How To Trick Yourself Into Working Out Harder Without Even Realizing It

Since the invention of the Walkman, active people have shown that staying entertained is a big key to fitness success. Now there's evidence to suggest interactive entertainment actually can help you exercise harder and boost your mind.
University of Florida researchers recently reported that brain games while cycling can improve thinking ability and boost speed by 25 percent. So you get to have more fun, pump up your brain and enjoy significantly more physical benefits.
The researchers asked a group of older adults to use stationary bicycles while performing mental tasks that ranged from saying "go" whenever a blue star appeared on a screen to solving math problems. They discovered a sweet spot of difficulty that was just challenging enough to keep brains occupied but just simple enough to not interrupt the workout.
Imagine your brain as an engine. Certain physical activities (walking, running, dancing) ask for a lot of your brain's power to calculate stride, balance, limb coordination and more. Other activities (cycling, squats, push-ups) require less brain power because they're simple to do. The trick is to multitask by pairing a simple physical activity with a more challenging brain task or pairing a complicated physical activity with an easier brain task. You want the engine running at full power but not overheating.
Finding that balance might seem tough, but you don't have to do it alone. Here are four easy ways you can work your brain and body together for more fitness firepower.

Group fitness classes

Providing a variety of exercises that keep participants' minds humming is part of a group fitness instructor's job. Classes like yoga, BOOM and Zumba all are designed to improve strength and cardiovascular health while engaging participants' minds with instructions and coordinated movements.
Working with an instructor and classmates, your brain is treated to social interaction, changing paces, different physical poses and new exercises that keep things interesting.

Podcasts

If you prefer to exercise on your own, try pairing stationary cycling or a treadmill workout with a podcast.
Podcasts are pre-recorded audio shows you can download on portable devices, such as smartphones or tablets. Whether you're interested in sports, history, music, movies, trivia or news, there's a podcast for you.
You'll be amazed how quickly a 30-minute walk passes when you're being entertained and informed by your favorite podcast. To find podcasts, use an online service such as iTunes or SoundCloud.

Hiking

The changing landscapes of hikes are a natural way to keep your mind busy. Wildlife and plant life provide an interesting backdrop for your eyes, and adjusting to terrain keeps your muscles guessing and your brain focused on balance.
To make things more interesting, incorporate a camera for snapping photos on your hikes. Or bring binoculars along for bird-watching. Linking the names and characteristics of the world around you is a terrific way to busy your mind while you're working your body.

Sports

Are you competitive person? Do you enjoy teamwork? Playing a sport could be the perfect fit for you. Sports like softball, pickleball and golf improve your muscle tone, endurance and motor skills while also engaging your mind in strategy, calculation and positioning.
If you've played a sport before and enjoyed it, why not start again in an adult league or organize friends to play?
Or, if you're looking to try a sport you haven't played, ask friends who may have played. Some key factors to consider when choosing a sport include:

• What sort of experience, skills, or fitness are needed to start?
• Do you need to purchase any special equipment?
• Where is the sport played? Can you play locally?
• What time are practices or games scheduled? Are there evening or weekend options that work with your schedule?
• Are there fees associated with participation in teams or leagues?
• What is the best way for a beginner to get involved?

No matter which multitasking workouts you choose, the key is to have fun. If you're feeling bored, it might be time to change up your fitness routine. Remember that fitness is a lifelong journey. What interested you before might not interest you now, and your tastes forever will evolve.

Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/health, https://www.healthwaysfit.com/

Understanding the dual effect of a cup of coffee for human life

Start your day with black coffee. Image: austinnfp.org

The true coffee drinker would proudly say, that a cup of coffee could make their activities more optimal and more healthy life, so that every day becomes productive and enjoyable at the same time. 

Meanwhile, for those who are having problems with the coffee, of course regard coffee as the main enemy in their lives. Are you a real coffee connoisseur or anti coffee?

As in the case of tea, the coffee has two sides opposed to each other, where the coffee has many health benefits and enjoyment aspects. On the other hand, coffee can also make your body uncomfortable, even make you unhealthy. 

The coffee is the elixir of heaven. Drinking a cup of coffee is very nice to start a busy day, but coffee also has an adverse effect on human health. Let us examine the dual effect of coffee for our lives.

