You’ve been doing crunches. A lot of them. Running for endless miles on the treadmill. Drinking green shakes. Yet, despite your efforts, your stomach is still looking bigger than ever, and it’s driving you crazy! It may not be your fault. Unknowingly, your daily habits and patterns, along with some food that you eat, can actually make your belly look bigger. Here are 10 reasons why your waist isn’t whittling away, even though the rest of you is.
1. Tight Hip Flexors
Ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups can shorten flexors, which can tilt your hips forward and make you look like you have a belly. Exercising your core with planks and Pilates-based moves is better because these work your abs without the strain on your hip flexors.
2. Chewing Sugar-Free Gum
There’s double trouble here in regards to your belly. When you swallow air while you chew gum, it becomes trapped in your stomach and small intestines and causes bloating. If the gum that you chew is sugarless (which your dentist recommends) your bloating increases because artificial sweeteners aren’t digested by your body.
3. Too Much Stress
When your stress levels are high, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. Studies have shown that this hormone trips your body to take fat from healthier areas, like your butt and hips, and move it to your abdomen. This is called visceral fat and it not only looks bad but is also pretty bad for you because it surrounds your vital organs.
4. Not Enough Sleep
Adults are supposed to sleep seven to nine hours every night. Not getting enough sleep increases the cortisol in your body and your blood sugar levels, giving you a double whammy. The cortisol makes you store fat in your belly, and the crazy sugar levels make you crave carbs and junk food, which wreak havoc on the size of your middle.
5. Too Much Fiber/Sugar
Kale, broccoli, cabbage, and legumes like lentils and peas contain a sugar called raffinose. Your body doesn’t have the ability to digest it properly, so bacteria take the lead and feast on them, which causes gas and bloating. This combined with fiber can make your belly look big and full.
6. Gluten Intolerance
About 15 percent of the population has celiac disease or gluten intolerance, and 99 percent of people go undiagnosed. Be aware when you eat foods containing gluten (bread, pasta, cereal), and take note of how your body reacts. Bloating, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation are all signs that you may have a problem digesting the protein in grain.
7. Acid Reflux
In addition to your belly ballooning, do you often feel sick or nauseated after a normal meal? Do you burp a lot or feel burning in your belly or throat within an hour or so of eating? Acid reflux (or indigestion) may be to blame! Certain foods, like tomato sauce, orange juice, and fatty meats, can increase the acid in your belly and cause it to bloat and swell.
8. Constipation
The truth is…when you have more in your belly and intestines, it’s going to look bigger. So if you haven’t gone to the bathroom in days, you’ll feel it. Normal intestinal gas gets trapped behind slow-moving bowels and builds up, causing your belly to distend.
9. Dairy Intolerance
If you feel gassy and uncomfortable after eating ice cream or cheese, you may be lactose intolerant, which means your body doesn’t have the enzymes to break down lactose (the sugar found in dairy products). This can irritate your belly and cause gas to form, making your belly bloated.
10. Too Much Sodium
Eating foods that contain a lot of salt can cause your body to retain water and make your stomach look bigger. The sodium/potassium pumps in your body help regulate water retention. When they’re not in balance and you eat too much salt, it triggers your body to store water. About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.
Author: Lisa M. Douglas
Your alarm didn’t go off and now you’re sprinting around your house trying to get your kids up, get them dressed, and make sure they have their homework.
You think you have it all under control when your 10-year-old yells, “Mom! Where’s my lunch?” You gasp in panic and he responds with, “Ah geez. You forgot. Looks like I’m gonna have a yucky lunch…again.”
Packing lunches always seems to throw parents in a tizzy. Perfect Pinterest and Instagram lunch pics don’t help our self-esteem much, along with little Johnny’s crafty mom who seems to always have it together with her perfectly color-coordinated meals.
Before you sell your family minivan to hire a full-time chef, check out our easy-to-do, money-saving lunch box hacks that will have you looking like you interned with Martha Stewart for a decade.
1. Use wax paper to wrap your food so that it provides a natural mat.
Eating surfaces are always a problem with school lunches, and paper bags don’t make for the most ideal lunch mat.
Wax paper makes the perfect food wrap and can double as a clean and flat surface for you child to eat on.
2. Make your own lunchables.
It’s fun to eat out of trays with little boxes for each part of the meal—think bento boxes or even TV dinners. You can make your kids their own “lunchables” by separating sides from the main meal into each box.
3. Freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
These easy-to-make, always-loved lunchtime staples freeze perfectly and are a quick, go-to lunch when everyone’s on the run. Freeze each sandwich in an individual bag so they don’t stick together and can be quickly packed while they’re frozen.
4. Keep food cold using frozen drink pouches.
Accomplish two things with one hack! Keep your kid’s drink cold all day and preserve “must chill” items, together. There’s no leakage (like from ice) and no added weight (like with ice packs). Plus there’s nothing left to accidentally throw away.
5. Make a snack station where older kids can make their own lunches.
Teach your kid a life lesson in self care and save yourself some time! Designate a shelf as the “lunch shelf” where kids can choose from a condiment (dressing, ketchup, mayo), cheese, lunch meat, and veggie (lettuce, tomato, pickle, cucumber) and make their own sandwiches.
6. Use cookie cutters to shape your sandwiches.
Everything tastes better when it’s shaped into a star or a heart or even a penguin. Use cookie cutters to make everyday sandwiches more interesting and fun to eat.
7. Use empty Mio bottles for condiments.
Keeping ketchup safe from spilling is always a problem. Mio is a company that sells water flavoring drops; as it happens, their (empty, washed-out) bottles make the perfect storage containers. They’re small and disposable!
8. Put meat and cheese on a skewer.
Everyone loves shish kebobs and there’s no reason why your kid can’t have them for lunch! Cut meat, cheese, and some veggies into cubes and put them on a blunt-ended skewer stick. If your child’s school won’t allow these, try putting them on coffee stirring sticks.
9. Make smoothies to go.
Mix together your favorite smoothie ingredients and freeze them in disposable Zipzicles ice pop molds or reusable silicone molds. They’ll be a smooth slush by the time lunch rolls around!
10. Make cold cut sushi.
Roll your favorite meat and cheese together with sliced cucumbers or pickles, add a creamy condiment, and slice into individual sushi-esque rolls for a pseudo taste of Japan.
11. Make “to-go” boxes right away.
Save yourself some time by dividing leftovers from dinner right away and placing them in small, microwave-safe containers that can be heated for lunch.
12. Try brunch for lunch!
Substituting breakfast options for lunch is sure to please (and will also give your child a boost of protein). Try making egg mini muffins in typical muffin tins or look out for recipes for savory traditional muffins like ham and cheese.
