Best Fitness Blog

You are busy, and when you are busy you exercise less and don’t eat as well as you should. But the key to weight loss is burning more calories than you take in, but also eating healthy. You may think you eat fine, but if you take a few minutes to evaluate what you eat, you may start to notice some unhealthy habits. The first question that you should ask yourself is: What types of processed foods do you eat?

Processed foods have added fats and sugars to make them taste better, last longer and cook faster. This hidden extras add on the calories more quickly than most of us realize. Because of this, the typical American diet is loaded with sugar, fat, and sodium, often leading to high blood pressure, low energy, and poor digestion. The best way to reduce your risk for many diseases and health issues is to choose natural and minimally processed foods. Often called “eating clean”.

If you want to eat clean, you need to eat the least processed food with the most nutrients. How? No more fast foods, no more frozen food aisle at the grocery store, choose fresh vegetables and fruits over canned or frozen.

Choose foods that are low in fat, high in fiber, with essential vitamins and minerals. This will control blood sugar, give you more energy for exercise and give you the fiber that you need for better and healthy digestion.

Eating a less processed, healthy diet along with increased exercise can boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. Replacing fast foods and processed foods can help you eat less calories overall and increase the amount of fiber you eat. Additionally, high-fiber whole grains, vegetables, and fruits will help you feel fuller longer causing you to eat less. Did you know that people who eat an additional 14 grams of fiber a day eat 10% less throughout the day.?

... By Karli Taylor

We’ve all been there. One minute you are sitting quietly at your desk, minding your own business, when a vision of chocolate starts dancing through your head. You suddenly get struck by a craving that’s so intense, that you can’t think of anything else. Why we crave certain foods at certain times has been debated for years, but scientists are coming close to an answer.

As much as I would love to tell you otherwise, cravings are all in your head. Studies shows that the strength of a craving depends on how vividly you can imagine them. IF you think about it, it makes sense. When you are clearly picturing a forbidden treat, it can take up the majority of your thoughts at any given time.

During that moment, concentrating on other tasks can become difficult. That’s why when you suddenly want a piece of chocolate, only a piece of chocolate will do, and everything else seems less important than the conga line of Hershey kisses that keeps running through your mind.

Luckily, you can train your brain to fight those cravings . When a craving hits, try distracting yourself with thoughts that aren’t food-related. If you can focus on something else for more than a full minute, you should be able to conquer the craving. If you can’t change your focus the next time a bag of chips or a peanut butter cup waltzes through your brain, try one of these craving busters:

1. Pop a piece of sugar-free mint gum into your mouth. The feeling of clean teeth will prevent you from wanting to snack, and the scent of mint has been proven to reduce appetite.
2. Take a quick walk around the neighborhood and soak in your surroundings. Elevating your heart rate is proven to eliminate the urge to snack. If walking isn’t enough, do a few sets of squats or push-ups!
3. Try accu-pressure. Some believe that accupressure can help alleviate stubborn cravings. Place two fingers below your ear where your jaw hinges. Open your mouth until you feel a bump, then press and hold.