The researchers from Australia found that coffee or tea consumption could potentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes symptoms Rachel Huxley, a researcher from the University of Sydney, Australia, said that "A cup of coffee with a reduced risk equivalent to seven percent,". Meanwhile, the American Association for Cancer Research, reported that coffee consumption can reduce the risk of death due to prostate cancer. Other studies have also suggested coffee could reduce liver diseases, Alzheimer's, stroke, and Parkinson's. Of course the results of this study is good news for coffee fans all over the world.

Previously many experts suspect that the benefits of coffee just come from the caffeine in coffee beans, but in fact, experts also found that other components of these beverages, such as magnesium, lignans, and chlorogenic acid, has benefits that are not less important. It was also reported that the results of epidemiological studies are showing coffee addict lower their risk of colon cancer. Based on research Rachel, these components are a positive benefit to the regulation of blood sugar and insulin release thereby effectively preventing diabetes.

As we know, that there are two main types of coffee we have known; Arabica and Robusta. Apparently, the two types of coffee also contains nutritional components include proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and minerals. Coffee also contains non-nutritional components that are bioactive compounds for taste and preservative, such as caffeine and chlorogenic acid. Thereby the coffee gives double benefit to mankind.

Each type of food or beverages that we consume every day would have significant benefits for health and life satisfaction, but be aware of the way we consume. Is indeed true, that consume normal amounts of caffeine is beneficial. Utilization caffeine in coffee can give a stimulant effect, which is only temporary and not harmful.

 

                                     Coffee break in Kori Ubud, Bali. Image: Komang Setiabudi collections

The effects of caffeine on the nervous system is to prevent drowsiness, increased sensory perception, speed of mind, and reduce boredom, so you can be more productive in your activities. 

Therefore, there is a coffee break in formal activities such as when we are seminars, meetings and other non-formal activities such as family gatherings, parties or other events. Socially, coffee could be a bridge to melt the ice, on certain conditions, the ongoing of the two parties, that often occur in an important meeting. Perhaps you have experienced the awkward atmosphere in a meeting, and a cup of coffee plus a mild joke can help smooth an important meeting or negotiation.

Effect of caffeine in each individual is highly dependent sensitivity of each person. Most people can not stand at all when they consume caffeine or coffee, so after drinking coffee their heart into palpitations. But there are always exceptions, that there are also people who could consume more than 10 cups of coffee a day without any complaint. However, experts advise that safe dose of caffeine is 200 milligrams per day, equivalent to two to three cups of coffee and tea. It is indeed true that we need to be thoughtful with our lifestyle. Anything too excessive in doing something in our lives is a bad effect in the long term. A healthy lifestyle will make you healthy and happy forever.

If you would like to know the coffee in all its aspects, you can read the blog titled Coffee and Beyond.

The wonders of WATERMELON: more than just delicious and refreshing...

The question is, why is there so much craze for the watermelon? At first glance, it may seem like nothing more than a big ball of water.  We all know that there is nothing more refreshing than a big, chilled wedge of watermelon on a hot, summer day and it does sport a stylish scientific name of Citrullus Lanatus, but what’s the real reason so many people flock to grocery stores every summer to buy a big, awkward fruit like this one? Well, it is hard to narrow it down to a single reason; there are actually a lot of them.

Watermelon is now the most-consumed melon in the US (followed by cantaloupe and honeydew). This cousin to cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash is thought to have originated in Egypt close to 5,000 years ago, where it is depicted in hieroglyphics. 
As for accessing the total medicinal benefits of watermelons, it is highly dependent on the variety of watermelon and the ripeness. Beta carotene and lycopene is usually bio-available in the highest quantities once the watermelon is completely ripe, and don’t be afraid to eat some of the watermelon rind; there are quite a few nutrients in there as well, particularly the roughage and fiber.

6 Watermelon Facts That Might Surprise You

1. Watermelon Has More Lycopene Than Raw Tomatoes

Lycopene is a powerful carotenoid antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables a pink or red color. It's most often associated with tomatoes, but watermelon is actually a more concentrated source. Compared to a large fresh tomato, one cup of watermelon has 1.5 times the lycopene (6 milligrams (mg) in watermelon compared to 4 mg in a tomato).

