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• obesity rate
• healthy food
• weight loss around the world
• slim the waistline
• weight loss tips
• around the globe
• midday meal
• lose the weight

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Even though we constantly hear about the obesity rate in the United States, people all over the world are struggling with weight loss. Every country seems to have some custom that many are following to help drop the pounds and slim the waistline. Here are a few weight loss tips from around the globe.

Germany: A whopping 75% of Germans eat breakfast every morning compared to only 44% of Americans. British researchers have found that if you haven't eaten breakfast, your brain's reward center will light up more vividly when you see a high-calorie food making you more likely to indulge.

Japan: Take a page out of the Japanese residents' book and take time for a nap each day. Even just a 20- or 30-minute nap per day makes a huge difference when trying to lose weight. Studies show that sleep deprivation raises the risk of weight gain due to two hormones, leptin and ghrellin, that lead us to believe we are full and triggers hunger, respectively. The less sleep you get the lower your leptin levels and the higher your ghrellin levels. This causes people to think they are hungry when they are really just sleepy. According to lifemojo.com fish is also a very important part of the Japanese diet. Fish is a very good source of essential fatty acid like Omega 3 which help you get rid of cholesterol and raises your metabolism. Always steam or stir fry rather than fry in heavy oil.

Brazil: Brazilians stay slim by eating red beans and rice basically with every meal. Studies show that a diet consisting of these two items lowers the risk of becoming overweight by 14% when compared to typical Western meals.

Hungary: Pickle fan? Well maybe you should be! Hungarians have found that eating pickles help to keep them thin, primarily because of the acetic acid, the main component of vinegar. The acid is known to reduce blood pressure, blood sugar levels and the formation of fat.

Mexico: Eat like the Mexicans for your midday meal. Mexicans traditionally eat their largest meal between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. If you eat less at night, you will wake up hungrier and you will eat a bigger breakfast, thereby maintaining the best weight control. A general rule of thumb reminds us to get the bulk of your calories for breakfast and lunch.

China: Start your meals with soup. The Chinese philosophy of having a soup before a meal actually helps them to reduce their calorie intake. Soups are usually broth based and low in calories. As they are enjoyed before a meal, they reduce your hunger and help you eat less.

Poland: Poles spend typically only 5% of their family budget by eating out compared to approximately 37% of American families who spend their budget eating out. Most people who don't cook at home tend to eat less healthy food and make the wrong choices at the wrong times.

France: A leisurely family meal is the biggest secret of the French. An outrageous 92% of French families eat together on a nightly basis. American families rank at about 28%. Studies show that lengthy meals actually encourage less eating because conversation interrupts the eating process. In addition, the French philosophy, according to lifemojo.com is ‘eat petite, be petite' (literally meaning eat small, be small) plays a crucial role in their diet. They regularly eat small portions but they eat very frequently (sometimes 4-5 meals a day). This keeps their metabolism active throughout the day helping them burn more calories.

Finland: The Finns suggest taking up Nordic Walking to help lose the weight. All you need to get started are two inexpensive, lightweight walking poles. Because you are using so many muscles to use them (shoulders, arms, torso, legs) you get a total body workout that burns 20% more calories than typical walking.

• aerobic exercise
• cardiovascular workout
• swimming time
• seasonal exercise
• swimming fitness
• swimming workout
• swimming laps
• swimming stroke
• aerobics in the water

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

With the warm weather comes the opening up of public pools, home pools and breaking out the bathing suit for another season of swimming. For many people, swimming is a good way to wind down after a long day. But others are using swimming as another means of exercise and they are finding that this form of exercise can be both effective and fun!

Exercise experts recommend swimming as a form of exercise because of the great cardiovascular workout you get from swimming. It is considered a great aerobic exercise because by definition it is an action that maintains an elevated heartbeat for a minimum of 20 minutes.

According to Webmd.com swimming recruits all the major muscle groups, including the shoulders, back, abdominals, legs, hips, and glutes. Water also affords 12 times the resistance as air in every direction making it very effective for building strength.

In addition, swimming is a good fitness choice for just about everyone, especially those who have arthritis, musculoskeletal or weight limitations or those who find other forms of exercise painful. Water's buoyancy accommodates the unfit as well as the fit. Water cushions stiff joints or fragile bones that might be injured by the impact of land exercises. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50% of its weight; immersed to the chest, its 25%-35%; and to the neck, 10%.

You can simply add swimming to your pre-existing aerobic workout to help switch things up and keep your workouts fresh. Alternate days that you decide to use swimming as your cardio for that day, so you don't get bored with any one workout. Instead of staying indoors and using the treadmill or elliptical for a day, get outdoors and swim laps in the pool for the cardio portion of your workout and you will find that exercising comes much easier when you aren't sticking to the same routine day in and day out.

