Turn on the music and press the treadmill, because starting Monday, I am officially loosing weight. I am going to build tummy muscles and be thin by the time I go to Burning Man this August. Go beauty **twirls finger in air while rolling eyes**
Brain cancer diagnosis and treatment. http://dld.bz/qGFa health
Ran a 10k this morning with my bud, Maza at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2011 at Dataran Merdeka. This is my second time participating in this event, and I have to say it is so much better the second time around. Cause lets face it, last year’s organization was bullshit. Seriously, only two water stations for the entire stretch of 10km. Are you freaking kidding me?
This year however, they man-up, and all the runners were able to rehydrate with H2O and 100 plus at least every 2.5 km. Which explains why I performed so much better this time around. Well, I best my time last year by 10 minutes. I know, big deal, 10 minutes, whatevs right?
It is kinda a big deal considering that it was the hardest thing I ever had to finish in my entire life, ever. The last km was the worst. Like, am I ever gonna get there???
But I did. And I felt thriumphant. Heh.
Just lemme bask in this a coupla days more.
Switch your birth control.
Oral contraceptives contain estrogen, which causes your adrenal glands to produce fluid-retaining hormones, explains Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. The experience is highly individual: Some women don’t notice an increase in bloating, while others feel themselves puffing up within days of starting a new pill. If you fall in the second camp, talk to your ob-gyn about trying another brand. Both Yasmin and Yaz contain the hormone drospirenone, which may ease bloat, since it’s also a diuretic. Of the 70 percent of women in a recent study in the journal Contraception who reported abdominal bloating while taking birth control pills, about half said their symptoms were gone after six months of switching to Yasmin. One caveat: Because drospirenone can increase levels of potassium in the body, women who frequently take other medications that increase potassium (such as NSAIDs and ACE inhibitors) aren’t good candidates for this type of oral contraceptive.
Go easy on diet drinks.
Many sugar-free beverages, candies, and gum contain the sweetener sorbitol. Though it’s a great calorie cutter, sorbitol isn’t digestible, so it sends stomach enzymes into overdrive, Gidus says. When patients with abdominal bloating were put on sorbitol-free and sugar-free diets, nearly half saw their symptoms disappear, one study found. Although the FDA requires companies to put a warning label on products that “may result in a daily consumption of 50 grams of sorbitol,” experts note that as little as 10 grams can trigger stomach trouble. Sorbitol can add up quickly: One piece of sugar-free gum has about 1.25 grams, for instance.
Trim the fat.
You ate fried onion rings on Friday night, but now it’s Saturday afternoon and you swear they’re still hanging out in your belly. It’s possible: High-fat foods delay the emptying of the stomach, which may lead to bloating and an overall feeling of fullness. A study in Australia found a direct correlation between bloating and the amount of fat in women’s diets. “I’ve seen many women who assumed they were lactose intolerant because they felt bloated after eating a bowl of ice cream; it turned out it wasn’t the milk but the fat that was the culprit,” Kirkpatrick says. Don’t eliminate fat: “Foods rich in heart-healthy fats, such as avocados, olive oil, and nuts, are actually low-gas producing,” Dr. Gerbstadt says. “The key is to focus on these good fats and pair them with lean protein, such as chicken or fish, which aids in their digestion.”’
Eat broccoli every day.
It sounds counterintuitive, but regularly eating foods that are likely to cause gas, like beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and onions, helps your body adjust and learn to break them down efficiently. “I’ve seen women run into problems when they eat these foods infrequently, say once a week,” Kirkpatrick says. “Their digestive tract isn’t used to them, so they produce a ton of extra gas and bloating.”
Slow down.
“A lot of my clients are busy working moms who are eating food either in their car orwalking to the office,” says Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo, PhD, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “The problem with eating on the go is that you take big bites of food and don’t chew properly, so you end up swallowing a tremendous amount of air.” Her advice: Take 15 to 20 minutes to eat each meal — yes, even if you’re munching on the run. “Take a deep breath after each bite and chew with your mouth closed. This forces you to breathe through your nose, which relaxes and slows you down.” While you’re at it, if you’re sipping on the go, opt for a cup, not a straw: The latter promotes ingestion of gas.
Choose supplements carefully.
If you take a calcium supplement, know which compound is in it. One that contains calcium carbonate, like Tums or Os-Cal, is more likely to cause gas and bloating because it’s harder for your stomach to break down than one with calcium citrate, such as Citracal, according to the National Institutes of Health. Either way, taking a supplement with an acidic drink, such as orange or grapefruit juice, will help you absorb calcium. Many women also experience bloating if they use an omega-3 supplement, Gazzaniga-Moloo says. “Put it in the refrigerator and have it cold; this seems to help reduce the burping and bloating that often come with taking such a supplement,” she says.
Cut back on the sweet stuff.
Fructose, the simple sugar found in syrup, honey, and soft drinks, may be the source of some of your tummy troubles: Three out of four people with unexplained GI symptoms, such as bloating, had fructose intolerance, according to a University of Iowa study. Like lactose intolerance, this condition can be diagnosed with a simple breath test. The good news: Being fructose intolerant doesn’t mean you have to swear off this healthy, sweet diet staple. “Most people are fine with actual fruit, especially if they spread their servings throughout the day, but you may need to steer clear of processed foods or soft drinks made with high-fructose corn syrup, like sweetened drinks or soft drinks,” Dr. Saito says. Juice may also trigger a reaction, since it’s more concentrated.
