How to Lose Weight as a Couple

Double Trouble

You put on that marital-bliss belly together, and now it’s time to take it off as a team. Though the science seems stacked against you—a 2009 study published in the journal Obesity found that just living with a romantic partner for more than 2 years correlated with obesity, inactivity, and sedentary behavior—you can still lose weight with your better half if you take the right steps.

“Couples have so many opportunities to help each other—more than they would have if they were trying to lose weight alone,” says Jason Bazilian, a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine, who shares a practice that focuses on nutrition, exercise, and healthy living with his wife Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RD in San Diego, California. In fact, a 2008 study found that when one partner enrolled in a weight loss program, the non-participating partner ended up copying their spouse’s healthier behavior: They counted calories, weighed themselves more often, and lost an average of 5 pounds. Here are eight strategies to ensure that getting hitched isn’t the end of healthy living—together, you can eat better, exercise more, and fight fat.

Make Time for Sleep

Getting adequate sleep is super important to achieving—and maintaining—weight loss, says Wendy. “Jason and I really try to watch out for each other when it comes to getting enough rest. If we’re just sitting and lingering some evenings, we nudge each other to call it a night.” Missing out on shut-eye can impair your metabolism and upset the body’s natural appetite signals. It increases ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite and decreases leptin, a hormone that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat. Messing with this killer combo is a surefire way to overeat.

To help each other hit the hay, Wendy suggests creating a wind-down routine. This can include anything from setting out your clothes for the next day to doing a few relaxing stretches before slipping between the sheets. Try to stay away from talking about your to-do list or other stressful conversation topics right before bed. And while it’s great to hit the hay together, encourage your partner to turn in earlier if you have to stay up to finish a project.

Display Your Fittest Pics

Which activity would you rather remember: the time you bicycled across the Brooklyn Bridge, or the time you stuffed yourself on Thanksgiving? “A majority of our framed photos are of us actually doing things,” says Wendy. “When you see yourself being active, you’ll be inspired to plan your next trip or weekend adventure. Sometimes all it takes to motivate you is seeing how fit you were or remembering how invigorated you felt at a certain time.” Displaying photos of you being active as a couple acts as a constant reminder of how you plan to live your life together.

Keep a Couple’s Calendar

A calendar offers more than just inspiration to plan ahead–a crucial habit for healthy eating and making time for fitness (and each other). It’s also a great place to keep track of daily and weekly goals. Having your milestones out in the open keeps you honest and gives partners an opportunity to track progress and celebrate success.

The Bazilians share a week-at-a-glance planner that has a “his” and “hers” column for each day. “This way we can see when our schedules intersect and when each of us has obligations,” says Jason. “We use the planner to strategize around who’s picking up groceries, who’s cooking that night, and so on. It’s great for communication.”

Turn your calendar into a weight loss tool by color-coding different types of activities. Keep track of mealtimes using a green marker, exercise and opportunities to be active with a red marker, work and other obligations in blue marker. This is a visual reminder to make sure you have a balanced week that incorporates both work and play.

Accept Your Dietary Differences

Sharing is caring, but it’s unlikely the two of you need the same calorie counts to lose or maintain your weight. “As a couple the tendency is to want to split everything even-stephen,” says Jason. “But if you just nudge the knife over a tiny bit to make more appropriate portion sizes, you’ll be closer to achieving your goals.”

You should have an equal partnership, but your portions likely won't match. “I shouldn't eat as much as Jason,” says Wendy. “I’m 7 inches shorter and I’m a woman—I’m at a metabolic disadvantage. There’s nothing more wonderful than sitting down to eat together, but that’s challenging when he has more on his plate than I do.” If you’re the one stuck with a smaller portion size, or the speed-eater who inhales a meal, try using chopsticks to pace yourself. Polishing off your plate at the same time helps the partner who'd finish first avoid going back for seconds.

Take a Walk-and-Talk

Instead of plopping down on the couch to hash over your day, take the talk outdoors. “It’s almost like our couples therapy,” says Jason. “We fill up two bottles of water, put on our sneakers, and go outside to talk while walking around the neighborhood.”

But don’t worry about changing into gym duds or grabbing your pedometer. “It’s just extra movement to build into your day,” says Wendy. “The intent is not to go out and exercise—it’s to add activity to an everyday thing like talking about the day's events.”

Discover a Different Type of Date Night

Planning an evening that revolves around eating won’t bode well for your waistlines. Instead, make sitting down to dinner the date’s final destination, and spend the first half of your night exploring the neighborhood surrounding the restaurant. For an even healthier time on the town, try a dance lesson or get a group together to go bowling or play pool, says Wendy.

