Can Acai Really Help You lose Weight?

With all of the weight loss claims being made about the Acai berry, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. Health food stores, multi-level marketers, Rachel Ray and even Oprah have weighed in on benefits of the  “wonder fruit. ” Everything from extraordinary weight loss to amazing energy is attributed to the Acai berry.

Here is the truth. While the Acai berry is loaded with antioxidents, fiber and omega-3 acids, many other fruits are, too. Whether the Acai berry is somewhat more effective at encouraging health than its closely related brethern blueberries, strawberries, cranberries or blackberries still needs to be tested.

Any diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fiber, vitamins and minerals will improve your weight loss efforts, boost your metabolism and give you more energy. So drink the Acai juice if you like it, but do it as part of a larger healthy diet and weight loss plan.

Walking for Heath and Weight Loss

It is well known that taking a walk is the easiest, most accessible and body friendly way to boost your metabolism, lose weight and exercise. But new research from San Diego State University shows that you can dramatically improve your results simply by measuring your pace to ensure that you are taking at least 100 steps per minute.

Walking at a pace of at least 100 steps per minute gives your heart and lungs a workout, increasing your weight loss and overall fitness. Take a watch with a second hand on your walk and count how many steps you take in a minute. You are probably already walking faster than 100 steps a minute, but it’s helpful to know what it feels like, so if you find yourself spending too much time gazing at nature, you can remember to pick up the pace.

Remember that for optimum health, you need to walk 10,000 steps every day. This is easy to track, you just need a pedometer - they cost about $20 at Target - to track the steps you take.You will be surprised at how much walking you already do. Getting dressed, running errands, work and trips to the grocery store all count towards your daily goal of 10,000 steps. Add in a brisk walk at lunchtime or before dinner and you will be on the fast track to health and fitness.

5 Fast Ways to Raise Your Metabolism Today

When you think about the calories your body burns, you may wonder where they go and how you can get your body to burn more of them.

Up to 75% of the calories your body burns are used simply to stay alive. Breathing, talking, blinking and keeping the blood circulating - all of these systems require calorie expenditure. Another 5-10% of your daily calories are used to chew, swallow and digest food. The remaining 15-20% are burned during exercise.

So by boosting our metabolism, we can up the number of calories used each day for normal body functions and during exercise, resulting in a larger consumption of calories and more fat burned everyday.

What are some easy ways to do that?

1. Take a walk

2. Breathe deeply, using all of your lung capacity

3. Use the stairs, instead of the elevator

4. Play with your kids

5. Do 10 pushups whenever you can

These 5 easy things keep your motor running on high. By incorporating one or all of them into your daily routine, you’ll be boosting your metabolism, burning more calories and losing weight every day.

Lose Weight With This Superfood

Are you looking for a healthy snack that is low in calories, can raise your metabolism, is full of healthy fiber and can work to lower your cholesterol? Pick up a pint of Strawberries.

Strawberries are a nutritional powerhouse. Every cup of strawberries is packed with 3 grams of fiber, more vitamin C than an orange and are rich in antioxidants that protect you from cancer, heart disease and diabetes. All of this goodness comes in a sweet, juicy and delicious berry that only contains about 6 calories each.

As a bonus, recent studies published in the medical journal, Metabolism show that people who ate 3 cups of strawberries daily lowered their LDL or bad cholesterol more than people who ate oat bran bread, improving the effectiveness and taste of cholesterol-lowering diets.

So by indulging in strawberries, you are getting a great tasting, high fiber, low calorie snack that can help you lose weight while protecting your heart. Eat up!

Ready to Lose Weight? Take A Deep Breath

What is the easiest thing you can do to boost your metabolism, burn more calories and lose weight? Breathe deeply.

Taking time to stop and take a deep breath can do wonders for your waist line and your state of mind. Deep breathing cleans toxins out of your system, increases your circulation, calms your mind and helps you focus. Breathing deeply is also an aerobic activity that actually burns calories.

Typically, we tend to take shallow breaths, using just the top part of our lungs. This creates a back-up of carbon dioxide and slows metabolism. But spending just 10 minutes a day focusing on deep breathing brings more oxygen into your system, making you more alert and speeding your metabolism.

To get the most out of your breath, sit or stand up straight and put your hand on your stomach. As you breathe in deeply, your shoulders should be still, but your hand should move as your diaphragm fills your lungs. Now you are using your lungs to capacity, taking in oxygen and burning calories with every breath.