2. Watermelon Juice May Relieve Muscle Soreness

If you have a juicer, try juicing about one-third of a fresh watermelon and drinking its juice prior to your next workout. This contains a little over one gram of l-citrulline, an amino acid that seems to protect against muscle pain.
One study found that men who drank natural unpasteurized watermelon juice prior to their workouts had reduced muscle soreness 24 hours later compared to those who drank a placebo. You do need to be careful with drinking watermelon juice, though, as it contains a significant amount of fructose. It may be better to eat the entire fruit, or opt for these other tips to prevent muscle soreness.

3. Watermelon Is a Fruit and a Vegetable

Remember how watermelon is related to cucumbers, pumpkin, and squash? That's because it's part vegetable and part fruit (it's a sweet, seed-producing plant, after all). The other clue that watermelon is both fruit and vegetable? The rind is entirely edible…

4. You Can Eat Watermelon Rind and Seeds

Most people throw away the watermelon rind, but try putting it in a blender with some lime for a healthy, refreshing treat. Not only does the rind contain plenty of health-promoting and blood-building chlorophyll, but the rind actually contains more of the amino acid citrulline than the pink flesh. 
Citrulline is converted to arginine in your kidneys, and not only is this amino acid important for heart health and maintaining your immune system, but it has been researched to have potential therapeutic value in over 100 health conditions.
While many people prefer seedless watermelon varieties, black watermelon seeds are edible and actually quite healthy. They contain iron, zinc, protein, and fiber. (In case you were wondering, seedless watermelons aren't genetically modified, as they're the result of hybridization.)

5. It's Mostly Water

This might not be surprising, but it's still a fun fact; watermelon is more than 91 percent water. This means that eating watermelon with you on a hot summer day is a tasty way to help you stay hydrated and avoid dehydration (it's not a substitute for drinking plenty of fresh water, however).

6. Some Watermelon Are Yellow

The Yellow Crimson watermelon has yellow flesh with a sweeter, honey flavor than the more popular pink-fleshed Crimson Sweet. It's likely that yellow watermelon offers its own unique set of nutritional benefits, but most research to date has focused on the pink-fleshed varieties.

Health Benefits of Watermelons

Kidney Disorders: Watermelons contain a lot of potassium, which is very helpful in cleaning or washing out the toxic depositions in the kidneys. Moreover, it is helpful in reducing the concentration of uric acid in the blood, thereby reducing the chances of kidney damage and the formation of renal calculi in that organ. Added to this, being high in water content, it induces frequent urinating, which is again helpful for cleaning of the kidneys. Also, the anti oxidants present in watermelon ensure good health of the kidneys for a long time, and reduce signs of premature aging like wrinkles and age spots on the skin.
Prevents Heat Stroke: Watermelon is effective in reducing both your body temperature and blood pressure. Many people in tropical regions eat this fruit every day in the afternoon during the summer to protect themselves from heat stroke. In India, you will find the fruit being sold by vendors in almost every street during the summer season. The high amount of water contained in watermelon also stimulates a release of excess liquid in the form of sweat, which cools your body further during hot summer days.
High Blood Pressure: The good amount of potassium and magnesium that is present in watermelons is very beneficial in terms of bringing down blood pressure. Potassium is considered a vasodilator, meaning that it releases the tension of blood vessels and arteries, thereby stimulating increased blood flow and reducing the stress on the cardiovascular system. The carotenoids present in these fruits also prevent hardening of artery walls and veins, thereby helping to reduce blood pressure and the chances of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis. 
Prevents Cancer: Watermelons have been in the public eye more and more in recent years, primarily because of their impressive level of lycopene, a carotenoid phytonutrient compound that is increasingly being linked to cancer prevention. As the years go by and the studies continue to bring in consistent results, lycopene has been shown to significantly reduce the risks of prostate, breast, colon, lung, and endometrial cancer. All in all, between the antioxidant potential of vitamin C and the impact of lycopene, watermelon is a great anti-cancer fruit!