13. Pack your own single-serving snacks.
Save money and time by shopping at wholesale food clubs for snacks and then packing them ahead of time into single-serving bags. This takes a bit more time but is much more cost-efficient than buying prepackaged servings of snacks.
14. “Build your own salad” is a fun option for kids.
Kids love creating and lunch should be an opportunity to express that! Put different salad items into a storage container with compartments, and let your kids design their own meals.
15. Make your own pizza and put in aluminum foil or quesadilla.
Pizza and quesadillas can be healthy lunch options that your children will flip for. Heat yummy, portable foods like these in the morning, then keep them warm by tightly packing them in aluminum foil.
16. Store warm chicken nuggets in a thermos.
These finger foods make for a great lunch option. Keep them warm for lunchtime by wrapping them in paper towels and place them in a thermos.
17. Stick pretzel sticks in cheese cubes.
Mix two favorites into one super snack by sticking pretzels into cheddar or American cheese cubes.
18. Yes, you can send pasta for lunch.
Filled pasta salad is great at room temperature. Simply pack it into storage containers after dinner and store in the fridge for the next day. It’ll be room temperature by lunchtime.
19. Make your own fruit cups.
Use cookie cutters to shape different kinds of fruit into individual bowls and freeze them until they’re ready to be packed.
20. Make your own granola bars.
Save time and money by shopping at a wholesale food club for fun bar ingredients like oats, chocolate, M&Ms, and nuts. Wrap them securely to keep them fresh and yummy.
21. Make lettuce wraps.
Leftover baked chicken is perfect for next day lettuce wraps. Shred the chicken and put the ingredients into to-go containers that have separate compartments and let your kids build their own feast!
22. Wrap apples to keep them fresh.
Apples are yummy, but no one likes it when they’re brown and mushy after cutting. Keep them fresh by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap.
23. Make tortillas!
They’re portable, fun to eat and you can put practically any kind of ingredient in them. Make them with fruit for a sweet snack, or make it a fancy feast with prosciutto and sharp cheese.
24. Give them soup.
Nothing warms a tummy like soup for lunch. Store it in a tightly closed thermos and add fun things on side (like crackers or breadsticks) to make it interesting.
25. Make a chip and dip platter.
Give your child healthy and fun options like pita squares and hummus, celery and nut butter, or cucumbers and veggie dip.
26. Make your own trail mix.
You don’t have to be heading out on a hike to love trail mix! Add yummy things like yogurt-covered raisins and dried cherries to make your snack fun and interesting.
27. Let your little one make their own snack stackers.
Cut healthy ingredients like cucumbers, lunch meat, cheese and lettuce into cracker sizes so your kids can have fun and build little sandwiches themselves.
28. Place hot dogs in a thermos.
Ensure that your kid’s lunch won’t dry out by cutting a warmed hot dog in half and placing it in the hot water in a thermos. It’ll keep until lunchtime.
29. Plan and schedule.
It’s often said that a little bit of planning goes a long way. And that’s true with school lunches. Try to plan your week of meals the weekend before so you’re not caught shorthanded. Enlist the help of your kids and they’ll love their lunches even more!
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10 Signs You Have A Toxic Parent
Maybe you’re finding your dad to be a little more annoying than usual or you’ve looked around and noticed that your mom’s not like other moms. Maybe you’re finally realizing that it may not be normal to hide in your bedroom or screen your parents’ calls. Or maybe your SO is like “WTH with your home life?”
The sad truth is, any kind of relationship can be toxic, including ones between parents and their children. The technical definition of a narcissistic or toxic parent is someone who lives through, is possessive of, and/or engages in marginalizing competition with their offspring.
Basically, life is all about them and everything they do (or want you to do) is done to satisfy their needs. Oftentimes, it’s hard to recognize a toxic parent because most are disguised as caring people who immerse themselves in their children’s lives.
The involvement is a facade and what appears as devotion is not a selfless act but an effort to control and manipulate their kids through very close relationships with them. But how do you know if this is really what’s going on?
The problem with trying to figure out if you were affected by a toxic parent is that it takes the ability to self-reflect. You probably grew up thinking that the behavior in your house was normal and it may not be until you grew and matured that you had the ability to recognize that something was “off” in your house.
Unfortunately, the road to healing is often long and lonely because no toxic parent wants to admit that they have issues. The child of such a parent must muster up the strength and courage to stand up and make a change.
The good news is, if you’ve been raised by a toxic parent, you can be happy! Studies show that through therapy, you can overcome your abusive childhood and become an even better parent. The first step is to recognize it.
Think maybe you got “toxic parents”? Here are nine signs to help you decide (and deal).
1. Their feelings always come before yours.
A good parent will consider how everyone in the family in affected when making decisions. The toxic parent will consider only his feelings and how decisions affect him, as those are the ones that count the most.
Has your parent said things like “It’s not enough to make me happy just to know that you’re happy”? Has your mother complained about the crappy nurse at the doctor’s office and how it affects her, as you’re lying in pain on the table? Red flags.
2. They don’t recognize your boundaries.
Normal parents can be interested and curious, but a toxic parent will take it too far and stomp over healthy boundaries that a child sets because they believe it’s their right to.
Has your parent busted open your bedroom door whenever they want? Do they endlessly pry into your phone and your private life? Do they listen in on your conversations and question you about them later?
3. They control you using guilt.
A little guilt is part of normal parenting, but a lot of it is a problem. The narcissist parent is interested in maintaining domination of their kids. They want to control their actions as well as their decisions, and they’ll use whatever means to make sure that they maintain. This often includes using guilt or money to get one to heed.
Has your parent ever given you a gift then expected something in return? Have they often told you how much they’ve given up for you?
4. They demand your attention.
It’s normal for parents to expect children to answer timely but narcissistic parents demand constant attention and instant gratification. They feel threatened by anyone or anything that threatens their control of their kids.
Has your parent blown up your phone so many times that you’ve had to shut it off? Have they interrupted your phone calls and acted disrespectfully?
5. They don’t talk to you.
A healthy relationship involves discussing issues openly, leading to feelings of security. Many times, the toxic parent will immaturely shut down communication in the form of ignoring, in order to get what they want.
Have you ever not agreed with your father only to have him throw a fit and not answer any of your questions? Has your mother locked herself in the bedroom in response to something that you did or said?
6. They take away their love.
In a healthy parent/child relationship, love is unconditional and isn’t based upon their actions. The toxic parent will use love as a bargaining tool to get a child to act the way they want.
Has your mom ever said, “If you don’t go to the school I choose, then you no longer have my support”? Have you felt that if you didn’t act a certain way then your parents would stop caring for you?
