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Tuesday 30 April 2013

Walk-To-Burn-Calories – Diet Aid


A US study suggests that a menu that displays the amount of exercise required to burn off the calories contained in the food may help people to consume fewer calories.

A team at the Texan Christian University found that when the menu displayed the amount of exercise required, the diners ordered lower calories. The trials were conducted with a group of 18-30 year olds, who were split into three groups. Some were given menus with no calorie information, some with the amount of calories displayed, and the final group had both the calories and the amount of exercise needed to burn the calories off. The results showed that the group with extra information consumed around 100 calories less.

The test is now to be taken further, and onto a bigger scale in order to confirm the findings.

This could be a very interesting find if it proves to be useful. It may just help a good number of people to eat that little bit less and to get in better shape. A lot of people are unaware of how hard it is to actually burn off the calories we consume so this could be very useful. It is also important to remember though, that just eating fewer calories does not necessarily mean that we are eating healthily.

To read the full article, click here.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Five A Day


It is no secret, most people already know it, but getting more fruits and vegetables into our diets is key to a healthier lifestyle. This blog entry will look into why eating more fruits and vegetables is important,  and will offer some tips of how we can get more fruits and vegetables into our daily lives.

Why Five a Day is Important

There are a number of reasons as to why eating more fruits and vegetables is important.

Firstly, fruits and vegetables are generally low in fat and calories, and therefore we are able to be in more control of our weight when eating them as opposed to other foods that often contain high levels of fats and extra sugars and calories.

Secondly, eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables helps us to get plenty of vitamins and minerals that we need into our body. They are also a good source of other substances, such as anti-oxidants. All these nutrients are valuable to our health.

Finally, eating fruits and vegetables helps to reduce the risk of many diseases and some cancers.

Tips to getting Five a Day

Now that we know why it is so valuable to get five a  day into our diet, we can look at some simple ways of getting extra portions into our daily routine.

  • We can add a piece of fruit, or a glass of unsweetened fruit juice, to our regular breakfast. This will also help us feel fuller for longer.
  • Make sure that we have a piece of fruit available for a mid-morning snack
  • With each meal we can try adding an extra portion of vegetables to it
  • We can make each portion of fruit of vegetables slightly bigger than normal to get even more goodness in each meal
What Counts Towards Our Five a Day?

Knowing what actually counts towards one of our five a day can often be tricky. Here are some examples of what does count towards our Five a Day:
  • An apple
  • 2 broccoli florets
  • 3 heaped tablespoons of mixed vegetables
  • 1 glass of 100% unsweetened fruit juice
  • 1 medium banana
  • 3 heaped tablespoons of peas
  • 7 Strawberries
  • 2 medium plums
  • 1 medium pear
  • a handful of grapes
  • 3 heaped tablespoons of sweetcorn


Each type of fruit and vegetables contains different properties so it is important to make sure that we eat a wide variety of them. A good tip is to make our meals as colorful as possible!

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave your feedback, I am interested in your views and will look to respond as soon as possible. 

Friday 19 April 2013

Rock Hard Abs

There are so many exercises to help build rock solid abs. My favourite is the plank. This is one of the simplest, yet most effective exercises that there is for toning and building rock solid abs. For more information on the plank itself, check out this website, of mine, here.

Another important thing to remember, when wanting abs, is that we must reduce our body fat. Regularly doing sit ups will definitely tone the stomach muscles, but this does not mean our belly fat will disappear. Doing ab exercises merely works and builds the ab muscles, to see them we must torch the belly fat!

This can be achieved by cardio-vascular exercises, such as running, cycling and swimming. Even going for a half hour walk can help to burn the extra calories. Combine all this with a well balanced diet and we are well on our way to a nice 6-pack.