Best Fitness Blog

... By Karli Taylor

If asked, most people will tell you that drinking green tea is good for you. Over the last decade, green tea has been linked to health benefits ranging from fighting cancer and heart disease and lowering cholesterol to burning fat. More recent research has pointed out a few ways to get more out of that tiny little tea leaf….

Green tea has been linked to a reduced risk of heart attacks, thanks to powerful antioxidants called catechins. Studies show, however, that our bodies are only able to absorb about 20 percent of these healthful compounds. The good news is that by combining green tea with lemon juice, we can increase the absorption to over 75%!

So after brewing yourself a cup of green tea, squeeze in the juice of one whole lemon. If you don’t like the flavor of lemon, lime and orange can in at a close second and third in recent studies. It is the ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, that improves catechin absorption.

People who drink green tea with their meals report feeling more full and are less likely to want a second helping than those who drink plain water. Experts say the compounds in green tea can affect the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness. If you are drinking green tea for fat loss, you may want to try adding black pepper to your next meal. A recent study found that the combination of greet tea and black pepper boosts the absorption of EGCG, a key antioxidant in tea tied to calorie burning, by over 100 percent. Studies say as little as a half-teaspoon of black pepper can increase the absorption of tea’s beneficial compounds.

... By Karli Taylor

What did you have for breakfast today - coffee? Most mornings, we barely have time to glance at the kitchen. Though fixing breakfast can take up a few minutes that are  in short supply, there is a great deal of evidence that breakfast really may be the most important meal of the day!

Did you know that the simple act of eating breakfast every day is a big part of a successful weight loss plan?

People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, the hunger takes over and most people eat more calories than they would have had they eaten a sensible breakfast.  Breakfast skippers tend to replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling and overeating at lunch and dinner.

A study conducted on individuals who have lost and kept off more than 30 pounds for over a year reported that 78% of the participants ate breakfast every day, and almost 90% reported eating breakfast at least five days a week.
Another research group analyzed government data on 4,200 adults.

They found that regular breakfast eaters were more likely to exercise regularly. Perhaps starting your morning off in a healthy way sets the tone for the rest of the day!

The same study showed that women who ate breakfast regularly tended to eat fewer calories overall during the day, and men and women who ate breakfast had lower overall daily fat intake than non-breakfast eaters.
 It makes sense. Eating early in the day keeps us from overeating and making poor food choices  later in the day.  But that’s not all! Eating breakfast also jump-starts your metabolism allowing your calorie burning furnace to start earlier- the longer your furnace is active, the more total calories you burn in a day.

So what’s for breakfast?