Like any exercise, you should also start any swimming workout routine by stretching first. You may not realize the affect swimming has on your entire body until it is too late, so be sure to stretch appropriately before you begin. If you're a beginner, start slowly. Try to swim for 10 minutes. Build up to a 30-minute workout, three to five times a week. Include a warm-up and a cool-down, and, in the middle, challenge yourself by working on endurance, stroke efficiency, or speed.

Experts suggest starting out swimming laps for approximately 20 minutes for women and 30 minutes for men. You can begin to increase your time as necessary and as you continue your workout over the course of weeks or months. Again, this will prevent you from getting too tired, too sore, wore out or disappointed in your swimming workout.

For weight loss, Webmd.com recommends interval training, in which you push yourself hard for short spurts, and then drop back to a less-intense level of exercise.

Try out different strokes when you are swimming. Do some laps using the breaststroke, then switch up and do the backstroke, or even the doggy paddle. Each swimming stroke using a different variety of muscles and therefore will give you the best overall workout.

Playing games in the pool is also a good way to get some exercise in the spring and summer. You can play water polo, water basketball, chicken fights, diving games, or even just do some aerobics in the water. You will get your workout in without even realizing it!

Be sure to wear your sun block (preferably a waterproof kind to avoid unnecessary reapplications) to fight the harmful UV rays of the sun while you are in the pool.

And lastly, keep it safe and have fun. Before you know it, the warm seasons will be over and we'll be looking for ways to exercise indoors again. Enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts!

• lower blood pressure
• fruits and vegetables
• vitamins and nutrients
• eat your fruits and veggies
• regulate blood pressure
• normal blood pressure
• blood pressure numbers decrease

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

According to a recent study done by the American Heart Association, one in three adults suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure. While many people are prescribed medication to help reduce their blood pressure, nutritionalists say that by simply eating your fruits and vegetables you can help reduce your blood pressure naturally.

According to Fruitsvegetablesthatlowerbloodpressure.blogspot.com, a diet high in vegetables not only helps to regulate blood pressure, but also lowers high blood pressure. Daily four to five servings of raw, leafy and cooked vegetables is essential to maintain normal blood pressure. To get the best out of vegetables, they should be preferably consumed raw as salads, or steamed, grilled or boiled. Vegetables that can help lower blood pressure include:

bitter melon carrots tomatoes broccoli cauliflower cabbage spinach lettuce kale

In addition to vegetables, incorporating fresh fruits into your diet will also help lower blood pressure. Fruits have many essential nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. A daily serving of four to five different fruits is recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to maintain a healthy diet. Fruits are so versatile in taste and flavor, that they can be easily consumed in forms of salads, soups, juices, or even eaten in its natural raw state. Some fruits that help lower blood pressure include:

prunes watermelon bananas grapefruits lemons limes oranges tangerines

While all fruits and vegetables are good for you, the above contain the appropriate amounts of the right vitamins and nutrients that when added to your regular diet will equal out to a heart-supportive diet.

By simply making some small changes to your every day eating and making sure to get the appropriate number of foods and vegetables in your daily diet, you will see your blood pressure numbers gradually decrease.

• exercise routine
• adding weight
• well-being
• resistance training
• resistance exercise
• weight training regimen
• muscular endurance
• properly lifting weights
• strength
• endurance
• confidence
• feel strong

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Adding weight can be a good thing : if you are adding to your resistance training!

In an article on Medicinenet.com Richard Weil, an exercise physiologist and the director of the New York Obesity Research Center Weight Loss Program provided a thorough question and answer guide to those interested in or beginning a weight training regimen.

In the article, Weil explains what resistance exercise consists of as well as the benefits of an effective weight resistance program.

Resistance exercise is defined as any exercise where muscles contract against an external resistance with the objective of increasing strength, tone, mass, and/or muscular endurance. The resistance can come from dumbbells, weight machines, elastic tubing or bands, cinder blocks, cans of soup, your own body weight (for example, pushups), or any other object that forces your muscles to contract. Results occur when you train consistently over time.

The benefits of adding weights to your exercise routine includes improvement of muscular strength, endurance, functional capacity and ability, blood pressure, osteoporosis, low back pain, insulin resistance and glucose metabolism, resting metabolic rate and psychological well being.

And it's never too late to start a resistance program either. In a classic study in a Boston nursing home, 100 residents ranging from 72 to 98 years of age performed resistance exercise three times a week for 10 weeks. Muscle strength increased 113%, walking speed increased by almost 12%, and thigh-muscle area increased 2.7%!

Although it may be intimidating to start, Weil provides some basic rules for properly lifting weights:

Take your time and lift mindfully. Feel it in the belly of the muscle you're trying to work and not in the joints. Select weights that your body can handle without having to cheat or force the weight up (leaning way back, using momentum, etc.).

