Tweak of the Week: Portion Distortion

Do you know what a serving of meat looks like? No, it’s not the 22-ounce T-bone at your local steakhouse. A proper portion of meat is 3 ounces. Do you know what that looks like?

That’s one of the major problems of weight loss: understanding portion size. You can eat all the right foods, but if you eat them in over-sized portions, you’ll still be consuming too many calories. In a country where bigger is better and “all-you-can-eat” is the mantra, it’s no wonder we have a serious weight problem.

Several well-controlled, laboratory-based studies have shown that serving larger portions leads to eating more food. Even when eating more, people don’t report being more satisfied. Most people underestimate the amount of food they eat — and overestimate the amount of exercise they do. This is a recipe for disaster.

Knowing what a proper portion looks like doesn’t have to be difficult — you don’t need a food scale (although it wouldn’t hurt). To give you visual comparisons for suitable serving sizes, eDiets Nutrition Specialist Renee Brunetti, LD/N, gives you these food cues to properly pick your portions.

Visual examples of different food portions:

–1 medium fruit — tennis ball or tight fist
–1/2 cup of fruit, veggie, cooked cereal, rice or pasta — cupcake or tight fist
–1 cup of raw salad — the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.
–1 medium baked potato — computer mouse
–1 cup of cold cereal — large handful or tight fist
–1-ounce bagel — a yo-yo
–3 ounces of meat, poultry or fish — palm of a woman’s hand or deck of cards
–1 ounce of cheese — 4 dice or the top half of your thumb
–3 1/2 ounces of tofu — 4 ice cubes
–1 ounce of meat, fish, chicken or poultry — 1 egg
–1 teaspoon — the tip of a medium-framed woman’s thumb (also, 3 teaspoons is equal to 1 Tablespoon)

Note: The following items expand after cooking.

–1 ounce of pasta will cook up to about 2 ounces, which is equivalent to 1/4 cup. Pasta doubles in volume.
–2 tablespoons of rice cook up to about 6 tablespoons, or about 1/3 cup. Rice triples in volume.

A recent study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism confirmed that use of packaged entrees as part of a weight-loss diet is an effective means of achieving portion control and enhancing losses of weight and fat mass in overweight men.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Slim Your Hips: The Hot Workout!

Four-point plan for trimming your hips:

1. Follow a calorie-reduced nutrition program. This is your first line of attack in reducing body fat.

2. Perform cardiovascular exercise such as jogging four to five days per week for 30 minutes. Many of my personal training clients and eDiets members have experienced great success with a moderate intensity cardio program (e.g. jogging, power walking and video tapes).

3. Strength train twice a week for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Even small amounts of muscle rev the metabolism and stimulate fat loss.

4. Do a specialized routine for the hips. This allows one to work the hips with concentrated exercises so that when body fat is reduced, you’re left with lean, tighter hips.

In this article, I’m focusing on No. 4: a specialty workout routine for your hips (I’m also including a cardiovascular recommendation.). The key is to choose exercises for the lower body based on compound movements. Compound movements work multiple muscle groups, not just one. This burns more overall calories and accelerates fat loss. I have included one isolation exercise as almost a warm-up, but then we go right into our compound exercises.

Pay close attention to the exercise descriptions and animations:

1. Ankle Weight Standing Leg Abduction

Starting Position:

* Place an ankle weight on your left ankle.
* Stand erect with your weight on the right leg with a soft bend in the knee and your right hand on a chair or table for balance.
* Place your left hand on your hip.

Movement:

* Contracting the outer thigh (abductor) muscles, move the left leg away from your body while keeping the leg straight, stopping when you feel a contraction in the area of the buttocks.
* Slowly return to the starting position.
* After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side.

Key Points:

* Exhale while lifting the weight.
* Inhale while returning to the starting position.
* If you have one leg that is more dominant than the other, start out with the less dominant leg first.

Perform 25 repetitions on each side and immediately go to the next exercise.

2. Dumbbell Squat

Starting Position:

* Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart.
* Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms hanging down at your sides and palms facing one another.
* Maintain a neutral spine and a slight bend in the knees throughout the exercise.

Movement:

* Lower your body by bending from your hips and knees, stopping when your thighs are parallel with the floor.
* Contracting the quadriceps, slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:

* Exhale while returning to the starting position.
* Inhale while lowering your body.
* Do not let your knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see your feet at all times).
* It helps to find a marker on the wall to keep your eye on as you lift and lower; otherwise, your head may tend to fall forward and your body will follow.
* Think about sitting back in a chair as you are lowering down.
* Push off with your heels as you return to the starting position.
* You may want to try this exercise without weights until you master the movement. It is a very effective exercise that involves most of the muscle groups of the lower body, but if done improperly can lead to injuries.

