Health & Fitness May
Workouts
Healthy Eating Keeping Fit Diets
Gymnasiums Nutrition Exercise
Healthy Lifestyle
choose wisely In the not-too-distant future restaurants and takeaway shops will have to provide health warnings on menus as part of a government campaign to prevent obesity. This is due to the fact that we don’t really know how much fat, salt and sugar is in our favourite meals. We know they are bad but we don’t realise just how bad they can be. Last summer, 21 restaurants and caterers took part in a pilot scheme which saw the likes of Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and Pret A Manger trying out prominent displays of calorie counts at counters or on their menus. The Food Standards Agency says it is confident a voluntary partnership with the catering industry will eventually result in widespread calorie labelling on menus in the majority of British food outlets. “Providing clear calorie information in restaurants and for takeout food could help people make better choices and be a great help in fighting the obesity epidemic,” says nutritionist Fiona Hunter. “Whether this will be achieved voluntarily or through legislation remains to be seen.” However even if calorie labelling becomes the norm, there’s still a lot we won’t be told about our favourite meals. An investigation by consumer magazine Which? in 2008 found that a 300g portion of pepperoni pizza contained more than two-thirds of the recommended daily allowance of salt for an adult and more than a whole day’s worth of saturated fat for a woman. It also found that a Chinese meal contained more than 19 teaspoons of sugar! To help you stay healthy and trim follow this guide to the best choices and those to avoid.
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INDIAN WORST CHOICE Chicken korma and pilau rice 1,100 calories, 60g fat An average portion of an Indian takeaway contains 3.2g more saturated fat than a woman should eat in a whole day, according to Which? With its generous content of cream and coconut you can expect a chicken korma to beat even this high level of cholesterolraising saturates. Add naan bread and poppadoms and it could easily reach 1,300-1,400 calories. Other cream-laden types to avoid are pasanda and tikka masala.
BETTER CHOICE Chicken biryani 730 calories, 24g fat Biryani has rice included so you don’t need to order rice as a side dish. Go easy on the separate pot of sauce and ask for it without the fried egg or omelette on top. Others in the moderate-calorie category include lamb rogan josh and prawn or chicken jalfrezi.
BEST CHOICE Tandoori chicken with half a naan or half portion of boiled rice 380 calories, 10g fat The healthiest Indian dish is a sauce-free one such as tandoori chicken or chicken tikka. Alternatively have any starter you like and bulk out with salad, dhal and a couple of poppadoms. A non-creamy vegetable curry can be a good bet too.
TOP TIPS! • Choose just one accompanying carbohydrate; rice or naan for example, not both. Eat only half a portion if they are huge. • If you’re anaemic opt for a balti (but skim the excess fat off the top). The pots they are cooked in add extra iron to your meal. • Avoid Indian food in unnatural hues of red or yellow as it’s bound to have artificial colours in levels higher than would be allowed in supermarket food. • Leave some of the sauce behind. It contains the meal’s highest fat and calories.
BURGERS & FRIED CHICKEN WORST CHOICE McDonald’s Big Tasty large meal with banana milkshake 1,640 calories, 89g fat You can guarantee that anything with “big” or “whopper” in the title is going to be a calorie nightmare. A McDonald’s Big Tasty burger alone has more than 1.5 times a woman’s guideline daily amount of saturated fat and with the large fries and milkshake the meal has more calories than five Mars bars. This meal also supplies more than threequarters of your daily recommended maximum intake of salt.
BETTER CHOICE Burger King cheeseburger with small fries 520 calories, 20g fat Teamed with a small portion of fries, a standard cheeseburger isn’t such a bad bet. You’ll at least get some calcium from the cheese and iron from the burger and the calorie count is manageable. It does contain half your daily salt and 40 per cent of a woman’s recommended intake of saturated fat, though, so save for an occasional treat.
BEST CHOICE KFC mini-fillet burger 273 calories, 9.3g fat Opting for mini-portions is the best way to satisfy a fast food craving without ruining your waistline and you’re likely to feel no more or less satisfied a couple of hours later. A KFC fillet burger contains less than a 10th of a woman’s daily recommended limit of saturated fat and it’s high enough in protein to curb the appetite reasonably well. Alternatively, choose a McDonald’s Happy Meal or a McDonald’s snack wrap.
