Easy Ways to Squeeze in a Workout

September 15, 2016 by greystar

Between work, keeping up with chores, and spending time with friends and family, you may find it difficult to make time in your day for exercise. But as busy as you may feel, you should be able to uncover a few extra minutes hiding in your day. Here are a few ways to fit more fitness into your busy schedule.

For two days, keep track of how you spend your time. Writing this down helps you find more downtime that you could use for working out.
Pencil it in. Decide on a set time for exercise and enter it in your calendar as a daily event. When you see it every morning, you'll make a mental note that you’re going to exercise and this can help you to stay motivated.
Start small. Five-minute walks every day can easily turn into 30-minute walks.
Do small exercises while you’re watching TV. You can do crunches, planks, squats, lunges, or pushups while you’re catching up on your favorite shows.
Keep a positive attitude. Editing your negative thoughts is a great way to support healthier lifestyle choices.

4 Ways to Squeeze In That Workout [Women’s Health]
25 Ways to Make Time for Fitness [Experience Life]
10 Ways to Sneak In a Workout [Fitness Magazine]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Andrew Malone

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Exercise, Fitness, Health, Workout Tips

How to Help Ensure Your Growing Teen Is Getting the Proper Nutrition

June 16, 2016 by greystar

Teenagers may seem like they don’t need your help with anything, but as a parent, you know that this simply isn’t true. When it comes to proper nutrition, your growing teen needs you more than ever. Here are a few smart tips to help ensure that your teenager is eating the right foods and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Have regular meals together. Eating together doesn’t just bring you closer as a family, it also ensures that your son or daughter eats a well-balanced dinner every evening. Prepare meals with lots of whole grains, lean meats and fish, and fresh vegetables.
Prepare more food. As your child becomes a teenager, his or her appetite will begin to increase dramatically. Keep teens energized by serving larger portions at mealtime and keeping lots of healthy snacks on hand.
Limit saturated fats and sugars. Even if your teen loves to snack on potato chips and chocolate candies, these things can contribute to certain diseases later in life. Try to limit the foods that contain saturated fats, sugars, and sodium in your household.
Increase calcium intake. Because teenagers typically go through growth spurts, they require much more calcium than children and adults. Serve low fat milks, yogurt, or even calcium supplements. Ask your child's doctor for advice.

Nutrition for Children and Teens [HelpGuide.org]
A Teenager’s Nutritional Needs [HealthyChildren.org]
Do Teens Have Different Nutritional Needs Than Adults? [SF Gate]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Kathy

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dieting, Health, Parenting, Wellness

How to Lose Weight — Without Going Hungry!

March 17, 2016 by greystar

Sure, a diet involves cutting back on fat and calories, but that doesn’t mean that you should ever feel hungry. Here are some tips for losing weight without going hungry.

Don't fast. Trendy cleanse diets involve drinking only water, juice, or not eating anything at all in order to shed pounds. While you might lose a bit of weight at first, fasting actually slows your metabolism down and causes you to gain more weight once you start eating again.
Always eat breakfast. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day because it fuels you for the rest of the day. Try something with whole grains, protein, and fresh fruits and veggies to stay full without adding unnecessary calories.
Stay away from starches. While foods like potatoes and breads will make you feel full very quickly, these food are filled with little more than carbs. Opt for whole grains or sweet potatoes instead.
Plan your meals. If you plan your meals ahead of time, you won’t have to choose what to eat once your hunger starts to set in (which can lead to overeating).

Diet Myth or Truth: Fasting Is Effective for Weight Loss [WebMD]
10 Easy Ways to Lose Weight Without Starving [Men’s Health]
Losing Weight [CDC]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Joanna Slodownik

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Diet, Fitness, Health, Weight Loss

Watching Your Weight? Don’t Make These Dieting Mistakes!

January 21, 2016 by greystar

You might think that you’re on a fairly healthy diet that will eventually lead to your goal weight, but some of your eating habits might actually do more harm than good when it comes to weight loss. Check out these common dieting mistakes to make sure that they’re not a part of your daily routine

Eating too fast. By rushing through every meal, you don’t give your body enough time to actually feel full. If you eat slower, you’re more likely to stop eating when you’ve actually had enough.
Forgoing meals. Instead of making you lose weight faster, skipping meals actually leads to consuming more calories later in the day. Even if you’re not feeling hungry at meal time, try eating a small snack to keep your appetite regulated.
Consuming liquid calories. Many dieters don’t realize just how many calories there are in many common beverages. Drinks like wine, beer, coffee, and even juices can add hundreds of unnecessary calories throughout the day.
Eating too-large portions. It’s always smart to measure the portion size of your food before eating it, as it is very difficult to judge the amount of calories simply by looking at a food. You can do this by using a food scale or carrying plastic containers in the recommended sizes.