Perform 20 repetitions. Wait 45 seconds before moving to the next exercise.

3. Dumbbell Lunges

Starting Position:

* Stand straight with your feet together.
* Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms down at your sides.

Movement:

* Step forward with the right leg and lower the left leg until the knee almost touches the floor.
* Contracting the quadriceps muscles, push off your right foot slowly returning to the starting position.
* Alternate the motion with the left leg to complete the set.

Key Points:

* Inhale while stepping forward.
* Exhale while returning to the starting position.
* The step should be big enough that your left leg is nearly straight. Do not let your knee touch the floor.
* Make sure your head is up and your back is straight.
* Your chest should be lifted and your front leg should form a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the movement.
* Your right knee should not pass your right foot. You should be able to see your toes at all times.
* If you have one leg that is more dominant than the other, start out with the less dominant leg first.
* Discontinue this exercise if you feel any discomfort in your knees.

Perform 15 repetitions for each leg. Rest 60 seconds and repeat each an additional time.

At the conclusion of the above exercises (both sets), wait two minutes and go directly to the cardiovascular recommendation below.

4. Jogging or Power Walking
Perform 30 minutes at a moderate intensity. I’ve found that jogging has a great effect on reducing overall body fat and leaning out the lower body. For those who are unable to jog, power walking is a great alternative.

Perform the entire routine twice per week on alternate days of the week for six weeks while also incorporating my four point formula — and reap the rewards of slimmer hips.

Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Popularity: 8% [?]

4 Knee-Safe Exercises: Keep Those Joints Healthy

Perform an Internet search concerning injuries and you’ll find a lot of information about how to treat them. But where are all the articles about attempting to prevent knee injuries?

In the simplest of descriptions, the knee is a joint comprised of three bones and held together by four ligaments. Its job is to support the body and allow for shock absorption. From this description, it’s obvious that excess body fat will place tremendous stress on the knees. The first strategy to adopt to prevent knee injuries is to reduce body fat. The second is to perform exercises that strengthen the surrounding muscles of the knees.

Here are several suggested exercises to help prevent knee injury:

Squats build strength in the lower body with an emphasis on the quadriceps (front of the thigh). If one is overweight, then chair squats without the use of weights can be performed. A lowering to a parallel position is not critical for those with excess weight. In fact, a partial lowering may be a better strategy to initially protect the knee while strengthening the quadriceps.

Chair Squat (see the video below)

Starting Position:
–Perform this exercise with the aid of a sturdy chair.
–Stand in front of the chair with your back toward the chair and feet shoulder-width apart.
–Keep your head up as a natural extension of your spine.

Movement:
–Begin to sit in the chair lowering your body until your legs are at a 90-degree angle (if possible).
–Contracting your quadriceps, slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the legs being fully extended. Keep a slight bend in the knees.

Key Points:
–Inhale while sitting in the chair.
–Exhale while raising yourself from the chair.
–As you get stronger, you will want to add resistance such as dumbbells in your hands.

Here’s one anyone can do. If you’re experienced and have access to gym equipment, you can use the prone leg curl machine. For beginners, try the one below. Again, we are attempting to strengthen surrounding muscles of the knees to reduce stress on the knees.

Lying Double Leg CurlLying Double Leg Curl

Starting Position:
–Lie on your stomach with both hands under your head for comfort.
–Ankle weights may be worn to increase intensity.

Movement:
–Contracting the hamstrings muscles, curl both legs toward your buttocks stopping when your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
–Slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:
–Exhale while you curl your legs up.
–Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Now we move to the inside of the legs — also referred to as the adductor muscles. Our goal is to completely strengthen the upper leg to protect those shock absorbers.

Lying Leg AdductionLying Leg Adduction

Starting Position:
–Lie on your right side with your right arm supporting your upper body.
–Your right leg should be straight and your left leg should be bent.
–Support your weight on your right arm and left leg.

Movement:
• Contracting the inner thigh muscles, lift your right leg up until you feel a contraction of the inner thigh muscles.
• After completing the set on the right side, perform the exercise on the left side.

Key Points:
–Exhale while lifting your leg up.
–Inhale while returning to the starting position.
–You may use ankle weights to increase the level of difficulty.
–If you are an intermediate exerciser, you can add resistance to the inner thigh as you are lifting. You can resist your inner thigh with your hand or use a weighted object.

Now, let’s make sure we strengthen the muscles below the knee. People seldom work their calf muscles and this is a critical muscle that helps support the knees.

Standing Calf Raise (see the video below)

Starting Position:
• Stand with your feet 12-inches apart with your weight on the front or balls of the foot and knees slightly bent.
• You may wish to use a chair or wall for stability.

Movement:
• Contracting the calf muscles, lift your heels off the floor until you feel a full contraction of the calf muscles.
• Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of your heels touching the floor.

