A Few Rules for Healthy Eating

Fall is here, and the season of eating is coming our way. There are so many foods that aren't very good for you, and it's also hard to resist over eating. 

Tips for Eating Healthy and Eating Less:

1. Have you read the label? Does it even have a label? It is actually best to purchase foods WITHOUT labels. Think about it. Apples and oranges don’t have labels on them, and never ave to because they are one ingredient. If what you are purchasing does have a label, try for one that has less than 5 ingredients. Also try reading every ingredient on the label with perfect pronunciation. Can’t do it? Don’t get it!
   
   
   
2. Try to eat with others whenever possible. Eating with others has a ton of benefits, including social and emotional. Talking with others during a meal will slow down eating, and will give time for you to feel full before you overeat. Also, eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
   

   
   
3. Stick to coconut oil and olive oil for cooking. Highly processed oils, like corn and soy based oils are toxic to your body. Also, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is anti-viral, anti-microbial and antibacterial. Coconut oil can boost thyroid function helping to increase metabolism, energy and endurance. It has been shownthat the breaking down of these types of fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy.
   
   
   
4. Avoid eating at night. Try to only eat during the most active hours of your day. Eat dinner early and try not to eat after. After-dinner snacks (desserts) also tend to be high in fat and calories so are best avoided.
   
   
   
5. HYDRATE! Drink ample amounts of water daily. Very often, we mistake thirst for hunger and will eat something when drinking a glass of water would have sufficed.

If you adopt some of these simple rules, you will be eating healthy and feeling more energized in no time!

Swimming: the Best Exercise

Finally! The weather is getting warmer, and we're finally going to be able to go out to the beach, the lake, or the pool. Not only will jumping in the water and moving around be refreshing on your hot skin, it is a great way to exercise your whole entire body. 

In fact, swimming has benefits that no other form of exercise has. Here are a few reasons why you should get in the pool as soon as possible:

• Gentle on your Body: swimming gives you the ability to work out your body without harsh impact to your skeletal system. This makes the pool a great place to work out for those with stiff muscles and sore joints.
• Increases Muscle Tone and Strength: swimming requires one to propel your whole body through water, which is why swimming is a better workout than other aerobic activities. Every movement in the water takes more energy than it would normally on dry land.
• Good for the Heart: The deep breathing and exercise that swimming evokes helps strengthen the most important muscle in your body. Swimming will help enlarge the heart and make it more efficient when pumping blood throughout the body.
• Weight Control: Swimming is now recognized as one of the biggest calorie burning exercises. For 10 minutes of swimming breast stroke, you burn 60 calories; backstroke burns 80; freestyle burns 100; and the butterfly stroke burns 150 calories!
• Lowers Stress: Exercising in general releases feel-good chemicals into your body called endorphins. Swimming also induces a natural relaxation response similar to yoga. This is swimming requires you to breath rhythmically while simultaneously stretching out your body.

The final reason is that swimming is just so much fun!If it's still a little cold out there for your liking, try to find a nice, heated indoor pool near you.

Drinking Water is Essential for a Healthy Lifestyle

Four weeks ago, we made a post on tips for a easier and healthy post-surgery recovery and one of the tips was to keep hydrated. We feel drinking water is such an important subject, that it deserves its own blog post!

The human body is made of about 65% water and needs fluids to perform various vital functions from maintaining body temperature to transporting nutrients. Without water, the body won't be able to function and will eventually shut down. Below are some benefits to drinking water that everyone transitioning to a healthier lifestyle should know: 

Hydrates the body - Any other drink in the world does not hydrate your body like water does. Though drinking tea, coffee, or juice is better than not drinking anything at all, the extra sugar and caffeine can be bad for you. Whatever you do, avoid alcohol! Alcohol interferes with communication between the brain and kidney and may lead to rapid dehydration from an excess secretion of fluids.

Helps control your appetite - Drinking water before a meal will help you feel more full before you begin eating. The human body is an amazing thing that notifies whether you are feeling pain, pleasure, etc. Sometimes, though, people can confuse the body's signal for thirst as hunger and will eat a snack when drinking water would suffice. Drinking water regularly will avoid the simple mistakes that lead to over eating.

Water is ZERO calories - It seems like an obvious thing, but many people forget how much better water is for the body compare to other drinks. Water also removes the by-products of fat and keeps you fresh and healthy. If you drink a lot of soft drinks every day, drink water instead and watch the pounds melt away. 

Keeps up appearances - Water helps energize muscles and helps the skin look fresh. Properly hydrating can help reduce muscle and joint soreness while exercising, so water is essential for people who are trying to maintain muscle tone. Also keeping hydrated prevents fluid loss in the skin and prevents wrinkles.

In short, not only is water essential for life in general, it holds many other advantages and is especially beneficial for those that are adopting a healthier lifestyle. 

Sources:

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_water.php

http://www.dirjournal.com/health-journal/why-is-drinking-water-so-important/

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/13945/11-advantages-of-drinking-water/