7. They’re overly critical.
Normal parents want the best for their kids and to help guide them. Narcissists “help” their children avoid mistakes by criticizing, in belief their “suggestions” aide their kids to achieve perfection, which is a reflection of themselves.
Are you afraid to show your mom your new outfit in fear that she’ll find everything wrong with it? Have you hesitated to try something new in fear you’ll fail in your parents’ eyes?
8. They compete with you.
Friendly competition in a relationship is fun and healthy and can contribute to good self esteem. Narcissistic parents can turn competition unhealthy when they see their child’s achievements as a threat to their own self worth. They become jealous.
Has your parent ever said to you, “You’re pretty, but my hair was so much thicker than yours as a child”? Has your dad said to you, “You’re close, but you’ll never be as fast as I was”?
9. They make you responsible for their happiness and well-being.
Normal parenting involves happy and sad times, with or without children. A toxic parent will turn their child into their substitute BFF or parent in order to take care of both their physical and emotional needs.
They make unreasonable demands of their children often forcing them to choose between them and their relationships with their friends or significant others. They often make them sacrifice healthy extracurricular activities and interests by guilting them into taking care of them.
The toxic parent can mask it as quality bonding when in reality what they’ve done is established an unhealthy relationship that doesn’t allow their child to grow into a happy, healthy independent individual.
Has your mom said to you “why are you going out with your friends? I thought the weekends are for us?” Or has your dad said, “you like your boyfriend more than me?”
10. You’re still scared of them.
In a healthy relationship, one should be able to be themselves without fear that they’ll be criticized, made fun of, talked down to or disrespected.
Toxic parents, on the other hand, will use hurtful tactics like these, even on adult children, in order to maintain their hold. Especially when they think their kids are growing up and they’re “losing them.” As a result, children learn to be fearful of their parents, often expecting some sort of emotional, physical or financial punishment.
They learn to curb their behavior in order to please the toxic parent. Many children describe “walking on eggshells” waiting to see if their behavior was acceptable or if they should expect retribution.
Are you afraid to express your opinion or voice yourself in fear of being disrespected? Does your heart jump every time the phone rings because it may be your mom or dad calling?
Have you ever compared yourself to your brothers and sisters and thought, “Why am I not successful like Tom?” “If only I was as good in school like Laura.”
Well, it looks as though you can now lighten up on yourself because as it turns out, it’s not your fault you are the way you are. It’s actually your siblings’ fault! Well, sorta.
Although there are many factors that go into the shaping of a personality, studies show that who you turn out to be is a direct result of the order that you were born in your family; your birth order. Psychologists have been studying (and fighting about) this subject for centuries and many believe that your birth order has a profound effect on your psychological development.
Want to find out who you really are? Hang on to your chair because we’re about to dive into (the good and the bad of) your psyche!
Firstborns
Out of Their Mouths: “Why do I always have to do that?” “Let me do it. I do it the right way.”
Strengths: Children born first in their families seem to have it all together—like they’ve really got it going on. Since they were the only child at first, Mom and Dad usually spent huge amounts of time with them, reading to them, explaining things, playing with them.
It’s believed that this early onset nurturing and undivided attention may be what propels firstborns to be overachievers. They are more likely to be conventionally successful, hold leadership positions, have higher IQs and generally have more education than their siblings.
They grow up around adults instead of surrounded by siblings, so they tend to be like mini adults themselves: conscientious and reliable, as well as responsible and protective.
Firstborns also display a lot of confidence and are extremely achievement-oriented. Interestingly, more than half of the U.S. presidents have been firstborns.
Firstborns
Challenges: The perfectionist, do-gooder side of firstborns may cause them to never cut themselves any slack. They tend to stress more about being perfect and dread making mistakes, which causes them to hesitate to jump into new situations. When they do try something new, they’re usually very cautious.
They’re given a whole lot of responsibility at home, which can make them bossy and inflexible. Firstborns are quick to take charge but can be pretty controlling. They’re used to being right and receiving praise and often have trouble admitting when they’re wrong.
Stress and pressure runs high in these kids because parents hold them to higher standards. They’re often compared to adults and can be expected to be role models for younger children; a position that they often find burdensome.
Famous Firstborns: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Kate Middleton, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone
Middle Children
Out of Their Mouths: “No one ever listens to me.” “Why do you always pay attention to baby Michelle?” “It’s not fair.”
Strengths: Middleborns are typically easy going and “go with the flow” types. They don’t have the automatic rights of a firstborn so they learn early on how to compromise and negotiate in order to get what they need.
Mid-kids also are the most independent of all children, have the most realistic life expectations, and are the least likely to be spoiled. They’re often the “forgotten children” so they have higher tendencies to have strong friendships outside the family.
They’re normally quite successful socially as they have a lot of friends. They are more nurturing and show great concern for others. Because parents normally concentrate on the eldest and youngest, mid-kids often seek approval from their siblings or peers, instead of from their parents.
Middle Children
Challenges: Most mid-kids feel like their needs and wants are ignored because they’re not the “trailblazing” firstborns or the babies of the family. As a result, they can develop a silent animosity or feelings of resentment toward their older and younger siblings.
They can feel that they are not valued and need to fight for everything they want. This can often cause mid-kids to become rebellious and obsessed with fairness. They’re usually left out, which leaves them feeling like they didn’t get enough attention and that they’re not special. This can cause them to be secretive and do radical things to get the attention they so crave.
In order to set themselves apart from their overachieving firstborn siblings, they will go to extremes to become the complete opposites. They often think that life is unfair and can be very competitive.
Famous Middle Children: Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Martin Luther King Jr., Princess Diana, Abraham Lincoln, Julia Roberts
The Youngest
Out of Their Mouths: “No one ever takes me seriously.” “Where are my baby pictures?” “Let’s go sky diving!”
Strengths: Lastborns typically aren’t the smartest or keenest in the room, but what they lack in smarts, they make up for in personality! They’re known to be charismatic, witty, and natural charmers who seek the limelight. Many comedians and actors are well known lastborns!
They’re incredibly fun to be around, have ranked high on the “agreeableness” scale, and are exciting adventurers. They aren’t required by parents to be as responsible, so lastborns are known to to take risks (studies show that they’re the most likely to participate in dangerous sports).
Because their parents have already been around the block and usually give them a lot of room, lastborns become laid back and unaffected. Their tolerance for risk and adventure makes them great entrepreneurs and they are usually self employed.
The Youngest
Challenges: Lastborns often believe that nothing that they do matters or is important. They can’t compete with the achievements of their older siblings because their parents have seen it all and often react with disinterest. This causes last borns to feel that they are never taken seriously and are always climbing an uphill battle.
Parents are most lax with these kids and, as a result, most lastborns have trouble following rules and can seem scattered, irresponsible, and careless. They also can appear to be self-centered and narcissistic and often will manipulate to get what they need, feeling that it can never be earned.