Diabetes: Diabetic patients, who are supposed to have a low energy and low sugar diet, often complain about starving since they don’t get to eat their staple diets, which gives them the feeling of being half fed. Watermelons can be a good supplement for them. In spite of being sweet in taste, a thick wedge will give you very few calories, since ninety nine percent of its total weight is composed of water and roughage. Moreover, the various vitamins and minerals such as potassium and magnesium help in proper functioning of insulin in the body, thus lowering the blood sugar level. Arginine, another component found in watermelons, is very effective at enhancing the impact of insulin on blood sugar. Diabetic patients can also have curries, steaks, and salads made from water melon rinds, which are even lower in sugar.
Heart Care: Lypocene, a carotenoid found in abundance in watermelon, improves cardiac functions. Beta carotene, known for its remarkable antioxidant and anti-aging properties, also keeps you young at heart and prevents age-related cardiac problems. The roughage in water melon and its very low energy, along with help from vitamin-C, carotenoids and potassium (potassium cuts the risk of a heart attack), helps to reduce cholesterol and keep your heart safe from a variety of dangerous conditions.
Macular Degeneration: Don’t worry about eye health and macular degeneration if you eat plenty of watermelon, because between the beta carotene, vitamin-C, lutein, and zeaxanthin, your eyes are well protected. They will ensure protection of your eyes from age-related blindness and degeneration, and these antioxidants will protect your eyes from other age-related ailments such as drying up of eyes and optical nerves, as well as glaucoma.
Impotence: Arginine, present in watermelon, is beneficial in curing erectile dysfunction, and the stimulating nature of the chemical can boost libido, reduce frigidity and give a kick start to your love life, after you enjoy a few slices of watermelon together!
Other Benefits: Lypocene is found to be effective in repairing damaged tissues. Watermelon seeds are rich in beneficial fats and proteins. Watermelons also contain phytonutrients which have very good effects on the health and proper functioning of internal organs, eyes, and the secretion system.

How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon

 

 

Cutting into a watermelon and finding out it lacks flavor is disappointing. There's a trick you can use to pick out a ripe watermelon, either from your farmer's market or your own melon patch. Look for a pale, buttery-yellow spot (not white or green) on the bottom. This is where the watermelon sits on the ground ripening, and it's one of the best indicators of ripeness you can use (even commercial watermelon pickers use this as a gauge). Other tricks for picking a ripe watermelon include:

• Should be heavy for its size
• Smooth rind with a dull top (the top is the side opposite the ground spot)
• The thump test (this is controversial, but ripe watermelon is said to have a hollow bass sound)

Store your watermelon in a cool area (50-60 degrees F) until it's cut. Cut watermelon should be refrigerated (and be sure to wipe off your watermelon with a damp cloth prior to cutting it). Remember, try the rind blended with some lime juice rather than simply tossing it in the trash (choose an organic watermelon especially if you'll be eating the rind). Finally, watermelon should be enjoyed in moderation due to its fructose content. One-sixteenth of a medium watermelon contains 11.3 grams of fructose (it's recommended keeping your total fructose intake below 25 grams of fructose per day if you're in good health, and below 15 grams a day if you're overweight or have high blood pressure or diabetes).

Sources: http://articles.mercola.com/, https://www.organicfacts.net/, http://www.whfoods.com/

Commercial fruit juice and smoothies can be a risk to health

We may think that we are giving health a good turn by opting for fruit juice or a smoothie instead of soda pop, but health advocates warn that this in not a sound choice. Linked with obesity and type 2 diabetes, these drinks are often a disease promoting agent in disguise. Masquerading behind a facade of wholesomeness, fruit juice and smoothies contain high levels of harmful fructose and synthetic additives. In response, nutrition experts warn that if we want to avoid health issues in the future, these beverages should be given a wide berth.

The risks of ‘healthy’ beverages
A significant player in the soaring rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes, sugar of all kinds (especially fructose) is a health disaster. Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, states that “smoothies and fruit juice are the new danger,” in an interview with The Guardian.
In 2004 Barry Popkin and George Bray pointed the finger at high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks, causing a huge headache for the big manufacturers, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The two scientists had identified sugar-sweetened soft drinks, full of calories and consumed between meals, as a major cause of soaring obesity in developed countries. But they argue that as people change their drinking habits to avoid carbonated soft drinks, the potential damage from naturally occurring fructose in fruit juices and smoothies is being overlooked.

