Cut Your Risk Of Heart Disease By Eating More Fish

Did you know that you can cut your risk of heart disease just by eating more fish? To accomplish this, make sure you eat a serving of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week. Good choices for fish full of omega-3 fatty acids would be tuna, mackerel, salmon, sardines, and bluefish.

When you cook your fish, remember to prepare it in a healthy way. Steer clear of fried fish with a heavy batter, or fish that is smothered in cream sauce. Instead, prepare your fish by baking, broiling or steaming it. You can add some flavor to the fish by adding lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, and some fresh herbs and seasonings.

Eating fish long-term has been a great health benefit. Your heart will thank you for it.

Help Control Your Diabetes With These Lifestyle Tips

There are many things you can do to help control your diabetes. In many cases, the signs of diabetes can be reversed by making a few important lifestyle changes. Consider following some of these tips to help you better manage your diabetes.

1. Test your glucose levels on a regular basis. Monitor glucose at different times throughout the day to see what changes you need to make in not only your meals, but with your exercise and medication.
2. Eat a well-balanced diet.
3. Get lots of sleep.
4. Limit your alcohol. Females should have no more than one drink per day, and males should have no more than two drinks per day.
5. Exercise. Talk to your doctor about which plan is right for you.
6. Do not smoke.
7. Manage your stress.
8. Know what the signs of hypoglycemia are (confusion, abnormal behavior, double vision, seizures, anxiety, shakiness, inability to complete tasks). Let others around you know what to look for as well, so if there are issues they can get medical help for you.
9. Eat whole grains. Whole grains are diabetes friendly, and are high in fiber.
10. Follow a medication schedule that your doctor has given you.

Do you have any tips you would like to add to this list? Please leave them below in the comments section.

Set Proper Fitness Goals And Improve Your Workouts And Results

What are your current goals? Maybe you want to lose 10 pound by the start of summer. Or to build or firm up your arms so you can wear a tank top or show them off at the beach. No matter what your goals are, you need to know how to create a plan so you can achieve them.

So how do you do that? Follow these easy steps to formulate a plan and set proper short and long term goals.

• Make a plan. Have a clear idea in your head what you want to accomplish. Write the goal down on paper.
• Work on one to two goals at a time. Any more and you could compromise your other goals.
• Do not give up. If you fail, then learn from your mistakes and try again.
• Have parameters to your goal. It should not be too vague. Many use the SMART system, in which the goal is simple, measurable, attainable, realistic and time oriented.
• Tell your goals to others. This may make you more successful at achieving them.

Following these steps will allow you to work on your goals so you can make them a reality.

When Trying To Lose Weight, Fix Diet Before Adding Cardio

Looking to lose weight? Don’t rush out and hit the Stairmaster or treadmill just yet. Without a smart diet plan it really won’t matter at all how much cardio you do each day.

Far too often dieters make the mistake of turning to cardio as a “cure-all.” The problem with this is simple: one mile of treadmill walking only burns 100 calories. You would need to stay on the treadmill for an entire hour just to burn off one donut. Cardio is simply not an efficient fat loss method.

Before you rush off to the gym, make sure you develop and test a good diet plan. Spend a few weeks zeroing in your eating, reducing calories as needed so that you are losing weight each week without cardio. Then, with the weight already coming off, add in 3-4 cardio sessions per week.

Have you made the mistake of relying on cardio alone for weight loss? Let us know in the comments section below.

Don’t Wait For The “Perfect Time”: Find The Time To Exercise

So you have a busy lifestyle and work schedule, and you just can’t find time to fit exercise in. Or so you think. The reality is this: it’s a lot easier to fit exercise each day than you think. You do not have to do it all at once. You can break up your routine and still get some great benefits. Here are some tips on how to fit exercise into even the busiest lifestyles.

• Be as active as possible. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. Park further away from your work, or get off at the bus stop a block or two away from your office.
• Workout first during lunch. On your lunch break, hit the gym. Then eat at your desk when you return.
• Take a short walk. If you do not have a gym near your work, put on your walking shoes and go for a brisk walk.
• Get up early and exercise. Set your alarm for 30 minutes before anyone else gets up and walk on the treadmill, or pop in an exercise DVD.
• Take frequent breaks. Take short breaks at work and do a few exercises. You can do squats and lunges anywhere. Make time to also walk around and stretch your body.
• Play with your kids. Run around with them. Not only will you be spending quality time with them that they will remember, but you are also getting in some great exercise.

Exercise does not necessarily have to mean pump iron or get sweaty on the exercise bike. There are lots of ways that you can fit exercise into your schedule.

Set Aside Boring Cardio And Try Interval Training

Are you at a standstill with your workouts? Ready to move forward but do not know how, or what to do? Consider doing interval training. Interval training will add an extra burst of energy and excitement to your regular workouts.

An example of interval training would be walking for three minutes at a moderately fast pace,and then picking up the pace and running for a minute. You would then return back to walking.

What are the benefits of interval training? Well for starters you will burn more calories. And you can do it anywhere, at any time: while walking, on the treadmill, on the exercise bike, while dancing. You do not need anything special to train using intervals, and it is a great way to stave off exercise routine boredom.

When you do interval training, you will also improve your stamina. Make sure to work on, and improve your intensity as time goes on.

Set Aside The Vegetable Oil And Reach For Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a cholesterol free cooking oil derived from mature coconuts. Not only does it have a pleasant flavor, but coconut oil also has a nigher smoke temperature, making it a great choice when pan searing meats.

Coconut oil also has many potential health benefits, which include/may include:

• It may lower your risk of getting cardiovascular disease. (1)
• May improve cardiovasular health. (2)
• Bolstering the immune system. (3)
• Providing a boost to your thyroid. (4)
• Helping to speed up your metabolism. (5)

1 Kaunitz H, Dayrit CS. Coconut oil consumption and coronary heart disease. Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine, 1992;30:165-171

2 Prior IA, Davidson F, Salmond CE, Czochanska Z. Cholesterol, coconuts, and diet on Polynesian atolls: a natural experiment: The Pukapuka and Tokelau Island studies, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1981;34:1552-1561

3 Dr. Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., F.A.C.N. Source: Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century

4 Baba, N 1982.Enhanced thermogenesis and diminished deposition of fat in response to overfeeding with diet containing medium-chain triglycerides, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 35:379