Lastborns can act out out of rebellion if they perceive their other siblings as bigger, faster, and stronger than they are. This may throw them into competitive fury and cause them to feel the need to prove their worth.
Famous Last Borns: Eddie Murphy, Rosie O’Donnell, Cameron Diaz, Jim Carrey
Only Children
Strengths: Known as “super firstborns,” only children typically mirror the traits of firstborns because they too share a parent’s undivided attention…but they exhibit these traits to the highest degrees.
They are expected to act like adults (mostly because they’re around them the most) and are described as mature, diligent, precocious perfectionists. They’re great leaders and aspire to be model human beings who are always trying to impress their parents and others. These kids are great self-entertainers and the most creative of all birth orders.
Challenges: Onlies tend to be perfectionists who are burdened with high parental expectations. They expect a lot from others, hate to be criticized, and can get quite upset when they feel undervalued or when things don’t go their way. Because they never had to share (their parents’ attention or their toys), these kids can develop a self-centered streak.
Famous Only Children: Alicia Keys, Tiger Woods, Natalie Portman, Rudy Giuliani
You like to think of yourself as somewhat of a healthy person (er—maybe just a healthy eating enthusiast). You read up on the latest research, make the recommended changes, and make sure you drink enough water. But sometimes, you end up getting it all wrong.
One day, you’re being told you should eat less sugar and more artificial sweeteners; the next week your SO is grabbing the little yellow packet from your hand and screaming, “How could you eat that?! Don’t you know they just found out this stuff is horrible for you?!”
It’s pretty confusing and it’s hard to know where to get your information from. So-called “experts” claim to know what they’re talking about, only for you to realize that they’re just experts in marketing and don’t know a thing about your health.
Let us clear your mind, so you can clear your plate (with a clear conscience). Here are the most common myths about healthy eating.
You can trust food labels.
As much as you’d like to trust those very official-looking stamps on the side of your food packaging, the reality is, you can’t.
The FDA allows a variance of 20 percent deviation of the true ingredient amount and actually, no one’s even checking that that’s even true. There’s no agency that regularly audits food items and the FDA uses an honor system to police the accuracy of labels. Yep, that’s right. An honor system.
If that doesn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy, well, it shouldn’t. In 2008, the Government Accountability Office checked to see how often manufacturers’ vitamin and mineral claims were accurate and actually fell within the FDA’s 20 percent rule.
Get this…of the 300 products tested, 47 percent were outside of the accepted range for vitamin A, 31 percent were outside of the accepted range for iron, and 12 percent were outside of the accepted range for vitamin C.
You should juice or cleanse to lose weight.
Juicing (relying only on the liquids extracted from fruits and vegetables to meet your caloric needs) is all the rage right now and “specialists” claim that adhering to a liquid diet will do miraculous things for your health, like: detox your body, boost your metabolism, make you lose weight.
Most of these claims are made by companies pushing their products and they’re unsubstantiated. The concept of needing to detox your body is a hoax because you already have a natural detoxing system set up in your liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. That’s what their jobs are!
Additionally, juicing a fresh product strips it of its’ fiber, which is important for gastrointestinal health and balanced blood sugar levels. Juicing programs are also typically really low in calories which causes your body to go into “starvation mode.”
When it thinks it’s starving, your body uses its’ own muscle for energy, which lowers your metabolism.
Drink kombucha for your good health.
You’ve read about it. You may have even been brave enough to try it. But what is it? Kombucha is a fermented tea that no one drinks for the taste (it’s been compared to “cough syrup that’s been in the medicine cabinet too long, or a lacrosse player’s inner thigh.”) But as bad as it tastes, experts tout is as being that good for you.
Some claim that it cures cancer, relieves you of your gastrointestinal issues, and cleanses your gallbladder (what??!) In actuality, studies have shown that it does none of these.
It can, however, make you dizzy, nauseated and cause you to vomit. So why do some people feel so great after drinking it?
The University of Maine tested several brands of kombucha and found that they contained between 0.5-2.5 percent of ethanol. That’s just enough to give you a good buzz (and it may help you forget the taste of it).
Egg yolks are bad for you.
New studies show that you shouldn’t be so quick to ditch the creamy, yellow middle of an egg. Although the yolk contains most of the egg’s cholesterol, it was found that foods high in cholesterol have little to no effect on your total blood cholesterol.
This means that whole eggs don’t contribute to heart disease, like previously believed. Actually, the opposite is true; yolks are actually really good for you! They contain phosphorus, calcium, zinc, folate, and loads of vitamins.
You’ll gain weight if you eat at night.
Ever find yourself searching the fridge at 10 p.m. thinking, “I really shouldn’t eat now. I’ll get fat.” That’s stinkin’ thinkin’!
Studies have shown that it’s a misconception that you gain more weight during certain times of the day. Your body is burning calories all day and night long to fuel your brain and other organs. As long as you’re in the daily caloric range for your body’s needs then you’re good!
Being a vegetarian is healthier for you.
We know what you’re thinking…”Those vegetarians have to be healthy; they eat so many fruits and veggies!” Ehh, not so fast.
A study in Austria found that even though vegetarians exercised more, drank less alcohol, and had lower body fat than their carnivorous counterparts, their diet of low saturated fats and cholesterol, and increased intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain products actually carried elevated risks of cancer, allergies and mental health disorders. Imagine that!
They observed a whopping 50 percent increase in incidence of heart attacks and cancer with vegetarians. Although this group proved to be less healthy, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t want you to ditch fresh produce altogether.
They stick by their recommendation of adding extra fruits and veggies to any diet to reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
High-fat dairy is awful for your body.
Eat fat and you get fat, right? New research shows that that may not be the case. Certain foods that are high in fat seem to be beneficial and serve to lower risk of obesity and diabetes, not raise it.
Researchers believe there are a couple of reasons for this. One theory is that when people are instructed to to eliminate dairy from their diets, they replace it with high carbohydrate, body-inflaming foods that turn out to be worse for the hearts and cholesterol.
Another theory is that the fat in dairy actually acts to suppress your hunger by tripping the “satiety button” in your head (so you don’t eat more stuff that’s unhealthy for you).
A third theory is that the fats in the dairy interact directly with your cells and help your liver and muscles break down sugar from food more efficiently.
Coconut oil is the best oil for you.
It seems like everyone (and their mother, and grandmother) is coconut-crazy these days.
Everywhere you turn there’s a new coconut product: coconut water, coconut cream, coconut powder. Coconut oil is the newest obsession to add to the list and some professionals are touting it as a miracle food.
