Healthy happy you.
I love to nap and now I have an excuse — it is good for the heart! Kind of funny to use am exclamation point about the quiet act of napping. A recent study in Greece concluded that those who participated in "napping at least three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease compared to non-nappers." It is believed that napping helped Read more
Fiber, fiber, fiber. We all know we should be getting enough. It's recommended that women eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day to decrease the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as some types of cancer including breast cancer. Eating plenty of fresh, luscious fruits in your diet is a great way to fill up on fiber, but which sources are the best? Keep reading to see a chart Read more
When grocery shopping, there are certain items you should buy in bulk to get that discounted price that will save you money. However, if you pick the wrong items, you may end up wasting cash if you don't use them up before their expiration date. Here are a couple of items you should refrain from buying in bulk: Baking powder. If you don't bake all the time, you might want to skip out on buying Read more
Not sure what the difference between aerobic and anaerobic activity is? In our Get Fit For 2012 group, FitSugar reader meetcasey explains what each term means and why we should be doing both. Aerobic exercise requires the body to utilize oxygen to create energy. With anaerobic exercise, the body creates energy without extra oxygen — your body relies on its natural chemicals to create Read more
In people with risk factors for developing heart disease, taking an aspirin a day can prevent heart attacks. Now three new studies have found that a daily dose of aspirin can also decrease your risk of getting cancer. All studies were published in The Lancet, a leading peer-reviewed medical journal. The first found that patients had a 25 percent lower risk of developing cancer if they took daily Read more
Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout — pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again — will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training. Whittle your Read more
Should we be taking a food break every once in a while? Several studies have found that severely restricting your caloric intake can make you healthier and prolong your life, and now new research has shown that intermittent fasting could possibly help lower your risk of heart disease. One study looked at people who fasted for a full 24 hours and found that fasting decreased both triglyceride and Read more
Eating 75 grams of dried apples each day may reduce your cholesterol levels. A recent study at Florida State University examined 160 women who were randomly assigned to two groups: those who ate dried apples for a year, and those who received dried prunes for the same time frame. The participants who were put in the apple group experienced a drop in their total cholesterol by 14 percent and Read more
Sometimes being healthy can be a major time suck. There's hitting the gym every day, making sure to cook healthy, and so much more that goes into maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But it doesn't always have to be that way. Between eating right and fitting in exercise, there are a few shortcuts you can take when being perfect seems unthinkable. Best of all, none of these shortcuts skimp out on Read more
What's not to love about blueberries? They are delicious, low-calorie, and can be made in many different ways. And, of course, blueberries are so packed with health benefits that it's no wonder they are known as a superfood. Even better news: blueberries are low in calories (125 blueberries equals about 100 calories). In honor of National Blueberry Month, check out these reasons to add Read more
