Keep Track of the Foods You Eat with The USDA SuperTracker

Beginning dieters always start off with the best intentions, but it can be difficult to stay on track with your meal plan when you’re unsure of what to eat. The USDA website’s SuperTracker tool allows you to create a personalized nutrition plan, keep track of the foods you eat, and even get tips for making healthier choices in the future.

Look Up Nutrition Facts with the Food-A-Pedia
This helpful tool allows you to search for a food that you’re planning on eating from categories like vegetables, pasta and rice, and desserts, and it will tell you the number of calories, saturated fats, added sugars, and more.

Track the Foods You Eat
Keeping track of the foods you eat throughout the day keeps you honest and ensures that you don’t overdo it in one food group and miss out on another. With graphs, daily limits, and food group targets, this tool does all the work to analyze your foods so all you have to do is eat.

Track Your Activity
The amount of exercise you get is just as important as the foods you eat, and this part of the SuperTracker compares your physical activity to the foods you’ve eaten. You may be nearing your calorie limit for the day, but that hour of cardio can cut your calories down to size.

If you want to lose a few pounds but you’re nervous about the process, the SuperTracker will make things easy, convenient, and personalized just for you.

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What To Do First: Stretching or Exercise?

By now, we all know that that stretching is an essential part of our fitness regimen. But one thing that's not clear is whether to stretch before or after your workout. Many people disagree about when it's best to stretch, so check out the info below that will help you make up your mind.

There is a common belief that stretching before exercise helps reduce the risk of injury, but this statement has never been proven to be true. In general, it's believed that it's best to perform dynamic stretching, such as high kicks and arm circles, before your workout. Then post-workout, you should work into some static stretching—forward bends, hamstring stretches, quad openers, and the like—should be performed after your workout for best results. Remember to hold static stretches for 30 seconds, and don't hold your breath while you stretch. Instead, breathe deeply and feed your muscles with oxygen.

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