Or, ditch date night for date day. An evening setting naturally pushes you toward a more sedentary choice. But there isn’t a rule that says you can’t schedule special time when the sun is shining. A daytime date busts you out of the dinner-and-a-movie rut, and opens the door to activities like hiking, kayaking, and bicycling (weather permitting). And eating isn’t out of the question—lunch menus usually offer lighter fare in smaller portions so you can dine without derailing your diet.

Get Fit Together

These exercises, from Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, CSSD, and Kara Mohr, PhD, FACSM, owners of Mohr Results in Louisville, Kentucky, are perfect for couples. Try for 8-12 reps of each.

Pushup Hand-Slaps

Facing one another, get into pushup position. Leave enough room between you to be able to reach out and slap hands. (The farther apart you are, the more difficult the exercise.) Lower your chests to the floor and complete a pushup together. When you are at the top of the pushup, extend an arm in front of you and slap opposite hands. Because you’re facing each other you’ll be reaching across to slap right hands together then left. Repeat and continue switching hands for 8 to 12 reps.

Medicine Ball Toss Crunch

One partner lies on the floor with knees bent, feet flat, holding a medicine ball. The other partner stands facing the first person, about a foot away. As the partner on the floor crunches upward, the medicine ball is thrown to the standing partner. The standing partner tosses the medicine ball back and it is caught just as the seated partner lowers back to the floor.

source: By Alyssa Wells, fitbie

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Posted in: Fitness,Weight loss

Why Cardio Alone Doesn’t Cut Fat

I wrote this article in order to educate women and some men who believe that doing cardio and abs will help them shed pounds on their midsection. I also think it will help out trainers who have a hard time getting clients to understand the benefits of lifting moderately heavy weights, which is the best thing for them to do to lose weight.

Everyone knows that cardio is the best thing for you when looking to burn extra calories. Or is it? What most people don’t know is cardio can be the worst thing for cutting fat when it isn’t paired with weight training. If you ask the girl (or even the guy) on the ab machine what she’s trying to do, nine times out of ten she will reply with “lose my stomach fat.” Ten times out of ten, she won’t loss stomach fat. The number one reason for this is that you can’t spot reduce an area. When you lose body fat, the fat will be reduced throughout the body, not just from the area you’re working. If we could lose weight in just one area, don’t you think we’d look a little funny? People would walk around with rock hard abs, saggy glutes, and flabby arms. All beach guys would have fat legs because they only do chest, arms, and abs.

The following is a short story between the girl on the ab machine and me. We will call her Jenny Abs. If you dig deeper, you’ll find out that her full name is Jenny Cardio and Abs. I asked Jenny what she did before the ab machine, and she said, “I normally do an hour of cardio on the treadmill or a cardio class.”

My reply was, “Awesome, you must have burned a lot of calories. How is your eating?”

She said, “Oh, I ate really good—egg whites in the morning, chicken and a salad for lunch, and dinner was something light. And no carbs after 6:00 pm.” Jenny said that as if she had taught me a lesson.

Seems Jenny has listened to all her uneducated group fitness class groupies. In case you haven’t guessed by now, I had my work cut out for me. I wanted to touch on three main things here, and I wanted to do it delicately without hurting Jenny Cardio and Abs, who is now unable to function because she is carb depleted from over an hour of high intensity cardio.

So I said, “That is stupid and you must be too if you believe that.” Kidding of course. It isn’t her fault that everyone who reads a fitness magazine is a professional now. I asked Jenny if she had a minute because I wanted to help her maximize her gym time and of course her goal of weight loss. Jenny didn’t really want my help because she thought that most trainers were either hitting on her or trying to sell her something. However, she agreed to sit down and have a chat with me.

We sat down and I opened with a bunch of nice complements on her workout routine. I then asked her how long she had been working out for and of she had been making much progress.

She was all smiles and said, “Yeah, I have lost eight pounds so far, and I want to lose another ten, but it’s getting tough to drop. I don’t really know why. I’ve been eating even less and upping my time on the cardio. See, I lost five pounds the first week and three pounds the second week. Now, it’s week seven, and I actually gained a pound. It’s pretty frustrating.”

I cut right to the chase. I’m not one to waste time or sugar coat anything.

“You’re working too hard and burning too many calories. Your body is eating your muscle, which is slowing your metabolism down, and you aren’t strength training.”

Jenny’s mouth opened wide and said “Oh, yes I do strength train. I took that extreme weight training class with Krissy with the amazing body.”

“Ok, cool. That isn’t strength training. That’s basically cardio with weights, and it only adds to your overtraining. Let me explain how the body works. Let’s start with this—your body needs a certain amount of calories throughout the day in order to function, and more importantly for you, to maintain muscle.”