“Smoothies and fruit juice are the new danger,” said Popkin. He added: “It’s kind of the next step in the evolution of the battle. And it’s a really big part of it because in every country they’ve been replacing soft drinks with fruit juice and smoothies as the new healthy beverage. So you will find that Coke and Pepsi have bought dozens [of fruit juice companies] around the globe.”
Coca-Cola owns Minute Maid juices in the USA and Innocent smoothies in Europe while PepsiCo has Naked juices in the USA and Tropicana in Europe.

Drink vegetable juice, Popkin advices, but not fruit juice. "Think of eating one orange or two and getting filled," he said. "Now think of drinking a smoothie with six oranges and two hours later it does not affect how much you eat. The entire literature shows that we feel full from drinking beverages like smoothies but it does not affect our overall food intake, whereas eating an orange does. So pulped-up smoothies do nothing good for us but do give us the same amount of sugar as four to six oranges or a large coke. It is deceiving."
All sugars are equal in their bad effects, says Popkin – even those described on cereal snack bars sold in health food shops as containing “completely natural” sweeteners. “The most important issue about added sugar is that everybody thinks it’s cane sugar or maybe beet sugar or HFC syrup or all the other syrups but globally the cheapest thing on the market almost is fruit juice concentrate coming out of China. It has created an overwhelming supply of apple juice concentrate. It is being used everywhere and it also gets around the sugar quotas that lots of countries have.”
In a survey of sweeteners in US food products between 2005 and 2009 for a paper published in 2012, Popkin and colleagues found that fruit juice concentrate was the fifth most common sugar overall and the second most common, after corn syrup, in soft drinks and in babies’ formula milk.

“All the long term studies on fruit juice in anything show the same kind of effect whether it’s a smoothie or natural [juice] and whether it’s a diabetes or weight gain effect,” Popkin added.
Further evidence supporting the theory came last week from a study published by the British Medical Association.
Researchers from the UK, USA and Singapore found that, in large-scale studies involving nurses, people who ate whole fruit, especially blueberries, grapes and apples, were less likely to get type 2 diabetes, which is obesity-related, but those who drank fruit juice were at increased risk. People who swapped their fruit juice for whole fruits three times a week cut their risk by 7%.

Fructose is particularly troublesome, as it bypasses the body’s satiating signals, which encourages overconsumption and subsequent weight gain along with insulin resistance. It also increases uric acid levels, which promotes metabolic syndromes like hypertriglyceridemia. Fruit juices and smoothies contain concentrated forms of fructose, giving rise to a vicious cycle of blood sugar imbalances.

As observed by Popkin, when all is said and done, we would be better off consuming vegetable juice or whole fruit.

Vegetable juicing tips

1. Add in some carrots to sweeten up your greens and mellow out the taste. People on raw food diets or juicing aficionados won't only put unpeeled carrots into the juicer; they'd also add in some greens and other vegetables like cucumbers and celery.  

2. Go fresh, go organic. If you can, choose fresh, organic vegetables and fruits for your vegetable juicing recipes. Fresh means more nutritional value and tastier juices, and organic means healthier drinks as these weren't sprayed with chemical pesticides. Fresh and organic vegetables are more consistent with your health goals.

3. It’s best to leave the skins on in juicing vegetable recipes, that’s where much of the nutritional value is.  Your juicer will shred and break down the skins and extract all that nutritional goodness for you to enjoy.

4. Get a good juicer to get the most out of vegetable juicing recipes. You want to get as much juice from your fruits and vegetables as you can, while preserving the vitality they contain. Some juicers may produce better juice, but can be more difficult to clean, so think about what will work best for you. It’s better to juice every day with a slightly inferior juicer than once a week with a great juicer. The most important thing is that any juicer you purchase should have the capability to juice leafy greens. A juicer that can juice greens along with fruits and hard vegetables might cost a little more, but juicing greens is the secret to good health.

5. Vary your ingredients. Be creative with your vegetable juicing recipes not only for your palate’s sake, but for the nutritional value that variety will bring you.  Let your imagination run wild and over time work towards drinking plenty of green juices as they are packed full of nutrition, have low sugar content, and can help alkalize your body.