Key Points:
• Exhale while lifting yourself up.
• Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Perform the above exercises for one to three sets of 12 repetitions on two to three alternate days of the week and use impeccable form.

The exercises above combined with a nutrition program that focuses on body fat reduction will greatly assist in preventing knee injuries. Make sure to add upper body strength exercises, cardio and flexibility exercises to your program as well.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Ab & Butt Toners: 10 Best Exercises

A calorie-reduced nutrition program combined with exercise will do wonders to create a tight booty and firm abs. The formula that works for a healthy body is the same one that works for a great butt and abs — nutrition, exercise and loads of consistency.

As far as nutrition, the biggest mistake people make is reducing calories as low as possible. After a few days of this insane approach, they’re back to eating more junk then ever because the approach isn’t realistic. The key is to reduce calories low enough to lose fat but still keep calories high enough to sustain your energy. Food, when used properly, can actually stimulate the metabolism to lose body fat. This is where eDiets can help! Our qualified dietitians have not only created great meal plans, but they’re also accessible to you as an eDiets member whenever you have a question.

Your glutes and abs won’t get tighter and smaller unless your overall body fat is reduced. You can perform all the butt movements on the planet for hours a day, but it won’t make one bit of difference unless you lose body fat. Spot reduction is simply not possible.

To help accelerate your progress, I’ve constructed five great abdominal exercises and five great butt exercises. Take two exercises (one butt and one abs) and include them in your current workout (no matter what the workout is). Perform three sets of 15 reps of each on alternate days of the week. After three weeks, choose two other movements from the list. This alternating schedule will allow you to keep changing abdominal and butt exercises without adapting to the same movement. And it will also prevent boredom.

ABDOMINALS

Vertical Scissors

Starting Position:
# Sit on a chair or bench with your legs straight out in front of you.
# Your hands should be under your butt for balance.

Movement:
# Contracting your abdominals, lift your right leg as you lower your left leg.
# Reverse the positions of your legs by lowering your right leg and raising your left leg, mimicking a scissor.

Key Points:
# Breathe rhythmically throughout the exercise.
# Squeeze your butt and hip muscles as you switch legs.

Cable Kneeling Rope Crunch

Starting Position:
# Kneel in front of the cable machine with your body facing the machine. Hold a rope attached to the upper cable attachment. Keep your elbows in.

Movement:
# Contracting the abdominals, curl your body downward toward your legs, stopping when you have reached a full contraction of your abdominals.
# Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the weight stack touching.

Key Points:
# Exhale while lifting the weight and curling down.
# Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Incline Bench Leg Raises

Starting Position:
# Lie on an incline bench and stabilize your body by gripping the bench above your head with your legs extended out.

Movement:
# Contracting the lower abdominal area, raise your legs up until your hips form a 90-degree angle.
# Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of your legs touching the bench.

Key Points:
# Exhale while lifting your legs.
# Inhale while returning to the starting position.
# Point your chin toward the ceiling to avoid using your upper body.

Reverse Ab Curl

Starting Position:
# Lie on the floor with your back relaxed and your hands on the floor by your hips.
# Keep the upper back pressed into the floor throughout the exercise.

Movement:
# Contracting your abs, raise your butt and gently roll your hips off the floor, stopping when you feel a full contraction of the abdominals and can no longer lift your hips.
# Slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:
# Exhale while lifting your hips.
# Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Reverse Trunk Twist Starting Position:
# Lie on the floor with your back relaxed and your arms out to the sides forming a “T” with your body.
# Extend your legs straight up in the air so that your hips form a 90-degree angle with a slight bend in your knees.

Movement:
# Contracting the abdominal and oblique muscles, lower your legs toward one side keeping your feet together and your back on the floor. Stop at the limits of the strength of your abdominal and oblique muscles.
# This may start out as a very small range of motion and gradually increase as you get stronger.
# Slowly return to the starting position.
# After completing the set on the one side, repeat on the other side.

Key Points:
# Exhale while lowering your legs.
# Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Smith Machine Forward Lunge

Starting Position:
# Place the bar across the back of your shoulders. Be sure it is not resting on your neck.
# Place one foot forward and one foot back. Both feet should be flat on the floor and facing forward with a slight bend in the knees.

Movement:
# Lower the weight until the front leg is at a 90-degree angle. The rear heel will come off the floor slightly but should remain straight with a slight bend in the knee.
# Contracting the quadriceps muscles, slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the legs fully extending.

Key Points:

# Inhale while lowering the weight.
# Exhale while returning to the starting position.
# Do not let the front knee ride over your toes (you should be able to see your foot at all times).
# Do not let the back arch.
# Never let the knee of the back leg come in contact with the floor.