Diet Mistakes: 6 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight [WebMD]
14 Diet Foods To Avoid [Prevention]
13 Healthy Foods to Avoid For Weight Loss! [Active Beat]
Jillian Michaels: Weight-Loss Tips That Work [Health]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr bogolyandras

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dieting, Fitness, Health, Wellness

Cooking Without Eggs? Bookmark These Two Websites

September 17, 2015 by greystar

Food allergies sometimes make creativity a necessity when it comes to preparing meals on your own. Lucky for those afflicted with allergies, there are many great resources to help people cook delicious food without the ingredient that trigger reactions. If you need to prepare a dish without eggs, bookmark these two websites for help with substitutions.

Cooking and Baking Without Egg Ingredients [Kids With Food Allergies]
With this website, egg allergies won’t stop you from making your favorite foods like pizza, cake, and pie. Get those recipes, plus suggestions on how to substitute eggs when used in other baked goods.
Egg Substitutions [Chef in You]
Discover a list of foods that can be used as eggs substitutes in various recipes. They include unlikely items such as bananas, applesauce, and vegetable oil.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/ravescuritiba

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Diet, food, Health

Are You Brushing Your Teeth Correctly? Find Out Here!

August 20, 2015 by greystar

You’ve brushed your teeth for as long as you can remember, but how can you be sure that you’re doing it correctly? Check out these simple steps for proper tooth brushing to find out.

Twice a day is only the beginning. Although many people are taught to brush their teeth in the morning and the evening, that’s actually only the minimum amount. Brushing your teeth after a large meal or any time you drink a potentially staining beverage is always a good idea.
Brush in a circular motion. Dentists recommend brushing in a circular motion up toward the gums rather than the usual back and forth motion across the teeth. This technique removes bacteria without causing gum pain.
Stop the final rinse. While many people rinse their mouths out with a bit of water after brushing, this is harmful because it removes the beneficial film delivered from the toothpaste. If you feel the need to rinse, only put a small amount of water in your mouth and swish it across your tongue rather than around your teeth and gums.
Don’t skimp on flossing. Flossing is just as important as brushing, and it should be done almost as often. Bonus points if you floss before brushing, as that enables the toothpaste to coat those hard-to-reach places between the teeth.

How to Brush [Colgate]
Proper Brushing [ADHA]
Am I Brushing My Teeth Correctly? [Lifehacker]
How to Brush Your Teeth [Crest]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Anderson Mancini

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dental Care, Family, Health, Wellness

Three Iron-Rich Foods You Might Not Know About

June 18, 2015 by greystar

Consuming the right amount of iron each day prevents anemia, a condition that can lead to fatigue. This essential mineral also helps cells transport oxygen throughout the body. Adding more iron to your diet isn’t difficult when you know which foods to look for; here are three of them:

Beef liver. Meat eaters have some delicious options when it comes to eating iron, with beef liver containing 5.8 milligrams per serving. Beef liver also boasts the lowest fat count in comparison to other beef products.
Clams. Enjoy a tasty seafood meal while also getting your daily value of iron. Twenty small clams contain 53 milligrams.
Pumpkin seeds. A great source for iron, pumpkin seeds contain 4.2 milligrams per serving. Eat them as a healthy snack in between meals.

Best Foods For Iron: 20 Foods Packed With Iron [Huffington Post]
Top 10 Iron Rich Foods [WedMD]
Top 10 Foods Highest in Iron [Healthaliciousness]
Iron Rich Foods [American Red Cross]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/justgrimes

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Diet, Health, Nutrition, Vitamins

How to Prevent Cross-Contamination in the Kitchen

March 19, 2015 by greystar

Cross-contamination in the kitchen occurs when you use the same tools and cutting boards to prepare things like raw meat or eggs that you use to prepare fresh produce or cooked foods, contaminating the food you eat with the bacteria from these raw items. To avoid cross-contamination, follow these safety tips.

It starts at the grocery store. Although cross-contamination is usually thought of in the kitchen, it can also happen before you even get your foods home. When shopping at the grocery store, be sure to package raw meats tightly in plastic and put them in a separate bag from other groceries. Also make sure that your carton of eggs doesn’t contain any broken eggs that could leak on other foods.
Use separate cutting boards. One of the most important ways to prevent food poisoning from cross-contamination is by using different cutting boards for meat and other items. Properly label each board, and never cut fresh vegetables, fruits, or breads on the cutting board that you use for meat or eggs. Also, clean your meat cutting board thoroughly and replace it often.
Cook safely. When cooking, never use the same tools to flip raw chicken that you use to stir-fry vegetables, as this can spread bacteria from the raw meat. Throw away any marinades that meat was once soaking in, and always serve cooked foods on a clean, new plate.

Safe Food Handling: What You Need to Know [FDA]
Separate To Keep Food Safe [Home Food Safety]
Cutting Board Safety [Home Food Safety]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/honorphotobar

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, food, Food Safety, Health