The Link Between Sleep and Metabolism

Are you getting enough sleep?

Amid economic concerns, job stress and family pressures, it’s no wonder that so many of us are among the sleep deprived. Studies have shown that we function best with nine hours of sleep, yet the average amount of sleep we actually get is around seven hours. Lack of sleep effects mental clarity, job performance and unfortunately, it causes us to gain weight by slowing our metabolism.

When you are sleep deprived, your body’s cortisol levels become elevated. Cortisol, the stress hormone, tends to increase your appetite. Because your body isn’t functioning at peak levels due to sleep deprivation, it doesn’t metabolize all of the extra food you eat, signaling your body to store the excess energy as fat. This results in increased chances of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and memory loss as your body ages.

So skip the bedtime snack and turn off the TV. You need to get some sleep!

Want A Metabolism Boost? Just Laugh!

Did you know that babies laugh about 300 times a day, but adults only laugh about  17 times a day?  Want a great reason to smile more? Laughing can help you lose weight!

It’s true, laughter not only boosts our mood and improves our outlook, it also gives our metabolism a lift. In fact, numerous studies have shown the healthy benefits of a good chuckle.

• “Laughter is like internal jogging. It increases your breathing, your body temperature, your metabolism, your heart rate, and your pulse” says Steven Sultanoff, Phd.
• According to the University of Maryland’s Michael Miller, “laughter is great aerobics: it provides a good workout for your midsection and your diaphragm, boosts your blood flow, and increases your body’s ability to use oxygen to burn off more calories”.
• Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D confirms, “laughter is an all over body workout; it massages your abdominal organs, improves intestinal functioning, and strengthens and tones your facial, respiratory, leg, and back muscles”.
• And finally, according to a study at Vanderbilt University, laughing boosts your metabolism by 20% and the effects are so profound that ten minutes of hearty laughter daily would burn an average of five pounds a year.

So go ahead and laugh! It does your body good!

Lose More Weight By Eating Slowly

Have you noticed how quickly you eat when you are really hungry? If you have skipped lunch, it’s easy to eat way too many calories before you even begin to feel full. Eating slowly and taking your time to savor every bite can help you lose unwanted pounds.

From the time you begin eating, it takes your brain 20 minutes to start recognizing the feelings of being full. When you eat very quickly, you can easily overeat before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to kick in. Depending on what you are eating, the amount of extra calories you consume before you begin to feel full can submarine your weight loss plans. Eating slowly, putting the fork down between bites and chewing thoughfully can dramatically reduce the number of calories your consume. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy your food and your new slimmer self!

Eat Chocolate to Lose Weight

Would you be surprised to hear that chocolate can help you lose weight?

Researchers at The University of Copenhagen have found that having a small piece of dark chocolate as a snack reduces cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods, and helps you eat less. In the study, participants were given either milk or dark chocolate as a snack and then offered unlimited pizza 2 hours later. Those who had eaten the dark chocolate ate an average of 15% fewer calories than those who had eaten milk chocolate. The participants also reported feeling far less hungry, and much less hungry for sweet, salty or fatty foods. So dark chocolate, in addition to being full of anti-oxidants, can help you lose weight by avoiding some common diet pitfalls.

But before you load up on the candy bars, remember that the darker the chocolate, the better the benefits. Look for minimally processed chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa.  Also, chocolate is a rich, calorie dense food, so enjoy an ounce or two at the most.

Try Toning to Firm Up and Lose Weight

Are you a cardio junkie? Many women are - spending all their time at the gym on the Stairmaster or elliptical machines. While cardio is a great way to burn calories and stay fit, don’t skip the toning.

Adding a day of toning to your exercise routine is a great way to slim down, increase lean muscle mass and sculpt your body. What’s more, toning burns calories, increasing the effectiveness of your regular cardio workouts.

Toning helps you slim down because it increases your metabolism. When you add lean muscle, you’re adding more calorie burning power, making it easier to keep weight off. Toning also helps to rebuild bone mass, preventing osteoporosis and weakening bones as you age. Add in a boost to your immunity, more energy, lowered risk of injury and a great body image and the benefits of toning are hard to top.

So add a day or two of toning to your workouts. You’ll love your firm, sculpted body and the health benefits go far beyond skin deep.

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