They claim it cures common medical issues like arthritis, urinary tract infect
ions, kidney infections and diabetes but research results are still iffy. Considering that it’s super high in saturated fat (90 percent) compared to butter and lard (64 and 40 percent, respectively) you may wonder why it’s so darned good.
Good question! Researchers believe that the difference may lie in its’ unique chemical structure; it may give it the ability to absorb differently. But different doesn’t necessarily mean better. Some studies have shown that it does raise “good” cholesterol, but it can also raise bad cholesterol, as well.
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The Untold Truth Of The Fitbit
Are you obsessed with the number of steps that it takes to get to work? Do you take your dogs on as many extra walks as necessary to hit your goals? Do you walk up and down your stairs until your watch tells you that you’re done for the day?
Congrats to you! You’re one of the 23.2 million people who have chosen to make a health change for the better by actively using your Fitbit!
A recent study showed that people who use a fitness tracking device move more than those who don’t. Apparently, it works for three reasons: accountability, accuracy, and motivation. Researchers concluded that when you actually see your activities and you think that someone is watching, you’re motivated to do more.
You may think that techie devices are only good for monitoring your exercise, but there’s more! Read on to find out some of the unspoken things that your Fitbit can (and can’t) do.
1. It may be tracking more than your fitness activity.
Monitoring your exercise using a Fitbit is a fantastic way for you to keep on top of your own personal (and private) wellness goals.
Unfortunately, companies that you do business with want access to that information (and more) as well. Last year, a Swiss insurance company implemented a program called My Step to monitor the activity of all of their customers.
They reported that the program was so overwhelmingly successful, they were going to make it mandatory and would consider charging higher premiums for those who didn’t meet their health quotas or refused to participate in the program. Experts believe that this is going to be the wave of the future.
In these programs, people will be required to have all of their personal health data monitored and available in order to keep their insurance premiums low (or have any insurance at all).
2. You may hate working out more.
Collecting your personal data (like sleep patterns, diet, and exercise) in order to make positive changes is something called personal quantification.
The Fitbit is the ultimate gadget in personal quantification. It allows you to gather that information for you to monitor on an ongoing basis. However, studies show that the constant monitoring can be both good and bad for you.
Although the Fitbit may make you exercise more, studies have said that it may cause you to hate the activity as well. Researchers found that the more you track an activity, the more it feels like work.
The more it feels like work, the more you start to not like it. This is referred to as the “unintended consequence of personal quantification” and it may have an adverse effect on exercise participation in the long run.
3. It might be able to tell if you’re pregnant.
For most people, a positive pregnancy confirmation involves a trip to the drugstore or gyno, but not for one Fitbit user who happened to get some pretty startling (and happy) news!
David Trinidad thought his wife’s Fitbit was malfunctioning because he was getting a higher than normal heart rate reading when she asked him to analyze the data. You can imagine their surprise when they found out that her increased heart rate was due to the fact that she was pregnant!
One of the first signs of pregnancy is an increased heart rate, as the body tries to keep up with its’ higher need for blood—a woman’s heart rate can be boosted up to 10-15 beats per minute!
The folks at Fitbit were a bit surprised as well, as this was the first time they had ever had a case like this. They were delighted that, once again, their product revealed a vital aspect of a person’s health.
4. It may not be as private as you think.
You register your Fitbit and enter your weight, personal medical info, and other stuff you like to keep private, all the while assuming that everything is secure and confidential.
But sometimes the things that are promised to be kept private aren’t. Over the past five years, there have been several hacks into the Fitbit system, exposing customer information.
In 2011, much to the horror of those registered, a Google search turned up all user information. With one click you could find out the personal habits and info of everyone using the Fitbit.
The company rushed to clean up the mess, but it happened again in 2016. Some customer accounts were hacked by shady peeps looking to get their Fitbits replaced. They gained access to everyone’s private info like their schedules and sleep habits.
5. It may not be as accurate as you think.
Even though it may get you to move more, studies show that the information the Fitbit is giving you may not be as accurate as you think.
A study conducted by researchers at California State Polytechnic University found that when they tested the accuracy of heart rate readings, the results showed a 20 beat-per-minute discrepancy.
During the tests, they watched participants doing various types of exercise, at various levels. They realized during the course of the study that the heartbeat count became more inaccurate as the intensity of exercise increased.
These findings were backed up by two additional studies done by a news station in Indiana and also by The Berkeley Science Review. They both also observed that the steps counted and caloric expenditure were inaccurate, and that the inaccuracy became greater with increasing intensity exercise.
6. It could be used to save your life.
Techie monitoring devices store personal health information normally intended for personal use, but in one case the info was used by a medical professional to save a person’s life.
A man in New Jersey was admitted to a hospital for atrial fibrillation. The doctors had no information on him and they didn’t know if his issue was chronic or just a one-time thing brought on by a seizure.
This caused a problem because if they treated him via electrical shock (the preferred method), and his fibrillation was caused by a seizure, they could kill him. If they didn’t treat him at all, he could die. By looking at his Fitbit history and his historical heart rate, they determined exactly what happened and saved his life.
This incident made doctors and the medical community look at wellness tech gadgets in a totally new way—making them a vital part of total wellness.
7. You may actually gain weight.
Even though use of the Fitbit can help you move more, new studies show that the added exercise may not only be not enough to help you lose weight—and you actually may end up gaining it.
Researchers believe that this may occur for a couple of reasons. The first may be that, psychologically, you feel the need to reward yourself after completing the daily goal.
This reward most often comes in the form of food, and although the extra exercise burns more calories, most people consume the amount of calories they burned, plus more.
Another reason may be that although the daily Fitbit goal of 10,000 steps can lead to a more active life, it’s not entrirely based on scientific research and doesn’t necessarily lead to weight loss. The daily goal number was decided by a group of doctors who determined that the normal person takes 5,000 steps a day…and double that was do-able, and healthier.
Ahh, the beauty of pregnancy: glowing skin, thick hair, long nails. It’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful times in a woman’s life. Well, beautiful for the most part.
With hormones flowing and weight gain rising, we women are realistic and expect our ankles to be thicker, for burning acid to be forced up our throats by our 52-inch waists, and our feet to grow with the sizes of our derrieres.
However, there is a pretty disturbing side of pregnancy that no one dares talk about. Anyone who has been through a pregnancy (or has watched a loved one be pregnant) knows of what we speak. There is some silent code that keeps these women (and their protectively mute partners) silent about the what really goes on with a baby inside of you. We are here to help you prepare!
Here are all of the grossest parts of pregnancy that no one ever talks about…
You can’t breathe.
Who would think that your nose would be affected by that little love bump that you carry? Weight gain and hormones can wreak havoc on your sniffer and cause it to be stuffy one minute then running down your chin the next.