Here are a couple starter weight lifting programs that Weil suggests. They are broken up by muscle group and are three days per week. You can experiment with splits, exercises, and the number of days per week. He suggests 12-15 repetitions and one to three sets per exercise for beginners (remember, you can gain significant strength with just one set). He's included more than one exercise for each muscle group. You can stick with one exercise if you like, or experiment with more than one. Increase the weight when you can perform 15 reps easily. If you're using elastic tubing, start with the tube that you can lift 12-15 times to fatigue, and then increase when you get stronger.

Day 1: Chest (bench press with bar or dumbbell press, flies, pushups), triceps (bench dips, kickbacks)

Day 2: Back (bent-over rows), biceps (curls, standing or seated)

Day 3: Shoulders (lateral raises, front raises), legs (squats, lunges)

Here's a different split.

Day 1: Chest (bench press with bar or dumbbell press, flies, pushups), back (bent-over rows, pull-downs)

Day 2: Biceps (curls, standing or seated), triceps (bench dips, kickbacks)

Day 3: Shoulders (lateral raises, front raises), legs (squats, lunges)

Resistance exercise is worth it. You'll gain strength, endurance, and confidence. It's feels great to feel strong, so give it a try! For more information and examples of resistance exercises that will help you to “put on the weight,” visit Medicinenet.com.

• food-borne illness
• preventing food-borne illess
• seasonal health woe
• cross contaminate foods
• food temperature
• cook meat thoroughly

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Just about everyone will attend some sort of picnic, cookout or outdoor get-together this spring or summer at some point. And while this may be a good time to get together and enjoy a great meal outdoors with friends, this is also a good time for a seasonal health woe that we all need to be made aware of: food-borne illness.

According to MSNBC.com, each summer, the Centers for Disease Control and USDA report that food safety-related illnesses increase over 150 percent. When the temperatures outside are higher, the chances of leaving food in the “danger zone” : anything above 40 and below 140 degrees : is also greater and is bound to happen at family outings and picnics.

In the “danger zone” microorganisms that cause food-borne illnesses multiply and your chances of being affected by a food-borne illness multiply as well. Here are a few guidelines provided by MSNBC.com to prevent such illness from ruining your picnic.

Cook- Make sure that all meats are cooked thoroughly. And be sure your grill is hot before you cook. Electric grills should be heated at least 15 minutes prior to cooking and gas grills at least 10 minutes. Don't rely on a visual image thinking that meats that are brown are thoroughly cooked. Experts suggest using a thermometer when you are cooking for a picnic or an outdoor event. By using a thermometer you will know that your food is adequately heated and able to be consumed without harming others. Make sure that ground beef is heated to 160 degrees, steaks and roasts to 150, poultry to 180. If you are BBQing fish make sure it is cooked thoroughly and be especially careful with shellfish.

Clean- Whether you are planning on being outside or not, when you are working with foods that others will be eating it is especially important to remember to wash your hands with soap and water. The amount of bacteria that can be passed from uncooked foods to your hands is great, so it is best to be as safe as possible. If soap and water are not available, then a hand sanitizer will work just as well. Also, fill a spray bottle with water and one tablespoon of bleach to keep handy to wipe off surfaces and utensils. Wipe dry with a heavy duty paper towel and throw those germs away — don't use cloth towels that help germs breed and multiply.

Chill- When you are heading outdoors with your meal, remember to use a cooler that will keep your food at a cool temperature. Here's an idea, freeze juice boxes; kids and adults love them and they also are terrific temperature controllers. Intermingle them with your foods and they will help keep your foods cold. Also make sure to pack a refrigerator thermometer to check the temperature. You would be surprised to see just how quick the temperature changes — and that means the foods' temperature as well. Be sure to keep your cooler and all foods in the passenger compartment and out of direct sunlight. Most trunks are not air cooled and can raise the temperature of your foods to well over 100 degrees.

If you don't have a cooler or are unable to refrigerate your food, then perhaps you should bring an item that does not require heating or cooling to your picnic. And don't forget to refrigerate leftovers as soon as you can- no more than one hour after cooking, especially when it's warm outside.

Separate- Never, never, never use the same utensils to serve a hot meal that you used to prepare that same meal. Be sure to wash all of your prep utensils with hot water and soap before using them in any way. Also use plastic Tupperware-type containers or Zip-Lock bags to separate foods and securely seal them. Avoid paper bags, aluminum foil or plastic wrap where the foods can leak and cross contaminate other foods.

By following these four simple rules, your next picnic or get together won't be ruined by any nasty food-borne illnesses and your guests will enjoy themselves even more.