn more calories and melt fat. The benefit appears to last only a few hours, so it may help to drink green tea at least twice a day.

 Spoiler: Wine Coolers

Wine coolers may sound light and airy, but they are heavy on calories. A 12-ounce wine cooler can have 190 calories and 22 grams of carbs. Regular wine is not much better with at least 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass. A low-calorie alternative is a wine spritzer: mix a dash of wine with some sparkling water.

Spoiler: Cocktails

A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix in soda or cream, watch out… An 8-ounce white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories. A less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda.

Helper: Light Beer

OK, beer is not really going to help you lose weight. But if you’re out with friends and want to share a pitcher, light beer is the way to go. A serving has 100 calories, compared to 150 calories for regular beer.

14 Diet Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Diet Mistakes Can Influence Weight

Simple diet mistakes can derail your best efforts to get back into that favorite pair of jeans. If the scale seems stuck, or your weight drops off only to bounce back up, there’s a chance you could be making one of these 12 weight loss blunders.

 

Relying on Crash Diets

Determined to lose 10 pounds fast, you turn to a crash diet. Perhaps your plan calls for nothing but grapefruit or cabbage soup each day. You slash your daily calories to fewer than 1,000 -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly -- and gains weight more quickly -- than ever before.

 

Skipping Breakfast

Skipping breakfast seems like a simple way to cut calories, but the result can be insatiable hunger the rest of the day. This may lead to unplanned snacking at the office and eating a super-size portion at lunch, making calorie counts soars. But breakfasts that are high in protein and fiber can reduce hunger throughout the day. In fact, studies show people who eat breakfast every morning are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

 

Losing Track of Your Snacks

Maybe you count calories meticulously at every meal, but what about all those nibbles in between? There’s the bag of pretzels at your desk, the little slice of cake at an office party, the taste of your son’s ice cream cone. All of this mindless munching adds up and could sabotage an otherwise well-planned diet. If you’re serious about counting calories, you may want to use a notebook to keep track of each bite.

 

Not Snacking at All

While mindless snacking can pad your waistline, thoughtful snacking may do just the opposite. People who eat several small meals and snacks a day are more likely to control hunger and lose weight. Snacking helps keep your metabolism in high gear, especially if the snacks are protein-rich. Nuts are a good, high-protein choice, and research suggests people who snack on nuts tend to be slimmer than those who don't.

 

Loading Up on Low-Fat

Low-fat products can play an important role in your diet. Just remember that low-fat isn’t the same as low-calorie and it’s not a license to take second and third helpings. If you pile your plate with low-fat cake, you may end up eating more calories than if you had a smaller slice of regular cake. The best way to know how much fat, sugar, and calories you’re getting is to check the nutritional label.

 

Sipping Too Many Calories

When counting calories, many of us tend to overlook what’s in our drinks. This is a big mistake when you consider that some fancy coffees and alcoholic beverages have more than 500 calories. Even the calories in fruit juice and soda can add up quickly. What’s worse is that liquid calories don’t curb hunger. You’re not going to eat any less after a high-calorie drink.

 

Drinking Too Little Water

This is one of the simplest diet blunders to fix. Water is essential for burning calories. If you let yourself get dehydrated, your metabolism drags -- and that means slower weight loss. Research suggests adults who drink eight or more glasses of water per day burn more calories than those who drink less. So try adding a glass of water to every meal and snack.

 

Ditching Dairy

Milk, cheese, and ice cream are taboo for many dieters, but ditching dairy foods may be counterproductive. Some research suggests the body burns more fat when it gets enough calcium and produces more fat when it’s calcium-deprived. Calcium supplements do not appear to yield the same benefits, so dairy may have other compounds at work as well. Most dietitians recommend sticking to nonfat or low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Taking the Drive-Through Bait

The drive-through is convenient after a hectic day, and you can always order the salad or other healthier option. But once you’re there, can you resist that milkshake or other treat? And if you allow yourself the ease of fast food once, it could become a habit. According to one long-term study, people who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 more pounds than those who had it less than once a week.

 

Weighing Yourself Every Day

Weighing yourself daily is a recipe for frustration and doesn’t yield useful information. It’s more important to look for a long-term trend with weekly weigh-ins. If your goal is to lose 1 or 2 pounds a week, you’ll be satisfied to see those full-pound drops when you step on the scale. The result is more motivating than the confusing swings that may accompany daily weigh-ins.