Between this and the sneezing fits that accompany the change, you may find it helpful to make a trip to your nearest warehouse club and stock up on tissues.
You are able to smell way too much.
When you’re nose isn’t stuffy, you’re going to pray for it to be. We’re preparing you in advance because the intensity of this side effect of pregnancy always takes women by surprise!
Your new and ever increasing heightened sense of smell will make you think that you’re surely bionic and send you dry heaving at every fish fry, locker room visit, or walk past the perfume department.
YOU smell.
The problem with being able to smell more, is now you can smell how your personal scent has changed, and, honey, it ain’t good.
Changing hormones can cause your body to sweat not only in places you would expect, like your armpits, but it can also cause sweat glands in the genitals to go mad as well. Add the insulation of increased weight gain and you’ll be wringing your shirt out by mid-afternoon.
You can’t sleep.
Speaking of your nose, sleeping proves to be pretty problematic as you move further into your pregnancy; for you as well as well as everyone within 15 square miles of you.
Increased mucosal lining and abnormal sleep positions can wreak havoc on your much needed rest, causing you to make quite a raucous as you slumber. Your snoring will rival your Uncle Hector’s snorts after a long family party.
You grow extra (weird) skin.
As rosy and glowing as your skin may initially appear, don’t get used to it because it goes south real quick! Hormonal changes can affect the biggest organ of your body as well.
One day your face looks youthful and bright, the next morning you look like a pubescent teen who played lacrosse all week, didn’t wash her face and binged on bars of chocolate. And that’s just the start.
You’ll find extra skin, known as skin tags, hanging off of odd parts of your body like your neck and back. If you get lucky, you’ll get the added benefit of being able to play connect the dots on the (wait for it) telangiectasias that form on your skin.
These bright red bumps appear all over your body and are a result of the hormonal surge that is raging inside of your body.
You grow hair…everywhere.
And we mean everywhere. The hormones secreted by your body will cause you to sprout more hair, of a different texture, and also cause you to lose less hair. So the hair on your head will be a big, thick mane but, alas, your body doesn’t discriminate.
You’ll be growing hair on your face, on your ears, down your legs, on your nipples. Anywhere on your body is considered fair game.
You drool.
Your mouth can also be affected by your pregnancy too (and it’s not in the form of you cursing that you can’t shave your legs anymore.) The mucus lined areas of your body increase their discharge to help your immune system causing your mouth to be thicker and fuller.
We’re not talking a little extra spit here and there; we’re talking gushing. You’ll be able to practically drown yourself in the pool of drool that you wake up in.
You can’t breathe.
It will feel nearly impossible to get a deep breath during your pregnancy, and there’s a reason this changes throughout your trimesters. In the beginning, increasing hormones cause you to breathe more often so that your lungs can expand to carry oxygen to your baby. You basically feel like you’re hyperventilating.
Later on, the increasing size of your baby will limit your breathing capacity along with the addition of more weight (and more water.) Normal everyday activities will cause you to panic like a quick one block jog to catch the bus or a broken down escalator. If the elevator’s broken you may as well park yourself in the lobby and set up camp.
Your mouth bleeds.
Brushing your teeth may prove to be somewhat nightmarish as well. Hormonal changes make your gums more sensitive to bacteria causing it to look like a crime scene every time you swish.
You can’t walk.
Not that an extra 25 to 40 pounds does much for your ability to get around but your body will seem to be fighting you every literal step; from the “paralyze your leg” sciatica pain, to the varicose vein located in prime spot right in your vulva that causes your entire lower body to ache and you to remain hunched over, to the stabbing pain of your round ligament stretching in your groin.
Put this all together and walking more than a block will be a luxury you’ll await until after you give birth.
You cringe in the bathroom.
We’re not sure at what point during the pregnancy this will happen to you but at some time you’ll realize that going No. 2 will make or break your day.
Between the horse pill vitamins and the hormones, having a bowel movement will require praying, a couple of shots of prune juice, and some self talk.
You drop everything.
One day you’ll be holding your favorite coffee mug and “BAM!” it’ll go slipping out of your hands and shatter to the floor. Then there’s the jar of mustard that you can’t open, not to mention your brand new iPhone. That beautiful baby inside of you is responsible!
Extra fluid that’s retained during pregnancy can put pressure on the nerves in your wrist and can cause aching, burning, shooting, and sometimes surprising shock-like pain down your wrist and hand.
You forget everything.
Your keys. Your glasses. Your phone. Your water bottle. Your schedule. These all can be victims of what is known as “mom brain.” Studies showed that as you move along in your pregnancy, increasing hormones make your memory increasingly worse.
It can seem pretty scary, but there’s good news! The studies also showed that your memory returns to normal after you give birth; bad news is it can take up to three months.
Bizarre medical procedures have been around since, well, pretty much forever. And you’d expect that as you go back further in time, the operations would get weirder because people didn’t have the knowledge or the technology that we do today.
Case in point? The hemiglossectomy, which was done in medieval Europe, involved a portion of the tongue being removed to eliminate stuttering and other speech impediments. Thankfully, by the 17th century they stopped doing it.
More recently, in the 1940s, lobotomies were performed on psychiatric patients. During this operation a part of the brain was cut out in order to heal the patient from psychiatric disorders; unfortunately, it often left these people in vegetative states. Much to many patients’ relief, this technique faded out by 1950.
In the 21st century, you would expect medical procedures to have drastically improved. For the most part, they have. But that’s not to say that all is completely normal these days. Here are the 14 most messed up, shake-your-head-at medical operations that are still being done today…
Tooth in Your Eye
Yup, you read that right! The procedure calls for implanting a person’s tooth in their eye in order to possibly help them regain their eyesight. It’s a real thing and it’s called osteo-odonto-keratoprothesis (OOKP).
A tooth is removed and a piece of tissue is taken from it. It’s then grown in the person’s body for months—sometimes in the cheek—and is then implanted in the eye to help facilitate the healing of a damaged cornea.
Sharron Thornton, shown above, had her eyesight restored through this wacky operation. Weird stuff… but guess what! Apparently it works!
Head Transplant
No seriously. There’s a procedure to help you get a new head if, well, you lost yours, or yours is no good anymore!
In the past the procedure has been iffy because attaching a spinal column proved to be a bit troublesome. But the researchers at a neuro group in Italy have been busy in the labs and have reported their first successful working head transplant. That’s something to think about.
Pelvis Sawing
If it sounds pretty harsh, it’s because it is. It’s got a fancy name and it’s called a symphysiotomy. Though it first was advocated in the late 16th century, some genius doctors in 20th century Ireland got the bright idea that bringing this procedure back would be a good idea. It wasn’t.
