Workout programs, exercise tips, and general fitness related news!: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Diet Tips for Business Travelers

Comment Tweet Share on LinkedIn Related Articles 7 Stick-to-Your-Diet Tricks You’ve Never Heard Of Diets for Dessert Lovers The Skinny on Weight-Loss Vacations

Frequent travel can pack on the pounds, but road warriors can maintain a healthy diet with these tips By Miriam Weiner

March 14, 2012 RSS Feed Print Live to 100 Series sponsored by Spiriva

Toothbrush? Check. Dress shoes? Check. Your diet? That's all too easy to forget. For those whose jobs require frequent travel, a balanced diet all too often goes right out the window along with a balanced work-home life. A study published last year in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that frequent travel not only expands the waistlines of businesspeople, it can also lead to weight-related medical conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, especially in those who spend at least 21 nights away from home each month. You're hardly to blame: A hectic schedule coupled with limited dining options on the road are enough to derail the most determined dieter.

But even with the odds stacked against you, there are ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle while on the go, says Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. Planning ahead can go a long way. "If you have a plan, you're likely to do better because you're not letting your environment control you," she says. Here are a few tips to keep your regimen on track while you're on the road.

[See: Easiest Diets to Follow: in Pictures]

Pack some snacks

When packing your bags, make sure to throw in some healthy munchies. "We approach the food environment passively, and we don't do that with any other aspect of the environment," says David Katz, founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. "If it's cold, we pack warm clothes, and if it's raining, we don't just hope to stay dry. We deal with environmental changes all the time when we travel, and food is no different." Katz recommends that alongside your dress shoes and tie, you throw in some wholesome snacks—like granola or fruit—to help you curb hunger pangs while you're in transit. This will help you stay in control of what you eat. "If I get hungry, the person who's in control of my dietary destiny is me," Katz says. "Not some nincompoop who stocks the vending machine."

[See: 10 Things That Can Sabotage Your Weight Loss]

Stay on schedule

One of the most challenging feats is sticking to a regular meal schedule while traveling. Flights can get delayed or canceled, stranding you in the airport terminal with nothing but a greasy something to wolf down. Long car trips can provide no option but a rest stop. That's why having healthy snacks with you is so vital. Frequent travelers also face time changes and jet lag, which can quickly derail an otherwise perfectly timed eating schedule. According to Katz—who says this problem also plagues shift workers like nurses and security guards—it doesn't matter when you eat as long as you do so regularly. "Getting used to a new schedule is difficult, and everyone adjusts differently," he says. "If it turns out that 3 a.m. is your time for dinner, then do it. A routine really helps regulate what and how much you eat."

Stay hydrated

People often mistake thirst for hunger, says Politi. Hydrating often can help prevent overeating. The Mayo Clinic recommends that men drink roughly 13 glasses of liquids each day, while women should aim for around nine glasses. But just like your diet, your drink choices can negatively affect your weight. When the drink cart makes its way down the airplane aisle, opt for flat water instead of soda to avoid empty calories (and the tummy growls often caused by carbonation).

[ See: Does Drinking Water Before Meals Help You Lose Weight?]

Ditch the menu

When you're relying on restaurants at transportation hubs for frequent meals, you can save yourself the extra calories by simply ignoring the menu. "When we go out to restaurants, we want to eat what we won't eat at home," which often translates into sodium-packed dishes, says Politi. "If you don't look at the menu, you won't be tempted." Salad is the obvious choice, and most restaurants are willing to make modifications, such as putting the dressing on the side or swapping out included toppings (like fatty cheeses and meats) for healthier items, like black beans. Many eateries are becoming increasingly sensitive to your dietary needs. "Any fast-food or chain restaurant will have healthy options," says Politi. "It's up to you to make a good decision."

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5 Non-Dairy Foods With Calcium

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Don’t eat or don’t like dairy? These non-dairy options pack a calcium wallop By Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil

March 14, 2012 RSS Feed Print Live to 100 Series sponsored by Spiriva

It can be tough to get all the calcium you need each day, especially if you're vegan, lactose intolerant, or just don't like dairy products. But you shouldn't skimp on calcium. This important mineral does more than strengthen your bones—it also plays a role in regulating your blood pressure and maintaining a healthy heart. If your body doesn't get enough, it'll compensate by leeching calcium from your bones, leaving them brittle and weak.

[See: Raw Milk Is Gaining Fans, but the Science Says It's Dangerous]

Luckily, there's a range of non-dairy foods that offer the 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams of calcium the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends you get daily. Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), says the advantage of plant-based calcium is that it ensures you're eating lots of veggies—another important part of any diet.

But avoiding dairy also comes with a warning. "There are compounds in plants that bind to calcium and prevent you from absorbing it," Anding says. "Although they're good sources of calcium on paper, physiologically, the amount of calcium is not so great. Dairy calcium is biologically available, meaning you absorb what's in the product." The way around this, she adds, is to "make sure you're varying your sources." While nothing can undo the effects of these compounds, in general, vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium—so make sure you get enough of this, too. (The government recommends 15 micrograms of vitamin D per day.)

[See: 7 Common Digestive Problems and How to End Them]

Consider these six ways to boost your calcium intake without touching dairy.

Green Vegetables

Dark green vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, and mustard greens have a fair amount of calcium. One cup of cooked spinach, for instance, has 245 mg., nearly a quarter of your daily recommendation. But be careful, Anding says. Spinach is the one of the "top" vegetables whose compounds can prevent calcium absorption. While this shouldn't discourage you from eating your vegetables, make sure you're getting calcium from other sources, too.