Setting Unrealistic Goals

Telling yourself you’ll lose 20 pounds your first week is probably setting yourself up for failure. If you know you won’t be able to do it, you may never start your diet in the first place. If you do diet and lose 5 pounds in a week, instead of celebrating, you may feel discouraged that you didn’t reach your goal. A realistic goal is vital to successful dieting. If you’re not sure what your goal should be, talk to a dietitian.

 

Avoiding Exercise

When you don’t exercise, you place the entire burden of weight loss on your diet. If you become more active, you can eat more of the things you like -- and still lose weight. The key is finding an exercise you enjoy. If the treadmill seems tedious, try swimming, ballet, biking, or Ping-Pong, all of which burn more calories than walking. Spend time at different activities until you find one you want to do on most days.

 

 Not allowing yourself to have a treat once in a while, this is likely to play havoc with yourself if you don’t at least have one treat every now and again so,don’t think that you can’t have one. A treat will make you feel good just be sensible is all.

 

 Eating Too quickly in retrospect this tends to be something that we do again without even thinking about it, such is the way that society is these days what with our hectic lifestyles. We never seem to have enough time for anything and do everything in such a frantic hurry, and we even tend to apply this to eating our food.

 credit :wbmd

9 Fabulous Tips for Sexy Flat Abs

How to Get Flat Abs

Like the quest for the Holy Grail, many people are on a mission to improve their abs. What does it take to get there? These 9 simple exercises and lifestyle tips can start you in the right direction.

 

No. 1: Improve Your Posture

Slouch and your stomach pooches. So straighten up, and you've done your abs a favor without breaking a sweat! For better posture while standing, align your ears over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles. Keep the fronts of the shoulders open like a shirt on a hanger, instead of a shirt on a peg. Draw your navel to your spine and keep your weight even on the balls of your feet and your heels.

 

No. 2: Think Whole-Body Exercise

Don't get so into your abs that you overlook your other muscles. Your core muscles also include your glutes and back muscles, for instance. Pilates is one way to work all of the core muscles, plus the arms and legs, for a whole–body workout that does strengthens the abs — and more.

 

 

No. 3: Try the Canoe Twist

Stand upright, feet apart. Interlace your fingers to create a solid grip. Exhale, and sweep the interlocked hands, arms, shoulders, and chest to the left, as if "rowing a canoe." Simultaneously lift the left knee up and to the right. Inhale and return to the starting position. Exhale and perform the movement to the right. Alternate for 20 repetitions.

 

No. 4: Do the Cat Kick

Stand with feet together, arms extended like airplane wings. Exhale, and lift the right leg forward and up. At the same time, sweep the arms forward at shoulder level and round your spine, like a cat. The navel should feel as though it's pressing toward the spine. Inhale, and open back up and return to the starting position. Repeat with the left leg, alternating for 20 repetitions.

 

No. 5: Practice the Pilates Zip Up

Stand upright with heels together, toes slightly turned out. Bring your arms up, hands joined underneath the chin. Exhale, press your arms down, keeping hands and arms very close to the body. Simultaneously, lift your heels off the ground onto your tiptoes. Hold for two seconds at the "top," inhale and return to the starting position. The abs go "in and up" and the arms go down. Perform 20 repetitions.

No. 6: Examine Your Diet

You can do ab exercises until the cows come home, but if you've got extra belly fat, your strong abs won't show. To budge the belly fat, you have to look at what you eat and how active you are. In other words, eat less and move more, and spend your calorie budget wisely.

 

No. 7: Props Are Optional

Stability and Bosu balls, straps and bands, and gym memberships can be wonderful, but they aren't necessary for stronger abs. Even in your everyday life — while taking a walk, standing in line at the grocery store, or socializing at a cocktail party — you can engage your abs by standing straight and exhaling to draw the navel to the spine.

 

No. 8: Set Realistic Goals

Your genes may play a role in your body's shape, but don't make that an excuse to give up and head for the cookie jar. Your goals should be realistic and focused on your body, not on some idealized image. Beyonce's abs may motivate you, but you shouldn't expect to mimic them.

 

No. 9: Take Things Slow

There are no fast fixes. Even the promised quick fixes end up being temporary. Plan on slow and steady progression, and prepare for setbacks and even frustration. Rewards come with time and consistency.

credit :wmd 

Workout Not Working? Simple Tips To Guard Your Body From Injuries While Working Out

9 Least Effective Exercises 

Workout Not Working?

