Feel like you're not walking enough each day? Then you maybe want to get a dog.
Recent research has found that dog owners walk an average of 300 minutes per week whereas folks without dogs only walk around 168 minutes. Being accountable to someone else, even if it's a dog, makes us feel more motivated so I totally believe these findings. For me, I always take my dog on a long walk before I leave in the morning and when I get home because I feel bad that he's in the house while I am at work. He loves it and I know that I'm burning calories — everyone wins!
I'm curious about you guys. If you have a dog, do you feel like you walk more because of him?
Fit's Tip: I do want to add that a dog is a lot more responsibility than just having an exercise buddy. Be sure to do your research before you make the commitment.
Healthy sweets can be healthy in different ways. In the case of Protein Bakery, it's not because the treats are low fat or low cal. Rather, they shun the artificial additives and are designed to satisfy your hunger more than the typical junk food. These handmade, gluten-free goodies use all-natural ingredients, including rolled oats instead of wheat, whey protein, brown sugar, eggs, and butter.
Worried that your middle is starting to grow? AOL Body has come up with three simple belly-blasting tips, none of which are crunches, that anyone can fit into their normal routine. Here are highlights:
Don't Get Trapped by Trans Fats: To your waistline, what you don't eat is just as important as what you do. A recent study done at Wake Forest University has concluded that trans fat, which has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, may also increase dangerous belly fat.
Get More Zs: Studies have shown that those who get less than four hours of sleep per night are 70 percent more likely to be obese than those who get seven to nine hours. Sleep deprivation lowers leptin, a protein that suppresses appetite and tells the brain when the stomach is full. Not catching enough Zs also inhibits the production of insulin, which regulates blood sugar. So, if you're constantly burning the midnight oil, you're interfering with your body's ability to burn off extra calories.
I definitely have a sweet tooth and crave cookies, cakes smeared with frosting, and anything else you'd find at a bakery. I satiate my cravings by having a piece of dark chocolate each day. I'm also a big fan of sharing a little dessert if I'm out to eat. Of course now that's it's warmer out, I love to take my girls out for ice cream or frozen yogurt on the weekends. So what about you?
The Big Apple Has Some Big Problems!
According to a new study released yesterday, the number of infected New Yorkers is up. What do you think the new statistic is? How many people have genital herpes in NYC?
We all march to the beat of our own drummers, and the same goes for running or any version of cardio. Matching the beat of your music to your exercise pace is an excellent way to pump up your workout. With the help of Convert a Lot, you can do just that.
Play your favorite workout tune and tap your keyboard or mouse in time to the beat (your wrist will get a workout too). The site displays the beats per minute real time. For cardio workouts your best bet is to find songs between 120 and a 150 beats per minute. I think designing playlists for all kinds of workouts, be they runs or StepMill climbs, is a great way to motivate yourself. First, you create the playlist, and then you just have to test it by going to the gym. So let's face the music and run.
Often we see the term "low-fat" or "nonfat" on a product, and it triggers something in our brains to think that we can eat more of the item because, after all, it's low-fat. Just keep in mind that it's very possible to end up eating more calories by eating a lot of the low-fat food rather than just eating a small amount of the full-fat food. This happened to me when Snackwells came out. Remember those? They were the first mass-marketed low-fat cookie on the market, and I was gobbling them up, literally.
I'm not saying you should stop eating low-fat, but remember that a bag of cookies labeled as low-fat does not give you the green light to eat the whole bag. Personally, I'd rather have one really good full-fat cookie and be done with it.
Have you ever overindulged on something because it was low-fat or nonfat?