A symphysiotomy involves cutting the pelvis during childbirth was better than a C-section and helped women to (get this) have an “easier childbirth.” Unfortunately, the procedure can cause death, leave a woman paralyzed or at the least in severe pain for the rest of her life.
A 2012 exposé documentary claimed that some 1,500 women underwent this procedure throughout the second half of the 20th century. In 2014, the UN Human Rights Committee ruled that the practice breached the women’s rights to freedom from inhuman treatment and torture; the Irish government responded by investigating and establishing the Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme to compensate survivors for their injuries.
Fecal Transplant
We know what you’re thinking—why in the heck would you need someone else’s poo inside of you? And the reason is that it can save your life.
Research has shown that if you suffer from being sick from the bacteria Clostridium difficile you can die. Antibiotics seem to rarely help because they kill off good bacteria as well as bad. Placing new, healthy poop (with its healthy bacteria) in your intestines can help you fight the disease naturally and effectively. Gross, but it’s worth it to save your life.
Bee Sting Therapy
Most of us go out of our ways to avoid getting nasty stings by bees while some people are paying to have hundreds bite them at one time! The procedure is called Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) and it’s done wonders for those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or joint pain.
When a bee stings it sends a message to your body to release hormones that relieve inflammation and pain. The pain relief isn’t localized and can successfully temporarily treat issues all over the body.
Trepanning
This one actually sounds better than it is. This procedure involves the scraping or drilling of a patient’s brain in order to treat intracranial diseases.
It dates back 8,000 years ago as depicted through the drawings in caves of our ancestors drilling into their heads with primitive tools. Some surgeons these days use the procedure to treat things like hematomas, but others self-administer it with the hopes that it will cure migraines and seizures. Don’t believe us? Check out the International Trepanation Advocacy Group.
The G Shot
Want more vavoom in the bedroom? There’s a shot for that! The famous (and interestingly labeled) “G Shot” is considered a “lunchtime” procedure and involves an injection of hyaluronan (a collagen filler found in skincare products) to a woman’s private areas, in order to heighten that kind of pleasure.
Patients seem to be quite happy and have reported amazing experiences. It lasts for up to four months and can be yours for only $1,000.
Eyelash Transplants
Who needs fake eyelashes when you can grow your own? Hair is taken from the back of your head and attached to your eyelids to make them fuller and thicker.
Unlike the fake option, though, transplant hairs contain DNA and will grow just like regular hair. You must trim them periodically or suffer hair knots, tangles, or just weirdly long eyelashes.
Palm Line Alterations
Not happy with the fate that life has given you? There’s an operation for that!
You can head on over to Japan where a plastic surgeon uses an electric scalpel to “re-define” new lines of your choice that can head you karmically in a new direction.
Prelamination
Many people thank the heavens that this weird procedure exists today! Say you’re outside playing with your friend and his pit bull takes a chunk out of your ear. What do you do? Good news! Your body can actually GROW you a new one.
The procedure is called prelamination and it’s actually been around for centuries. Soft tissue is used from other parts of your body and constructed in multiple layers on another part to allow it to grow into a makeshift, look-alike organ. Once the growing is completed and the look attained, the finished reconstructed tissue is transplanted to the correct area.
Tongue Splitting
This one is for all the snake lovers out there. Known as tongue bifurcation (or forking), this procedure disgustingly involves the use of a scalpel, laser, or fishing line to split the tongue in half. Care must be taken to cauterize each half of the tongue to ensure that both sides don’t heal and join back together (heaven forbid).
Because of the great blood flow, the tongue heals in a week or two, during which time patients have reported difficulty with speech or their normal dietary habits (ya don’t say). If you happen to get a case of “tongue splitting remorse” the procedure is reversible but doctors warn the reversal is even more painful than the tongue splitting procedure.
Dimple Creation
If you always wanted those cute, little indentations in your face, your wish can be granted! This relatively new procedure involves a small, painless incision and dissolvable stitches placed in the desired dimple location.
After
a few weeks the stitches get absorbed and you’re left with “like-you-were-born-with-them” dimples.
Hemispherectemy
This operation involves the removing of a part of the brain to treat disorders like epilepsy and tumors. Sound daunting? Well, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is that patients have reported improvement with no effect on personality or memory. The bad news? The procedure is often a last resort option, so if your doctors are suggesting it, you kinda have no choice.
Toe-besity
Got ugly, fat feet? Foot binding be gone! Now there’s a new and improved procedure for your feet problems. It’s known as the “foot face lift” and it’s quickly become a $45 million industry.
A plastic surgeon will remove the unsightly fat and bone in the feet and toes to make them look more appealing. Doctors can go as far as shortening toes to make the feet look more delicate, but have been known to draw the line at removing a pinky toe in order to fit into tight-fitting shoes.
As you run through your self care to-do list, you may skip over your heart and think to yourself, ”I’m good! I don’t smoke.” But little do you know that you may be doing your body a huge disservice: New studies show that smoking is only one of many things that can be harming your heart.
The care of your heart is serious business. Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.3 million deaths per year; an astounding 801,000 of those in the U.S.
Not surprisingly, smoking tops the list of the worst habits for heart health (20 percent of all deaths from heart disease are attributed to it) but combined, or alone, these poor choices can do as much damage to your cardiovascular system.
The good news is you can start making positive changes in your lifestyle today and improve your heart health dramatically!
1. You don’t sleep well.
Studies showed that people who slept less than six hours a night had a whopping 79 percent increased incidence of coronary heart disease than those who slept eight hours or more. Researchers found a correlation between those who slept less with an increase in coronary artery calcification.
Additionally, they found that because most people experience lowering of blood pressure at night, those who slept less had less of an opportunity for it to fall properly and as a result suffered from higher blood pressure.
Another thing to consider is sleep quality. It was concluded that it was just as important as quantity with sleep apnea being the biggest concern. More than 18 million Americans suffer (and many unknowingly) from this sleep disorder that causes you to stop and start breathing throughout the night.
The most troublesome consequence of sleep apnea is that it can skyrocket your blood pressure leaving you risk. If you struggle with sleepless nights, try Genexa’s Sleepology, a non-habit forming organic nightime sleep aid.
2. You don’t laugh enough.
Stress hurts the heart by causing adrenal fatigue which harms your arteries and leaves you at risk for cardiovascular disease. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. They work together to narrow your arteries and increase your heart rate, which is an awful combination for your heart.
Along with stress, anger and depression can also negatively affect your cardiovascular system. Conversely, laughing relaxes and expands the blood vessels, which keeps your heart healthy (and happy too!)
3. You don’t floss.
Interestingly, research finds that there is a strong link between gum and heart disease. Scientists think this may be because when plaque builds up on your teeth, the bacteria in it triggers inflammation all over the body which promotes atherosclerosis and can affect blood clotting.