6. Get started now!  Even if you can only afford the cheapest juicer buy it now and get started.



Sources: http://www.theguardian.com/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
http://www.raw-foods-diet-center.com/ 

Summertime superfoods: Best foods to beat the heat

Staying hydrated is a key component of healthful living, as water comprises approximately 60% of our body weight. However, as we get older—and as the weather gets warmer in summer—it can become more difficult to stay hydrated. As we age, mechanisms for triggering fluid intake (i.e., feeling thirsty) weaken, and water retention capability changes, which can lead to serious consequences.

According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration, which occurs when you lose more fluid than you consume, can lead to severe complications including heat injury (such as heat exhaustion or the more severe heatstroke), swelling in the brain, seizures, kidney failure and shock. Dehydration can even affect your mood, energy levels, ability to focus, alertness, and short-term memory.

The best treatment for dehydration is prevention; by drinking water and other fluids throughout the day, especially after strenuous activity or profuse sweating, staying hydrated during summer is a snap.

6 super-hydrating fruits and vegetables

But drinking water isn’t the only way to keep your fluid levels high. While warm summer weather makes hydration all the more important, it also means an abundance of super hydrating fruits and vegetables that can contribute to your fluid intake and give you a boost of nutrients to boot! Check out the list below for some ideas as to what to pick up on your next grocery run.

Cucumbers 
At approximately 96% water, it’s no wonder that juicy, crunchy cucumbers are hydrating. Toss sliced cucumbers on a salad or add them to a pitcher of water for a refreshing burst of hydration. Grate cucumbers and mix with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and dill to make a tasty tzatziki dip for fresh veggies and pita chips.

Celery

Celery is well known for being mostly water (and rightly so, at 95%), but this crunchy vegetable also packs a phytonutrient punch and supports digestive tract health due to its high fiber content. Cut celery stalks into sticks to dip in hummus or tzatziki, top with peanut butter and raisins for a classic snack, or add to a chopped salad for extra crunch.

Spinach

A good source of vitamins A and K, phytonutrients, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and phenols, as well as iron, fresh spinach is also 92% water. Use spinach as the base for a summer salad, add to green juices, or pack leaves into a sandwich.

Tomatoes

A true summer fruit, tomatoes are 94% water and, like spinach and broccoli, are high in phytonutrients. In addition, tomatoes contain beta-carotene and lycopene, two antioxidants that have both been linked to prostate cancer prevention and may help reduce damage caused by sun exposure. Add tomatoes to salads, blend with other vegetables to make a refreshing salsa or gazpacho, or dice and toss with basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a tasty bruschetta mix.

Grapefruit

Known for its high vitamin C content, tart grapefruit boosts immune function and may reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At 91% water, grapefruit is especially refreshing in hot summer weather. Peel, segment, and toss in a salad, juice and enjoy, or make grapefruit lemonade.
Grapefruit is contraindicated for consumption with many medications, so check your medication labels or ask your doctor before adding grapefruit to your diet.

Watermelon

Last but not least, watermelon, at 92% water, is a summer staple. Watermelon contains lycopene, vitamin C, and beta-carotene, to name but a few nutrients. However, to reap the most antioxidant goodness from this melon, allow watermelon to ripen fully before consuming. Puree chilled watermelon and add to lemonade for a refreshing beverage, slice and eat, or arrange with basil and feta cheese for a refreshing salad.
While staying hydrated in summer is crucial, there’s no reason it can’t also be fun. In addition to drinking water, fruits and vegetables like those listed above are a great way to keep your fluid levels high and sneak in some extra nutrients.

Source: https://www.healthwaysfit.com

The secret of healthy living and slim body of Japanese women

Samurai cooking. Image: program.hiff.org

If you noticed, when you vacation in Japan or when you meet Japanese people in your town, you probably never thought: Why do Japanese people in general have a slim body. Do they do a special diet? Similarly, the Japanese women, they not only have a clean skin, and healthy, Japanese women also known for having a slim and healthy body.

The Japanese, as well as Japanese women turn out obsessed with food. The Japanese are even referred to as a food utopia. Along the road or in a grocery store there are a variety of food on display in their stores. If the Japanese are so fond of eating, how could they stay slim, healthy, even longevity? Apparently, the secret of healthy and slim tips they have found, which is behind the kitchen of Japanese women.