TOP TIPS! • Swap your fries for healthier side orders such as sweetcorn or beans. • Choose water or orange juice rather than sugary fizzy drinks or milkshakes. • Avoid the temptation to “go large”.
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CHINESE WORST CHOICE Battered sweet and sour pork with special fried rice 1,100 calories, 37g fat Battered, deep-fried pork balls with sugary sweet and sour sauce adds up to well over half your daily calorie intake and can have up to 19 teaspoons of sugar if you eat all the sauce, a Which? survey revealed. It’s best to avoid battered options completely as this is where the calories really lie. Fried rice has 50 per cent more calories than plain.
BETTER CHOICE Chicken chow mein 860 calories, 30g fat Still not a top choice if you’re trying to lose weight but chow mein is one of the more nutritionally balanced Chinese meals, especially if you ask for extra vegetables (or swap the chicken version for a mushroom one). It has less saturated fat than battered dishes and only moderate salt levels. Other reasonable choices include beef in black bean sauce and chicken with cashew nuts.
BEST CHOICE Szechuan prawns and vegetables with half a portion of steamed rice 589 calories, 14g fat Look for steamed or wok-fried dishes, preferably those with seafood and/or vegetables to ensure the lowest-fat choice. Szechuan prawns or prawns with ginger and spring onions fit the bill perfectly.
TOP TIPS!
PIZZA
WORST CHOICE
Half a large stuffed-crust, meat feast pizza 1,600 calories, 70g fat A stuffed doughy base and the cheesy, meaty topping make for a very fattening, blood pressure-raising, artery-clogging choice.
BETTER CHOICE Individual ham and pineapple pizza 772 calories, 26g fat If you still want something meaty, ham and pineapple is a relatively healthy option; as long as it’s on a thin and crispy base.
BEST CHOICE Half a medium tuna, anchovy and olive pizza 403 calories, 15g fat Seafood or vegetarian options are best if you are watching your weight. Anchovies, capers and olives add taste with few calories.
TOP TIPS! • The thinner the base the better. • To get the balance right, use a plate and fill half with pizza and half with a big pile of undressed salad. • Add some sweetcorn or peppers.
WORST CHOICE
FISH & CHIPS
Pie and large chips 927 calories, 50g fat Pie and chips from a chippy is loaded with saturated fat and probably won’t even fill you up that well given that it contains a relatively low level of appetite-curbing protein.
BETTER CHOICE Medium cod or haddock and chips 838 calories, 48g fat Fish and chips provides protein, vitamins and iron and no chemical additives. Team with a glass of juice and some vegetables to make a more balanced meal.
BEST CHOICE Mini-cod and a potato scallop 555 calories, 30g fat A mini-cod is easier to work into your daily calorie allowance and still supplies you with plenty to eat. Team it with a traditional potato scallop, which is lower in calories than chips.
• Avoid fattening side orders such as spring rolls, crispy seaweed and prawn crackers.
TOP TIPS!
• Try a portion of stir-fried vegetables as an alternative to rice.
• Swap your chips for a portion of mushy peas and you’ll be adding a vegetable portion as well as cutting calories.
• Don’t eat all the batter
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Marina Brass Marina Brass now launches her Nutrition website Nutrition Discount Direct where you can get all your nutrition products at great discounted prices delivered directly to your door. Marina Brass has been in the fitness industry for many years, competing in the biggest competitions against the best in the world. She has gained amazing knowledge in training, diets and products. She has also trained with the best and is respected by many. Her work has taken her around the world, however, Marina has now returned back to Spain for good and has developed her nutrition website to give people a place to get what they need at low prices. Marina has also developed the site to be easy to use with product categories, brand categories and even an objective category. With a simple click you can determine and see exactly what you need. There are all the best names in nutrition available and weekly specials giving you the best possible prices every day. Due to the company only being web based they don’t have the expense of stores. Also, due to knowing many manufacturing companies personally, Marina has managed to keep all prices down to the lowest possible price. You can even ask her advice on which product to take, whether you are male or female, her knowledge in this area is extensive. So next time you want a protein to build those muscles or a fat burner to get rid of that fat, take a look at Nutrition Discount Direct where we are positive you will find what you need.