It’s also believed that the bacteria may enter the bloodstream where they attach to the fatty deposits in the heart blood vessels and can cause blood clots. Prevent issues with this twin-pack from Oral-B which includes a 2-pack of toothbrushes and a 2-pack of floss.
4. You live in a big city.
As if the stress of living in a big city isn’t enough to cause a heart attack, studies find that pollution has a significant effect on your arteries.
Findings concluded that the longer people were exposed to polluted air, the thicker their carotid arteries were.
5. You don’t stretch.
Flexible blood vessels help moderate blood pressure and new research has found that people who tested poorly in the sit-and-reach stretch test spine had higher systolic blood pressure.
Happy thought: a little stretching is not only relaxing—it may be good for your heart. A flexible body helps keep arteries pliable.
— Clinique (@Clinique) June 7, 2010
It was concluded that flexibility of the spine correlates to flexibility of important arteries in the body. Get the most out of your stretching with this strap and stretching guide.
6. You’re not shvitzing.
Heavy metals like mercury and lead can damage your heart by increasing your blood pressure and cholesterol. The problem is you are probably consuming these toxins and not realizing it.
Studies show the easiest way to rid your body of them is to sweat them out! Get going on the cardio or have a nice steam.
7. You party too much.
Most doctors agree that a little wine is actually good for you, but a lot of wine is bad. In excess, alcohol is associated with high blood pressure, high blood fats and can lead to heart failure.
Too much alcohol is bad for your heart. It can cause it to become weak and have an irregular beat pattern. pic.twitter.com/7S2eHBgoU3
— Cleveland Clinic (@ClevelandClinic) July 10, 2016
Research concludes that two drinks a day for men and one for women is best.
8. You drink too much sugar.
Studies show that men women who drink two or more (diet) sodas a day have a 23 percent higher risk of going into heart failure than those who chose coffee, tea, fruit juice, or water.
In this instance, small changes to what you drink really add up to big results.
9. You’re sitting too much.
Research has concluded that excessive sitting is almost the equivalent of smoking in heart health.
An hour of sitting per day negatively affects fat and sugar levels in the blood and is associated with 14 percent increase in coronary artery calcification. Consider investing in a sit to stand desk and anti-fatigue mat to increase your sit to stand ratio throughout your work day.
10. You forget your fruits and veggies.
Research shows that people who eat more than five servings of fruits and veggies a day had a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke making a plant based diet the healthiest diet for the heart.
These super foods contain fiber, water, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that keep your cardiovascular system running smoothly. Doctors recommend that half of each meal be composed of fruits and veggies.
11. You eat bacon.
Along with fruits and vegetables, protein and fats are vital to a healthy heart diet. Bacon is a prominent source of both these nutrients; however, as the video below explains, processed meat—and yes, that means bacon—is associated with some serious health risks.
12. You add more than a dash.
The recommended intake for salt per day is 3800 mg but the typical American consumes way more than that. Excess sodium is the leading cause of high blood pressure (1 in three Americans has high blood pressure) which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
Most of the salt in your diet is already in foods that you typically eat, so be careful when you add more.
13. Your jeans aren’t fitting.
It’s estimated that more than two-thirds of the US adult population is either overweight or obese and that’s a big problem. 80 million people in a given year are carrying too much fat which is doing a doozy on their heart muscles.
Too much fat, especially around the midsection, is associated with a host of health problems including higher blood pressure and cholesterol, leading to heart attacks or stroke.
15. You skip your checkups.
Since lifestyle and genetic factors can contribute to heart disease and many signs and symptoms go unrecognized, it’s important to get yearly check ups to keep your numbers and body in check.
Regular cardiovascular screening can help you detect all of your risk factors like high blood pressure or cholesterol. When it comes to heart health, knowing is half the battle.
The good news is that high risk factors don’t necessarily sentence you to cardiovascular disease and studies show the sooner you make positive lifestyle and diet changes, the better you’ll feel and the healthier your heart will be.
Most regular CV screening tests should begin at age 20 and professionals suggest that you note the following numbers associated with risk factors…and keep track of them every year: blood pressure, vitamin D, cholesterol, heart rate, blood glucose and weight.
“Teacher’s Arms.” “Hadassah Hang”. “Bingo Wings.” “Lunch Lady Arms.” Do you recognize any of these (cough) “terms of endearment”?
For decades women have loathed the dreaded extra fat that loosely deposits itself on the backs of their arms, forcing them into long-sleeved scoop necked tees in the middle of summer. Unfortunately, most women are genetically predisposed to gain fat right there. Plastic surgeons have developed a procedure for fixing it, but it requires general anesthesia and leaves a nasty, long scar.
Before you head to the surgeon, consider exercise! Studies have shown that consistent weight training can do wonders for this hard-to-reach trouble spot. All you need is motivation and a set of light weights.
The important thing to remember is that the triceps are made up of three muscle groups. In order to make your upper arms look the most toned, you need to incorporate exercises that hit all of the areas. Do three sets of each of these exercises for 12–15 repetitions. Perform the whole circuit 2–3 times per week and you will be super satisfied with your results in 4–6 weeks!
1. Tricep Kickbacks
(use 3–8 lb weights)
Start with weights in your hands (palms facing each other) and your elbows bent and glued to your sides. Without letting your elbows move, straighten and extend your arms back behind you. Return to starting position and repeat.
2. Tricep Dips
Start by sitting on a chair or hard surface. Place your hands next to your hips, palms facing down, and lift your butt so it’s suspended in the air. Bend your elbows and lower your butt to the floor until your elbows are at a right angle. Make sure you keep your butt close to the surface. Straighten your arms and repeat.
3. Headbangers
(use 2–5 lb weights)
Start lying on your back with a weight in each hand. Straighten and extend your arms over your shoulders with your palms facing each other. Keeping your elbows close to your ears, slowly bend your arms and bring your hands toward your head. When your elbows are at 90 degrees straighten your arms and begin again.
4. Tricep Pushups
Start from a kneeling position on a soft surface. Walk your hands out so that your weight is above your knees (your knees should be bent) and your entire body is flat with your butt in the same plane as your body. Place your hands by your sides and close to the middle of your chest. Bend your arms (keeping your elbows close to your body and facing your toes) and lower your body down toward the floor. Straighten your arms and repeat.
5. Overhead Extensions
(use 3–5 lb weights)
Start seated on a chair with a weight in each hand. Extend your arms up straight and overhead, with your elbows close to your ears and your palms facing each other. Keeping your elbows glued to your sides, bend and lower the weights behind your head until your elbows reach 90 degrees. Straighten your arms and repeat.