The main tips of Japanese women in order to stay slim:

You need to understand, it turns out the Japanese women eat in small portions.

Since childhood, the Japanese people have been accustomed to eating in small portions. There is a Japanese proverb: "Hara hachi bunme", which means' eat until 80% full course.' If you watch carefully, they also eat slowly, they do not hurry, because every mouthful to be enjoyed perfectly. Each dish was served in a small dish or bowl. In addition to reducing the size of food portions, this way also beautify the look of the dish. Perhaps you also find a Japanese tradition of eating this in Korean soap operas. It turns out the women of Korea also slim as Japanese women. They have a tradition of eating that is similar to one another.

Japanese daily menu consists of fish, soy, rice, vegetables, and fruit.

In the classic Japanese-style home-cooked dishes, so their diet consists of grilled fish, a bowl of rice, vegetables, a serving of miso soup, and no fruit as dessert. They also enjoy a cup of hot green tea. Mere knowledge to you, it turns out the fish and soybean consumption in Japan is very high. They are also crazy about fresh vegetables. Their favorites are broccoli, bean sprouts, cabbage, and seaweed, which proved to have a high nutrient.

 

Japanese food. Image: web-japan.org

Japanese people rarely eat red meat. However, when meat served as a main dish, the meat will be cut tipis- thin, and served in moderation. Therefore, the Japanese dish is lower in fat, especially saturated fat, and higher good fats, such as omega-3 fats they get from fish. They also rarely eat fast food. Due to the influence of Western culture, they also consume milk, butter, cheese, and pasta, sometimes served in their homes, but not exaggerated, as the tradition of the American or European.

The Japanese turned out a lot more walking.

For the Japanese, have your own car it would drain too expensive. Therefore, they walk away from their home or office to the train station, and the Japanese have a train at a fairly high speed. On foot, they always burn maximum calories.

Japanese women is always enjoy a healthy breakfast.

In Japan, breakfast is the most important daily activities, even the portions are often larger than lunch or dinner. Every morning, there are hundreds of thousands of Japanese women prepare breakfast for themselves and their families. That classic Japanese-style breakfast consisting of green tea, a bowl of rice, miso soup with tofu, and onions, seaweed (nori), and a little omelette or a piece of grilled fish. The breakfast menu could provide the energy and nutrients is quite high. An important reason why they are very concerned with the breakfast, because breakfast will prevent excessive for lunch.

Japanese people often steaming food, instead of frying.

Instead of frying or grilling food in the oven, Japanese women prefer steaming, sautéing, boiling, or roasting in the pan bumpy. The advantage of this cooking tradition is, substances in food ingredients will not be damaged. Moreover, Japan is also famous for its food enjoyed raw food, like sashimi. In addition, Japanese food is not much wear spices, cream, or sauce. 'Mission' major Japanese food is more emphasis on the beauty of the natural color, as well as letting out the original flavor of food. Instead of using animal fat, butter, or heavy oil, Japanese women also used to cook with a little canola oil or dashi, the broth of fish and sea plants.

 

Healthy food. Image: 12wbt.com

Just as the tradition of the Asian community, the Japanese people are also a huge fan of rice. However, the portions were not excessive. By eating rice, they can avoid eating too much bread or sweet snack. In ancient times, Japanese people are eating more healthful brown rice because it is high in fiber. As time went on, they switched to white rice. However, there is a recent trend, it turns out the Japanese women began to return to the old traditions, where they enjoyed the red rice. In restaurants and grocery stores, brown rice and brown rice more easily found.

Japanese women love to snacking, but in a special way.

Although always eat healthy food, Japanese women were also like snacking. They are also fond of chocolates, pastries, ice cream, rice cracker, and red bean cake. However, they do not snacked constantly. In addition, the portions are also small. Cakes in Japan most of it small (3 square centimeters) and packaged one by one. By doing so, the Japanese women are accustomed to eating only one or two cakes, and keep the rest to be eaten later. D Bank Tokyo there is even a The chocolate in a department store, which receives deposits chocolates, and stored in a special place at a certain temperature. The chocolate can be taken whenever you want.

Japanese women have a 'special relationship' with food.