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Since Marina Brass was very young, she showed great interest in sport. She started working when she was 17-years-old in different sports centres in the city as a funky and hip hop trainer. Although she used to go to the gym every day, she never visited the weight lifting machines until she was 20 when she met a male bodybuilder who encouraged her to train. That was how she started being interested in fitness and the results were soon incredible. In only seven months of training at just 21 years old, she began competing and receiving great triumphs. Marina quickly caught the eye of various sport magazines and product manufactures and from that moment on, her great career as a fitness model started. After spending a year competing and taking part in world championships, she decided to take a break and go on holiday to Los Angeles, California. As most do in the fitness industry she went to the famous and loved Gold Gym on Venice Beach which was a signature place in the world to train and was a must see for Marina. A week had passed training in the famous Gold Gym when a photographer Jerry Fredick fixed his eyes on her and prepared a photographic report on Marina for the magazine, ‘Ironman’. This would be the beginning of her career in the U.S.
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In 2007, Marina returned to Spain and continued her hard training in preparation to compete the following year. Marina did compete in several fitness championships in Spain yet at the same time her work as a fitness model in magazines, catalogues and calendars was growing. That year she decided to return to Los Angeles in order to attend to the Ironman Championship. When she arrived there, the photographer Mike Yurkovic met her and did a photo shoot for the magazine, Muscular Development. Other photographers wanted to work with her but due to her short period there this didn’t give her enough time and she had to return to Spain. Once back in Spain she signed a contract with Nutrytec Sport, which is still her sponsor today. After her two short visits to Los Angeles, she discovered that she could better promote her fitness career there. Marina decided to leave Spain in 2008 and travel back to Los Angeles to proceed with her career. It was a hard decision as Marina travelled alone and at only 23 years old found it difficult, as at this time she didn’t speak much English. Although it was quite tough at the beginning, Marina quickly started being known in the world of fitness. Many fitness photographers were taking or booking in photo shoots with her. There were big-named professional photographers such as Ralph Dehaan who works with magazines like Flex, Musclemag International, Women’s Physique World, and Body Fitness. There was also Robert Reiff, who works with Flex Magazine, Muscle Fitness, Titan Sport and American Curves. Marina has done photo shoots with celebrities such as J.C. Van Damme, Prince, Clint Eastwood and many with Arnold Schwarzeneger. 48
Marina now based back in Spain works for Physicbook, which if you don’t know is the same as Facebook but for the Fitness industry. Marina is a big part of the fitness world and does many interviews with the biggest names in the bodybuilding/Fitness world. Her website has thousands of visitors and members and she receives many messages every day. Now with the launch of her nutrition website Nutrition Discount Direct you not only get the products you are after at amazingly low prices, but you are able to message Marina and ask her advice on products, so you will be able to get the right supplement for you. Marina is also developing the site as a place where you can get workouts and diets giving you a complete website that targets every single area of fitness and your needs. Visit nutritiondiscountdirect.com today for all your suppliment needs.
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5forFFoods oods Fresh Breath
If you are heading on a night out and you are looking to hook up with someone, you probably already know that you want to steer clear of onions and garlic. But did you know that there are a number of foods you can choose to eat before you go out, or while dining out, that will actually improve your breath? Here are 5 top food tips to freshen your breath
• Tea
A cup of green or black tea can likely cut the miasma coming from your mouth through the action of a class of antioxidants called polyphenols. As long as you don’t add sugar to your tea, these antioxidants can go to work and kick out the bacteria that are causing your stinky breath. The University of Utah Health Care website also reports that people who drink tea frequently are less likely to have bad breath than people who don’t.
• Yoghurt
Sugar-free yogurt has been shown to fight bad breath after six weeks of regular consumption, probably through the action of live cultures which can drive bad bacteria out of your mouth (so make sure your yogurt contains live and active cultures!) Plus, yoghurt contains vitamin D, which also helps in the fight against bacteria. So while it might not help right away, two servings of yoghurt each day may help you get rid of halitosis in the long run.
• Fresh Herbs
Chewing on fresh herbs and spices not only kills bacteria, it also adds a fresh scent to your breath! Chlorophyll-containing parsley can help to deodorise your mouth without adding too much additional scent. If you like a more noticeable taste and scent, fresh mint, fennel seeds, anise, and cloves have also been linked to fresher breath.
• Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Crunchy fruits and veggies like apples, celery, and carrots can help scrape odour-causing plaque off of your teeth. They also increase saliva production, which can help keep your whistle nice and wet and prevent bacteria from gaining a hold. Finally, chomping on an apple can help dislodge any bits of food that have got stuck in your teeth, mitigating any negative effect they might have on your breath.