Get checked for allergies.
If your bloating is accompanied by nasal congestion, allergies may be the surprising reason. “When your nose is stuffed up, you end up primarily breathing through your mouth, which means you swallow a lot of air, which could cause bloating,” Dr. Saito says.
Be takeout savvy.
“Steamed veggie plates seem like a smart option if you’re ordering Chinese food, but if you’re prone to bloating, you should realize that many of the vegetables, like bok choy, can produce tons of gas,” says Jackie Keller, a celebrity nutritionist in Los Angeles.
Skip the salt.
You’ve heard it before, and we’ll say it again: Salt causes your body to retain fluid. That’s good news if you’re training for a marathon. Bad news if you’re trying to squeeze into a new dress for your friend’s wedding. The biggest culprit? “Sauces and salad dressings,” Keller says, “especially at restaurants.” To play it safe, order dressings and sauces on the side, or season lightly with olive oil and vinegar.
fitness.com
There are plenty of muscle myths out there. Here are five of the most common ones, and the truth behind the fiction:
1. Muscle will turn to fat if you stop exercising.
This muscle myth has been around for a long time. The truth is that muscle and fat are two different types of tissue, so one can’t convert to the other.
The reason why this myth persists is because many of us have seen muscular people who, once they stop exercising, become fat. But the reason why they become fat isn’t because their muscle has turned into fat, it’s because they have stopped working out but have continued to consume the same number of calories as when they were working out. So they end up losing lean muscle mass because they are no longer exercising, and they end up gaining body fat because they are consuming more calories than their new sedentary bodies need.
2. Muscle weighs more than fat.
This is another muscle myth that’s been around for a long time. The truth is that muscle does not weigh more than fat – one pound of muscle and one pound of fat both weigh one pound.
But muscle is more dense than fat, which means that one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. This is the reason why you can have two people who are both the same height and weight, but the one with more muscle and less body fat will look leaner than the one with more body fat and less muscle.
3. Muscle loss is inevitable as you get older.
Muscle loss is not the normal result of aging, it’s primarily the result of a sedentary lifestyle. If you don’t use your muscles they waste away. Once the average sedentary person reaches age 65, they will have lost up to 40% of their lean muscle mass compared to when they were young adults.
Multiple studies have shown that older people respond very well to weight lifting and are able to build lean muscle mass very effectively. Even people in nursing homes have been able to increase lean muscle mass when put on an appropriate weight lifting program.
4. Women will develop big, bulky muscles if they lift weights.
The reality is that most women don’t have enough of the hormone testosterone (a key hormone for building muscle) to develop big, bulky muscles. Without using steroids to unnaturally alter their testosterone levels, it’s not possible for most women to develop big, bulky muscles.
It’s important for women to realize that lifting weights will not give them a big, bulky body, but instead it will give them a strong, firm, toned body.
5. Muscle has no effect on fat loss.
Actually, building more lean muscle mass is one of the keys to fat loss. This is because muscle is metabolically active tissue, which means that the more lean muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism will be. The higher your metabolism, the more calories your body burns to maintain itself. The more calories your body burns to maintain itself, the more body fat you lose.
In conclusion, now that these common muscle myths have been dispelled, make sure that weight lifting – the best way to build and maintain lean muscle mass – is a part of your fitness program.
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Luckily, I had a buddy in my cooking expedition- A fellow Warren lane girl, Michelle. Our first project was to make Barefoot Contessa’s Brownie Pudding?. We combined eggs and sugar and whisked them for about 3 minutes. The whisk add some air to the batter making it light and fluffy versus the hand mixer.
Flour and cocoa powder were sifted together and then added to the eggs and sugar. Finally, the butter and vanilla were added.?Good sifting skills Michelle!
We put them in a pie and muffin tins, followed by a drizzle of caramel syrup on each. Bake at 325 degrees. Twenty minutes for the muffins and 50 for the pie tin.
The Brownie Pudding came out beautifully- so decadent! It was literally a consistency between a brownie and pudding. A super moist brownie if you will and when you thought it couldn’t get any better our addition of caramel did. The caramel created a crisp top and some soaked through the batter to the middle of the brownie. Mmmmm!?
The next treat was Peanut butter granola- a recipe from Peanut Butter Finger’s blog. She came up with a great recipe- I can’t take credit for it’s deliciousness! The only addition I made was to bake in some craisins for an extra punch! I can’t wait to put this on top of yogurt and oatmeal!?
Next, I took Julie’s recipe and doubled it. The goal was Peanut butter and Jelly granola bars. I added one egg white, 1/4 c of brown sugar and 4 tbsp of (melted) butter to Julie’s recipe. I put half the batter on a cookie sheet, spread a thin layer of grape jelly over it and then put the final half of the batter on top.
I baked it on 350 for 25 minutes, which as it turns out was too long. I would suggest 20 for next time! Be sure to let them cool. I found the longer they sat the more I like them. Michelle and I approved of these bars. They had a crunchy top and soft center. We loved that we could taste each ingredient; the peanut butter, the cinnamon, the vanilla. However, we felt that if maybe raisins or walnuts were added it might give these bars a little something extra in terms of texture and a taste that stands out. We were also pretty cautious with the jelly, so maybe just adding a bit of a thicker layer would be enough.
We’re finishing the night off with a movie while enjoying the fruits- or should I say oats of our labor.Until tomorrow, Toodles! ?