Japanese women are not happy dieting like American women. Not because their daily food has been healthy, but because they have their own point of view in terms of food. They do not associate food with fat or slim body problem. In contrast, Japanese women have a 'healthy relationship' with food. They enjoy a variety of food and not dizzy limit what can be eaten and are not, or are fattening and not. You do not think the body of Japanese women stay slim and healthy just because of genetic factors. Research Menzies School of Health Research in Australia proves that, if the Japanese implementing the Western lifestyle, then they will suffer from heart disease and cancer.

Do you want to slim as Japanese women? Let's try to follow the Japanese diet, but you can still enjoy your tradition.

 

Cool Down With A Hot Drink? It's Not As Crazy As You Think

Urban myth or scientific fact: does drinking hot drinks on a scorching summer's day really cool you down? Well, scientists do say sweating is the best way to stay cool.




It's 40 degrees Celcius and oppressively humid. You pull yourself up from your sweat-drenched chair and head to the kitchen … to brew yourself a nice steaming hot mug of tea.
Sounds a bit wrong doesn't it? Most of us would be more likely to reach into the fridge for a cold drink. But plenty of people in India apparently sip hot tea to stay cool in the warmer months. Are they crazy, or can a hot drink actually cool you down?
In some circumstances it might, scientists say, because it could trigger a level of sweating that may more than compensate for the added heat of the drink.
But it would depend on a lot of things, including the temperature of your hot drink, how much you consume, and the temperature and humidity of your immediate environment.

Cool theory behind hot drinks

Drinking a hot drink on a hot day might seem like a strange choice, but it's likely to cause only a very tiny blip in your core body temperature, says Professor Robin McAllen a neuroscientist at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Victoria.
That's because the amount of hot fluid in say a cup of tea is relatively small compared to the amount of fluid in an adult's body, McAllen says. (The same goes for the cooling effect of a cold drink.)
However, drinking hot tea still activates temperature sensors that trigger sweating. And sweating is a key mechanism our body uses to cool us down.
The University of Sydney's Dr Ollie Jay, who researches how the human body responds to heat, says a hot drink can indeed trigger a net cooling effect through excess sweating.
But there is a crucial caveat: the sweat needs to be able to evaporate to produce a cooling effect.
If it doesn't, and the extra sweat just drips on the ground, then you are no better off.
In other words, if you're exercising hard or in a very hot and humid environment where you're sweating more quickly than it can evaporate, it wouldn't be wise to increase your sweat rate further by having a hot drink. You'd be better off sticking to a cold one.
" If you drink a cold drink that's colder than your body, you'll shunt some heat into that fluid to warm it up," Jay explains.
"You lose heat to the fluid, and that's good because it increases the overall amount of heat you lose.
"The trouble is, it is compensated [for] by us reducing the amount we sweat onto the skin surface," he says.
It turns out when you consume a hot drink, you produce much more sweat relative to the small amount of heat added to the body.
"If all of that sweat can evaporate, then I am better off with a hot drink," says Jay.

Icy cold can make us hotter

Jay and his colleagues have just completed a study, not yet published, looking at slushies, drinks made of finely crushed ice.
Interestingly, they found that drinking an icy drink can make you hotter than a drink that's 37 degrees C, our normal body temperature.
This is because the icy drink is so cold it may shut down the body's sweating mechanism to the extent your body ends up storing more heat.
"With the slushy, because the stimulation for reducing sweating is so strong, we actually seem to over-compensate," says Jay.
"The reduction in evaporation of sweat from the skin is greater than the extra heat you shunt into the slushy to warm it up inside your body."
 

So what to drink?

So what sort of drink should you reach for on a hot day?
A hot drink is okay as long as the extra sweat it causes can evaporate.
"If it's hot and you do want to drink a hot drink and you don't mind sweating, then you could drink it with a cold fan blowing on you to help the sweat evaporate," Jay suggests.
But the best advice is to drink fluids at a temperature that's most palatable to you, says Jay.
That's because most of us don't drink enough when it's hot, yet we need to if we are to avoid dehydration and ultimately the onset of heat-related illness or increase in cardiovascular strain.
"Not many people are going to want to drink one-to-two litres of hot fluids but drinking one-to-two litres of cold fluids is a lot easier," says Jay.

 

Sources: http://www.pubfacts.com/detail/, http://sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/, http://www.abc.net.au/