Seeds

Tiny sesame seeds are packed with calcium. Just 1 tablespoon will give you 88 mg., and in a whole cup, you'll get more than a day's worth—1,404 mg. Since most people don't eat sesame seeds by the cup, you can also try tahini, a Mediterranean sesame paste, which goes well with bread and salad. Otherwise, sprinkling a spoonful of sesame seeds onto a salad or stir-fry everyday can give you a nice calcium boost. Flax seeds are also good—a cup will give you 428 mg.

Nuts

Nuts are an excellent source of calcium. One cup of Brazil nuts has 213 mg., and 1 cup of whole almonds has 378 mg., more than a cup of milk, which has 299 mg. Snacking on these throughout the day or eating almond butter (instead of peanut butter) in a sandwich at lunch can give you at least a quarter of your recommended daily calcium intake.

[See: Gluten-Free Diet: a Cure for Some, a Fad for Most]

Herbs

Dried herbs are not only packed with flavor—they're surprisingly calcium dense, too. One tablespoon of ground thyme has 81 mg., and the same measurement of ground oregano has 86 mg., while ground basil has 101 mg. Although you won't be eating these by the bucketful, sprinkling them on salads, cooked vegetables, or other dishes will certainly help you get to your 1,000 mg. target.

Soy

Soy is the go-to protein source for many vegetarians and vegans, but it also contains lots of calcium. Just 1 ounce of tofu (which usually comes in 12.5-oz. packages) has 105 mg. And depending on which brand you buy, soymilk usually has between 200 and 500 mg. of calcium per cup. Like spinach, soy contains a compound that inhibits calcium absorption, but manufacturers typically use additives to give their products a calcium boost.

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6 Diets With Harsh Rules

Comment (2) Tweet Share on LinkedIn Related Articles High-Protein Diets for Weight Loss: Are They Healthy? 6 Diets for Men Diets for Women: 7 Plans That Target Ladies

Some weight-loss plans have tough rules, like severe calorie caps and lots of off-limits food By Angela Haupt

February 15, 2012 RSS Feed Print

Certain weight-loss regimens lay down the law more harshly than others—capping calories at a super-restrictive level, eliminating major food groups, or even requiring followers to give themselves a shot. Some dieters want and need rigid rules. For others, handcuffs are a sure road to failure. U.S. News, which publishes annual Best Diets rankings, took a closer look at 6 plans with strict rules. They're listed in alphabetical order below. (U.S. News has not ranked the 3-day diet, baby food diet, or hCG diet.)

3-Day Diet. Want to drop 10 pounds in three days? Possible, claims the plan, if you follow its ultra-restrictive, low-calorie menu. Breakfast might be black coffee, half a grapefruit, and a piece of toast with a smidgen of peanut butter. Other staples include fruit, veggies, hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, tuna (hold the mayo), and saltine crackers. The only approved beverages are water, coffee, tea, and diet soda. Want more? Too bad: You're limited to 800 to 1,000 calories a day, though the government recommends at least 2,000 to 2,400 for moderately active adults. (The 3-day diet doesn't reflect widely accepted guidelines for weight loss, and could lead to nutrient deficiencies, a weakened immune system, and heart problems.)

[6 Diets for Men]

Baby Food Diet. Unless you're an infant, subsisting on pureed turkey, carrots, and pears might not sound appealing. But followers believe the portion-controlled jars prevent overeating. Strict adherents exclude "real" food altogether, while some replace just one meal a day with baby food.

Dukan Diet. Fats and carbs are all but squeezed out on this plan, including bread, cheese, and even fruit. All four phases of the Dukan Diet are heavy on do's and don'ts, and even the slightest slip-up is considered destructive. "[S]uccumbing to any other foods, as small as the lapse may be, will be like puncturing a balloon with a needle," warns creator Pierre Dukan, a French physician.

[Diets That Let You Eat Out]

HCG Diet. It may claim to deliver rapid weight loss—up to 30 pounds a month—but getting there isn't easy. The plan combines drops or injections of hCG, a pregnancy hormone, with just 500 calories a day. That's less than a third of the amount recommended by the government for both men and women, causing medical experts to contend that it could be dangerous. Proponents argue that hCG accelerates weight loss by suppressing appetite and "blasting" fat, while detractors say weight loss is due to the extremely low calorie level—not hCG. The usual menu deems breakfast optional; lunch and dinner call for small amounts of veggies, carbs, and 3.5 ounces of lean, fat-free protein.

Paleo Diet. The premise is to eat only what our hunter-gatherer ancestors did: animal protein and plants. Refined sugar, dairy, legumes, and grains are all out of the question. And forget garnishing meals with seasoning or sauces. This plan offers little variety.

[Diets That Let You Drink Alcohol]

Raw Food Diet. Most of what raw foodists eat each day are plant-based foods never heated above 115 degrees F. Anything pasteurized, all processed foods, refined sugars and flours, table salt, caffeine, and most store-bought juices, drinks, and milks are off-limits. (Homemade juices using fresh fruits and veggies are OK.)Say hello to fresh fruit and veggies, sprouts, seeds, and nuts, including cashews, sunflower seeds, and raw almond butter.

Next list: Diets That Make You Feel Full

Clarified on 2/16/12: U.S. News has not endorsed any of the listed diets for people who need rules.

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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Diet Tips for Business Travelers

5 Non-Dairy Foods With Calcium

6 Diets With Harsh Rules

Performance & Conditioning