Who has time to waste on ineffective, risky exercises? Not
you. So ditch these nine moves that may not deliver the results you want — and
may even cause injury.



 

#1: Lat Pull-down Behind the Head

The problem: Only people with very mobile shoulder joints can
keep their spines straight enough to do this exercise properly. So the move —
done wrong — can lead to shoulder impingement or worse, a tear in the rotator
cuff. And if the bar hits the back of the neck, it could injure cervical
vertebrae.

#2: Military Press Behind the Head

This shoulder move, in which you lift weights or a barbell up
and down behind the head, can cause the same problems as the lat pull–down
behind the head.

 

A Safer Military Press

A safer shoulder alternative: When doing the military press,
keep the bar or dumbbells in front of your head. Stand with the weight no lower
than the collarbone and keep your upper body upright. The exercise can also be
done seated. Always sit straight against a back support, and keep the natural
curve in your spine, with upper back and glutes pressed to the chair.

#3: Upright Row

The problem: Pulling weights, a barbell, or a weighted cabled
bar up under your chin is a big no-no because it can compress the nerves in the
shoulder area, impinging the should

Safer Alternative to the Upright Row

Instead of doing an upright row, work your shoulders with a
front or lateral shoulder raise, lifting weights out to the front or side of the
body.

#4: Lying Leg Press with Knees Bent Too Deeply

From a reclining position, you push the plate up and bring it
down in this common exercise to work the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The
problem comes when you bend your legs too far -- past a 90-degree angle -- which
can hurt your back and knees.

 

Leg Press: Safer Moves

If you want to do a lying leg press, keep your butt from
rotating off the back of the machine, and don't bend past 90 degrees at the
knee.

#5: Squats on the Smith Machine

The problem: The bar on the machine doesn't give, which can
force the body into risky positions. Plus, people tend to put their feet farther
in front of their bodies when doing squats on the machine, which makes matters
worse.

Squats: A Safer Alternative

It's not necessary to use weights when doing a squat, but if you keep good form, adding weight will intensify the move. Standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, slowly lower your body, back straight. Move
the hips back as if you are going to sit in a chair. Try to maintain your weight directly over your feet, keeping heels on the floor. Lower yourself to about a 90 degree bend in the knee. Slowly return to a standing position.

#6: Using Bad Form on Cardio Machines

The problem: Hunching over or using a death-grip on the
handrail cheats your body and can throw off your alignment, jarring your spine,
shoulders, and elbows.

Better Technique on Cardio Machines

Don't set the incline or resistance so high that it causes you
to hang on to the machine too tightly. Use a natural gait with a light grip. For
a more challenging workout, hold on lightly with one hand and move the other
arm, switching arms periodically. And save the reading for after your workout so
you can focus on good form.

#7: Exercises Done with Goal of Spot Reduction

People who do strengthening and toning exercises in an effort
to trim fat from a certain area — thighs, hips, stomach, or arms — have the
wrong idea. Although these exercises can help firm muscles, if the targeted area
still carries an extra layer of fat, it won't look much different. You can't
isolate fat loss to one part of the body.

Effective Ways to Reshape Your Body

Cardiovascular exercise will torch calories, but resistance
training is a big part of the equation if you want to burn fat. Boosting your
muscle mass increases your metabolism, so you burn more calories all the time,
even when you're not working out.

# 8: Always Lifting with a Weight Belt

The problem: Too many people wear weight belts too often.
Unless you have a back injury or other medical reason — or are lifting a lot of
weight — the weight belt may let your core muscles slack off — and you need your
core muscles all the time in everyday life.



The solution: Back off the weight belt unless it's necessary.

#9: Any Exercise Done Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Even if you're doing everything else right, your efforts can
be undermined by improper footwear. Working out with the wrong shoes increases
pounding on the joints, and can lead to injuries like plantar fasciitis or
tendinitis.

Shoe Solution

The key, experts say, is to choose a shoe that is specific to
your activity and that suits your particular foot. They recommend shopping at
stores specializing in athletic shoes, where you can seek advice from a
knowledgeable salesperson. And don't forget to replace your shoes when they show
signs of wear.

source :wmd

do you have any routines you are concerned about in the workout area?