Just to be clear from the start: there is not one single aspect of strength training that will suit everybody. Free weights and dumbbells, as well as machines, will help you gain strength, the effects varying by person. Also, remember that other options exist, such as elastic bands or lifting one’s weight. Strenght training options […]
healthy living
Health Tip: burning calories to lose weight
Staying active is critical to any weight-loss and –maintenance program. When your body is active it employs more energy (calories), and when you burn more energy than you consume, the body begins to lose weight. Burning calories to lose weight. Since 3,500 calories are roughly equivalent to 450 grams of fat, you need to burn […]
Tips to not overeat
You may have overlooked a curious phenomenon: food (and drink) portions and serving sizes have been getting bigger and bigger at restaurants and grocery stores over the last few years, especially of those that are the least healthy, such as potato chip bags, bakery goods, refillable cups… Add to this the recent studies that show […]
Health Tip: Breaking your bad eating habits
Once you’ve identified your bad eating habits, and what triggers them, you are just one step away from healthier eating. Of course, in some cases, this might prove to be the hardest. Anyone can change their route to avoid walking past the bakery, but what to do when it’s boredom and stress that lead us […]
Mediterranean Recipe: Clams in Almond Sauce
Turning the pedometer into an ally along the way
Besides the obvious usefulness offered by pedometers, also known as step counters, and other wearable activity devices, quantifying your workouts can help you stay motivated. Here are a few basic guidelines to purchase one of these devices. A frequently asked question when starting out is whether the activity is enough to produce the expected results. […]
Health Tip: lose weight slowly
Losing weight You may not want to hear this, but it’s for your own good: the lifestyle changes required to achieve rapid weight loss frequently involve extraordinary efforts and sacrifice, making it hard to sustain in the long run. Weight gain follows shortly after. Another problem associated with quick drops in weight involves potential health […]
High protein diets: do they actually work?
You’ve probably heard of high protein diets from a variety of sources—friends, family, on the news…—and more often than not in contradictory fashion: “they work great”, “they’re dangerous”, “won’t help you lose weight” or “they won’t make you hungry”. The truth is that people in good health can safely follow a high protein diet as […]
Can I build up strength through isometric exercise?
Isometric exercises are contractions o a very specific muscle or group of muscles. During these types of exercise the muscle doesn’t appear to change in length while the joint involved doesn’t move. Isometric exercise isn’t a particularly effective way of gaining strength, but it will help you to maintain it (this is why it’s often […]
Set small short-term goals
Reaching for the stars is great, but always remember that the bigger the goal, the longer the road to success. Most of us have a hard time finding the right motivation when the goal is set far ahead, which is why short-term goals and small successes are more effective. If the plan is to lose […]