• Citrus Fruits
Apparently fruits high in vitamin C help get rid of unwanted oral bacteria. In addition to ridding your mouth of some of the bacteria that causes halitosis, the vitamin C content of fruits like oranges and grapefruit also helps fight gum disease like gingivitis, which can, if left unchecked, lead to even more bad breath.
Remember, none of these foods can do as good a job of freshening your breath as the good old fashioned standards of oral hygiene. For the best possible breath, make sure you stay on top of brushing and flossing, and see a dentist for a check-up and cleaning once every six months. 53
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Summer is on it’s way. This means only one thing. Cambridge 800 is heading towards Conference time. So what does this mean? The Slimmer of the Year will soon be announced. Cambridge Slimmer of the Year wins a holiday for themselves, and for their Partner. Also their Consultant, who helped them to lose weight and keep it off, joins them on an all expenses holiday. At the Conference, the Consultant of the Year will also be revealed. They too win a holiday. Why are Cambridge so generous? It is all about people. Cambridge is a nutritionally balanced weight loss programme, consisting of 5 different Steps. Cambridge can be used with and without food as a method to lose weight, stabilise your weight and keep it off for good. Cambridge changes peoples lives and improves their health. It Is all about people and when people achieve great results, they should be rewarded and that’s exactly what Cambridge do. Cambridge also creates careers for people. In Spain this is important.
There are precious few jobs let alone careers in Spain. Cambridge are proud to have invested heavily into Spain. So who can use Cambridge? Most people can use one or more of the programmes. As with all weight loss regimens, some people are contraindicated. The skill of the highly trained Cambridge 800 Consultant is vital in the support and guidance of their customers to help their customer stay on track and re-educate their eating habits. Customers are supported all the way through their weight loss journey and into long term maintenance, or as Cambridge prefer to call it “my life”. Why? If you don’t change your lifetime habits, you will put your weight back on again and Cambridge want their customers to succeed long term. This is why so many Cambridge customers become Cambridge Consultants.
So who wins with Cambridge? Everyone! If you as a customer improve your health, you win. If you win a prize, you win. If you gain a career you win. Your family will win too. Cambridge is like no other company. Developed back in the 1960’s by Professor Alan Howard with evidence based independent Clinical Trials, Cambridge is this summer 29 years old, so no fad diet programme. Infact far from it. Used by many medical professionals to help their patients lose weight, Cambridge is a product of choice in the UK and many other countries and is fast becoming one of the leading weight loss programmes in Spain. Watch this space for more information of the winners at the Cambridge Conference to be held in June of this year.
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THE BEST WAYS TO
STOP SMOKING
With the smoking ban just about everywhere in Europe, it’s probably a good idea to give up. Having to go outside for a cigarette isn’t too bad when you live down here on the Costa, but can you imagine what it’s like 2000 miles north? Nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive and on comparative levels with cocaine. It can also provide psychological comfort to some people as it relieves stress. So giving up is not going to be easy but it is worthwhile in the end. We all know the dangers so I’m not going to mention them until later as it’s self defeating and puts people off.
So what’s the best way to give up? The following are tried and effective ways to stop.
The benefits of stopping smoking l Health Within hours, your body starts to recover from the nicotine and the harmful chemicals within cigarettes. 1. Your heart rate, blood pressure and even body temperature (all high due to nicotine) return to healthier levels. 2. The amount of air you can breathe into your lungs also increases and so your breathing becomes better. Carbon monoxide from the cigarettes also disappears allowing more oxygen into the blood. 3. Also to be considered is the health of your loved ones through 2nd hand smoke.
l Money 56
If you smoke a pack a day on average that will set you back about 2000 Euros a year. Hardly small change in these hard times.
So that’s all good right? So what are the best ways to stop l Pros and Cons Write down the good points and bad of smoking. Point out health issues, how smoking affects work and your general life. Get friends and family views on this subject. For example: one of the reasons for stopping might be that your son/daughter will not see you beyond the age of 40. Do this over time and finally when the negative is bigger than the positive its time to stop.
l Pre Stoppage As you near the day of stopping, don’t buy cartons, just buy a pack and carry a few. If you run out it’s a good thing and try to resist buying more and wait till you get back home. That process kicks starts the strengthening of will power.
l End Date Set up a contract that says you will stop smoking on that day and get others to sign it. On the stop day, throw all your smoking stuff out like ashtrays etc.
