Monday, 30 November 2015

How to Buy the Best Blender for Your Kitchen

Whether you need a basic blender for morning smoothies or a high-powered model that whips up soups and nut butters with ease, we've got you covered. Here are our top picks for the very best blenders on the market right now. http://ift.tt/eA8V8J December 01, 2015 at 01:15AM

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19 Ways Your Body Changes When You Fall in Love

Those butterflies in your stomach aren't just in your head. Here are some of the ways falling in love can affect your body. http://ift.tt/eA8V8J December 01, 2015 at 01:15AM

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Wednesday, 25 November 2015

24 Fat-Burning Ab Exercises (No Crunches!)

Abdominal exercises to burn fat, flatten your belly, and strengthen your core. http://ift.tt/eA8V8J November 26, 2015 at 01:15AM

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Tuesday, 24 November 2015

21 Worthless Foods a Nutritionist Will Immediately Cut From Your Diet

Want to start eating healthier and lose weight? Four nutrition experts share the red-flag foods you should avoid as part of a healthy diet. http://ift.tt/eA8V8J November 25, 2015 at 01:15AM

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After Recovering From Leukemia, She's Racing Marathons for a Cure

Heather Krasnov, 54, was always active, but she didn't make the jump from 5K to marathon until she faced a major life event: recovering from leukemia. In August 2001, at age 40, she was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, and doctors estimated that she had less than a 2 percent chance of surviving. Miraculously, after a month of treatment, she went into remission. "I've always been a glass-half-full kind of person," says Heather, "so when doctors gave me the worst-case scenario, I looked on the bright side. And I think that's what helped me survive."

RELATED: 5 Everyday Foods That Fight Cancer

Wanting to give back, Heather signed up with Team In Training, the fundraising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to walk the 2004 Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. "Having gone through treatment, all I could think about was children with leukemia," explains Heather. "As an adult, you have an awareness of what's happening to your body that kids don't. We have to find a cure for them."

After months of training, Heather was packed and ready to fly out for the marathon, but she stopped at the doctor's office for a blood test. Then, in San Francisco, she completed a joyous first marathon. "It was really exciting! Once you get to mile 21, you're like, 'I've got this.'"

RELATED: 5 Tourist-Friendly Marathons Worth Traveling To

But she and her husband returned home to six messages on her answering machine informing her that the leukemia was back. She needed immediate treatment. "I just said, 'OK. I've got to do it. Here we go again,'" recalls Heather. "I'm not one to break down."

With each relapse, Heather's chances of reaching remission shrank dramatically. Fortunately, in November 2005, she had a lifesaving bone marrow transplant from her cousin Lynn; she's been cancer-free since.

RELATED: A Running Vacation Rebooted My Spirit

After her recovery, Heather spent six years coaching for her local Team In Training chapter in Wilmington, N.C., and raised more than $26,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In November, she ran her 11th half marathon to celebrate 10 years of remission. "It's a high, the entire race, every race," she says. "When you start to hit the wall, you just think of the people lying in bed, going through treatment. It brings you back to why you're doing it, and you just go." The Canyon Ranch 35th Annual Inspiration Awards went to 70 people recognized for the inspiration they provide to others.

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5 Slim Secrets You Learned in Kindergarten

Flashback to the days of enjoying peanut butter power snacks at the kitchen table and hitting the monkey bars on the playground until Mom reeled you in for an early bedtime. Doesn't your 5-year-old self sound like the ultimate health coach? Turns out, she is. “Children are inherently self-regulating. They listen to their hunger cues, they indulge without guilt and they're incapable of sitting still,” says Keri Gans, RDN, author of The Small Change Diet. “These are all healthy lifestyle practices that would serve us well in adulthood, if we implemented them.” With that in mind, we pinned down which kiddie habits are surefire ways to stay in shape, and how to make them work in your grown-up life.

RELATED: 25 Surprising Ways to Lose Weight

Listen to your stomach
When kids are hungry, they eat. When they're full, they stop. “We're born wired to obey our appetite, but somewhere along the way, those wires get crossed,” says Gans. Introduce stress, hormones—even boredom— and most of us end up able to list “professional plate cleaner” on our résumés.
The Adult Spin: Reprogram how you gauge your appetite. “For a day or two, dont pay attention to the clock and eat only when you truly feel hungry, not when you think you should eat or just want to,” says Jennifer McDaniel, RD, owner of McDaniel Nutrition Therapy in Clayton, Mo. “Eat slowly, really chewing each bite, so you're able to hear your body tell you when its getting full.”

Play with your food
As every mom knows, kids bring the mess to the dinner table. But there are benefits to getting hands-on with food: One study out of Eastern Illinois University found that when eating pistachios, people who shelled the nuts themselves ate roughly 86 fewer calories' worth than those who gobbled up ones that were already shelled. “When you eat with your hands, you're more aware of everything you put in your mouth. It's more of an engaged, sensory experience than just absentmindedly bringing your fork to your lips over and over,” says Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, author of Eat Clean, Stay Lean.
The Adult Spin: Have a laborintensive (in a good way) side dish or snack every day, suggests Bazilian. Get in there with pods, shrimp in shells, roasted shishito peppers and pomegranates.