Barbell Wide Stance Squat

Starting Position:
# Begin by standing tall with feet shoulder-width apart. Although the animation shows the feet wider than shoulder width, I’ve found that the glutes receive better stimulation when the feet are shoulder width.
# Place a barbell across your shoulders. Be sure it is not resting on your neck.
# Maintain a neutral spine and a slight bend in the knees.

Movement:
# Concentrating on the quadriceps muscles, begin to lower your body by bending from your hips and knees.
# Stop when your thighs are parallel with the floor.
# Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your knees fully extending.

Key Points:
# Exhale while returning to the starting position.
# Inhale as you lower down.
# Do not let your knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see your feet at all times).
# It helps to find a marker on the wall to keep your eye on as you lift and lower. Otherwise, your head may tend to fall forward and your body will follow.
# Think about sitting back in a chair as you are lowering down.
# Push off with your heels as you return to the starting position.
# Perform this movement in a slow and controlled fashion without using momentum.
# You may want to try this exercise without weights until you master the movement. It is a very effective exercise that involves most of the muscle groups of the lower body, but if done improperly can lead to injuries.

Straight Leg Reverse Lift

Starting Position:
# Start this exercise on your hands and knees.
# Straighten your left leg as if you were going to do a push-up.
# Keep the right leg bent, supporting your weight along with your arms.

Movement:
# Contracting the buttocks muscles, lift your left leg up toward the ceiling, stopping when you feel a full contraction of the buttocks.
# Slowly return to the starting position.
# After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side.

Key Points:
# Exhale while lifting the leg.
# Inhale while returning to the starting position.
# Do not let the back arch.
# If you are an intermediate or advanced exerciser, you can add an ankle weight to the working leg to make it more challenging.

Dumbbell Lunges

Starting Position:
# Stand straight with your feet together.
# Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms down at your sides.

Movement:
# Step forward with the right leg and lower the left leg until the knee almost touches the floor.
# Contracting the quadriceps muscles, push off your right foot, slowly returning to the starting position.
# Alternate the motion with the left leg to complete the set.

Key Points:
# Inhale while stepping forward.
# Exhale while returning to the starting position.
# The step should be big enough that your left leg is nearly straight. Do not let your knee touch the floor.
# Make sure your head is up and your back is straight.
# Your chest should be lifted and your front leg should form a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the movement.
# Your right knee should not pass your right foot. You should be able to see your toes at all times.
# If you have one leg that is more dominant than the other, start out with the less dominant leg first.
# Discontinue this exercise if you feel any discomfort in your knees.

Treadmill Incline Power Walk

Starting Position:
# Stand tall with your legs straddling the belt.
# Choose the manual program.
# Step carefully on the belt.

Movement:
# Perform a five minute warm-up and then adjust the incline setting to 12. Increase your speed between 3 mph and 3.5 mph, based on your fitness level. Make sure to use your glutes and hips with each step Walk at this level for 15 to 20 minutes.

Popularity: 5% [?]

10 Painless Ways to Lose 10 Pounds!

Here is a sampling of 10 proven tips:

1. Read the fine print! When you’re dining out, you can lose 10 pounds per year by choosing a “light” entree, such as grilled chicken and salad. Those healthy choices can have at least 250 calories less than traditional meat dishes.

2. The sundae solution! Pour a tablespoon of chocolate over fresh fruit and your total calorie intake for this snack is 110 to 160 calories compared to the 250 calories found in a candy bar or the 500 calories found in an ice cream cone.

3. Set your alarm! Even a modest amount of exercise — walking 15 minutes, 5 times a week – — burns calories.

4. Pedal while you prattle! Next time you’re chatting on the phone, get on your bike. Pedaling on a stationary bike at 10 miles an hour for 25 minutes burns 100 calories. A faster pace of 17 miles per hour for 15 minutes also burns 100 calories. Get spinning.

5. Beware the burger blast! A half-pound of grilled hamburger meat has about 800 calories. The same amount of lean roast beef has half this amount.

6. Cooking with spray! Each tablespoon of butter or margarine has 100 calories. Substitute a vegetable oil spray for one tablespoon.

7. Join the snack committee! Healthful snacks make an incredible difference. Swapping a serving of fruit for the usual supercookie each week will save you at last 500 calories. And you’ll probably save 1,000 calories since few of us stop at one cookie!

8. The Happy Hour trap! Suppose you avoid three happy hours a month. You could possibly lose up to 31 pounds in a year (if you are usually somewhat of a party animal).

9. The secret is plastics! When you use plastic containers to store meals — especially batch meals you prepare ahead of time — you’ll forgo all those calories that come from lunches at greasy spoon dinners.

10. Slash corporate calories! Office-prepared dinners, a frozen dinner or frozen leftovers, will easily have 400 fewer calories than restaurant meals. If you work late an average of three times a week, this change alone will help you lose about 18 pounds a year.

Popularity: 3% [?]