Various methods to Stop smoking l Stage 1: Smoking habits When you smoke, the brain releases dopamine and norpinephrine, these connect to the act of smoking and will be released when you are about to smoke. This can be when stressed, when hungry or even when being sociable. These habits have to be recognised and once they are you can start to stop yourself smoking. Change your routine. If you have a cigarette with coffee in the morning then drink orange juice. Change any links you may have that tempt you to light up a cigarette.
l Stage 2: Willpower The first few days will make you irritable and depressed and tired. Go for brisk walks to take your mind off the cigarettes. This will increase your energy levels and give you added will power. Remember that the first 3 months are the hardest. Remember also to stop smoking when you’re in a positive frame of mind and are in a good mood, this will help enormously in your quest to quit. But also remember that each time you resist smoking it makes your resolve stronger and you have a better chance to succeed. Cold Turkey. 90% of all smokers try just to stop smoking. The problem is that only 10% of those do stop. It’s not the best way to quit unless you have superb will power. One way that can aid you though is to remember other challenges that you have succeeded in. If you can do those other challenges then you can stop smoking. 57
l Stage 3: How to prevent craving Craving and wanting a cigarette is the worst thing to deal with. It drives you to distraction and becomes the only thing you want. But fear not! There are ways to beat this craving! Hypnotism is one of the best ways to beat the craving and there are several techniques that can be very useful. It still relies on the person’s willpower but the hypnosis certainly helps. But there are other ways to try and prevent the craving. If you can, nip into a health food shop and buy some ‘Avena sativa’ aka oat extract. Take 1 millilitre 4 times a day and this reduces the amount of cigarettes smoked for people chuffing away. For people trying to stop smoking the effects are even better. If you get that craving while at work in an office then do sit ups, press ups or walk up and down some stairs. Distract yourself through exercise is the best way to beat the craving. If you smoked to relieve stress then learn other ways to relax. Meditate, hypnosis and deep breathing can all lessen stress. Keep in mind too that giving up smoking in itself can be stressful so by learning meditation and the like you can lessen stress. Make sure you have plenty of moral support. Make sure that when you have a craving get in contact with a friend or family member, join a forum for other people quitting smoking and learn from them. Drink plenty of water as that flushes the toxins that are making your body crave cigarettes. By maintaining steady water flow throughout the day this makes the cravings easier to deal with as they are quicker.
Other Techniques • See the money you’re saving by not smoking. Save it for something you’ve always wanted to do and that way the money goes to a positive cause and each addition of cash gets closer to your goal. • Create a smoke free zone at home, in your car and in your personal space. You may have stopped but when all your mates come round and smoke like mad things it’s not going to help. • And finally, I have to mention it at some stage, but write down the dangers of smoking and place them all around the house. Be sure to include: 1. Smoking can cause impotence and low fertility. 2. It can also cause thinner bones. 3. Smoking can affect mental capacity, cause depression and harm memory causing Alzheimer’s in due course. 4. Smoking increases the risk of heart disease, strokes and high blood pressure. 5. Increased risk of diabetes. 6. Smoking increases the risk of Cancer of the lung, bladder, mouth, pancreas and others. It can also cause leukaemia. 7. Can also affect the ability to smell and taste.
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Substitutes Nicotine patches, inhalers etc. These give you the nicotine that you want and not the tobacco. This can work if you have the back up of family and friends and if you recognise the habits that make you want to smoke. Medicine such as Chantix and Zyban can help you quit. But a doctor is needed to prescribe. You’ll miss holding a cigarette. So fiddle with something else. The electric cigarette is ideal, or those Chinese stress balls can help thus giving stress relief and a substitute for holding a cigarette. Try to drink something when you’re have a craving as this swaps the habit for something else. Or perhaps chew instead of smoking with gum (not containing aspartame), nuts, sunflower seeds or boiled sweets even.
In case of relapse If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. If you relapse then make sure you still limit it to one or two a day if you can. Then you can start again, and it will be easier now than when you were on 20 a day.
Overall The above are all ways that can work for you to improve your health and your bank balance but no one is going to do it for you. At the end of the day you have to want to stop and if you aim to live longer, last longer and breathe easier then you will get there in the end. Good luck. 59