Make a meal of dessert
The more children are cut off from sweets, the more they want them, studies show. The same goes for adults, points out Libby Mills, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “That feeling of deprivation can deflate motivation, making it harder to stick to your diet,” she says. And ignoring sugar cravings can lead you to eat more, she adds: “You have one treat, and then you can't stop because it's such a rarity and has become too important.”
The Adult Spin: Candycoat parts of your meals, so to speak, in order to satisfy your sweet tooth in moderation. Try a Greek yogurt parfait for lunch, layered with fruit and some granola, or indulge in a thin slice of carrot cake with fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt instead of frosting. For a snack, toss sliced strawberries in balsamic vinegar, with a shave of Parmesan cheese.

RELATED: 9 Healthier Dessert Recipes for Fall

Refuse to sit still
Desks, cars and commuter trains have interrupted that childhood state of perpetual motion. “Kids are always on the move,” says Gans. “They're constant calorie burners.” Those active habits help more than just your gut: Sitting for too many hours during the day increases your risk of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses.
The Adult Spin: Invest in a fitness tracker, says Los Angeles celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak. “A FitBit can help you get moving more because it becomes like a game,” he explains. “You can even compete against friends.” Urge each other to move every hour, and compare steps later on.

Have breakfast for dinner
You used to love when Mom and Dad broke the rules by serving eggs and bacon in the p.m.—and it's still a savvy idea. Studies show that eating a high-protein meal helps you stay full longer, and that those who include eggs in their diets consume less overall. “Eggs are protein-packed and filling, and they're a great way to use up leftovers,” says McDaniel.
The Adult Spin: Whip up an omelet with cottage cheese, herbs, fresh or frozen vegetables and deli turkey or chicken for dinner to keep you full until morning, advises McDaniel. The best part? Making breakfast for dinner is a time-saver: You often need just one pan, so there's minimal cleanup required!

RELATED: The 20 Best Foods to Eat for Breakfast



10-MINUTE RECESS
Set up indoors or head to the playground for this fun circuit from Carrie Underwood's trainer, Erin Oprea. (Stay warm while you're at it with the Asics Lite-Show Glove, $30; asicsamerica.com.)

Frog Jumps
Get into a wide sumo squat with your palms on the ground between your legs. Then take a big jump forward. Next, take three small hops backward to your starting mark. Repeat for 30 seconds.

Crab Walk
Sit on the ground with your legs bent and your hands behind you, fingers facing feet. Thrust your hips up and hold yourself in a tabletop position. With your core and tush engaged, crawl backward for 30 seconds.
Extra Credit: Do 20 push-ups once you finish.

Hopscotch
Use sidewalk chalk or masking tape to set up a hopscotch board. (Or imagine one in your head.) Begin hopping through it— alternating one foot, two feet, one foot, two feet—leading with a single hop on your left leg. Use your right leg for the single hops on the way back. Keep it up for one minute.
Extra Credit: At the end of each lap, do 20 alternating plyometric lunges.

One-Woman Keep-Away
Hold a medicine or slam ball at your chest with both hands and lower into a squat. As you stand, launch the ball from your chest as far as you can throw it. Sprint to the ball, squat to pick it up and throw it back toward the starting mark. Continue for 30 seconds.

Bear Crawl
Put your palms flat on the ground and lower your knees so they're hovering just above the floor. Abs engaged and bum low, move one arm and the opposite leg forward, then switch. Crawl for 30 seconds. Extra Credit Tack on 20 burpees when youre done.

High-Knee Skipping
Add power to a traditional skip by bringing your knees as high as you can toward your chest and swinging your arms to get more momentum. Skip for one minute.

Jump-Rope
Grab a light speed rope (or mimic the arm motion) and jump for 30 seconds with both feet. Then jump for 15 seconds on your right foot and 15 seconds on your left. For the final 30, jump with high knees.

RELATED: Strength Moves to Burn Fat



WHY NOT SPICE UP YOUR SNACK BREAK?
Try these nutritionist-approved noshes that are kid favorites fit for grown-ups.

Apple “Panini”
Thinly slice an apple, then put peanut butter or low-fat cheese (Swiss and Cheddar are tasty options) between two slices to create healthy little sandwiches.

Fruit Snacks
These DIY chews are free of preservatives and added sugars: Slice up some fruit and evenly spread out the pieces on baking sheets. (Smaller fruits, like cherries and cranberries, can be used whole.) Set your oven to the lowest possible temperature and bake anywhere from six to eight hours.

Ants on a Log
Fill endive spears with a bit of low-fat cream cheese; chopped, toasted pecans; and dried cranberries.

Rainbow Fruit Skewers
Cut up your favorite fruits and skewer them on bamboo sticks. Dip in nonfat Greek yogurt.

RELATED: 20 Snacks That Burn Fat

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Your Ultimate Guide to the 64 Best (and Worst) Holiday Foods

Prevent your pants from getting tighter this holiday season with these smarter food choices. http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

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November 25, 2015 at 01:15AM