Jenny cut in with, “I don’t care about my muscle. What does that have to do with me losing weight.”

“Jenny, it has everything to do with you losing weight. Your muscle is going to be what regulates your metabolism. Your metabolism is going to be the amount of calories you burn at rest throughout the day. Now this is where muscle comes in. Your muscle determines your metabolism. A pound of muscle can burn anywhere up to 50 calories a day depending on its health. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day. This is known as your basal metabolic rate, an estimated amount of calories you burn throughout the day. If you don’t take in enough calories throughout the day, your body will have to get the nutrients it needs from somewhere. If you had to choose between eating fat or meat, what would you eat?”

“Umm…meat. Duh!” Jenny replied.

I smiled and said, “That is exactly what your body would do. It would get the nutrients from your muscle, which makes your muscle lose its density and size. Over time, it will disappear and make the scale go down, although that isn’t a good thing. Your metabolism can drop as much as 50 calories for every pound of muscle you lose.”

“Wow, that isn’t good! So what I’ve been doing is wrong?” Jenny asked.

“No, it isn’t wrong. It just isn’t the right way to do it,” I said with a smirk.

Jenny laughed and said, “So what else can I do the right way?”

“How about we talk about meal frequency? You said you eat three meals a day, correct? That is ok if you’re eating the right amount of calories and your metabolism hasn’t been damaged like yours has. The trick to keeping your body burning calories or keeping your metabolism moving is to constantly put food in to be used for fuel for the body. An easy way to understand this is to think of your body as an old furnace that needs wood for fuel. The wood represents the food. To turn on the furnace, you must put wood in it. The wood will burn for a few hours, but in order to keep the furnace on, you must add more wood. The same thing goes for the body. If there isn’t any food to fuel the body, the metabolism slows down. If you are to eat every two and a half to three hours—four being the most—you will keep your metabolism constantly working. Five to six small meals should do the trick.”

Jenny nodded and said, “Ok, do you mind if we go get a shake at the juice bar. It has been six hours since I last ate.”

At that point, I knew I had Jenny’s complete attention. We decided to get a shake. I got mine with a banana in it. She stopped me and yelled, “Are you crazy? It’s after 6:00 pm.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t turn into a pumpkin, and the carbs won’t turn into fat” I responded. “Carbs are good for you, especially after a workout such as yours. You have been in here for over an hour. Any exercise over about 45 minutes can be long enough to completely destroy your carb or glycogen storage. Glycogen is what carbs are stored as in the body. It is stored in muscles and organs. After an intense cardio session, Have you ever noticed that your muscle are flat or you feel thinner? That isn’t just from sweating out fluids. It is also from using your energy storage. This is where the whole low carb diet thing came about.

After one day of cutting out carbs, most people will lose one to two pounds, mostly from water. Not only do you lose weight, but you also feel thinner. That’s because you’re depleting your muscles of glycogen. Carbs will keep your muscles hydrated, making you feel like your muscles are bloated, hence the name carbohydrate. Cutting carbs will decrease your performance physically and mentally. About two-thirds of your carb intake is used for the brain. That is why most people get light-headed until of course they get used to operating on less carbs. You will be able to function but not at your max.

People will tell you that they are carb sensitive, which is bull. They just eat too many carbs and move too little. I say eat carbs and keep your muscles full. It’s what is on top of the muscle that is the problem—fat! The fat stays, and your muscles will constantly inflate and deflate. Most bodybuilders will carb load and deplete all through their training. The reason this works is because normally on low carb days, they take in less calories than they do on high days, which brings us to weight loss 101. If you burn off more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.

Don’t get me wrong—too many carbs are bad, but so is too much of anything. If you were able to have 2000 calories and ate 2500 calories of all protein, you wouldn’t lose weight. The same thing goes if you ate 1800 calories just from cake. You wouldn’t lose weight. Each macronutrient, protein, carb, or fat has its own job. Protein is great because it is the most versatile one. But don’t send a hairstylist to do a make-up artist’s job if you want it done right.”

“This is a lot to take in. How am I supposed to know what to do?” Jenny said.

“That is the tricky part” I said with a sigh. “It is all trial and error. There are many different ways to go about it. For you in particular, I would start by adding a carb in at breakfast and lunch and then two small, healthy snacks in between lunch and dinner.”

“What kind of snacks?”

“ Well, you just had a shake. Those work great. You can do fruit and maybe some almonds.”

“Almonds?? Those are all fat!”

“Some fats are good for you. The body needs fat for certain things, and you shouldn’t deprive your body of it. It is the secondary source of energy and also helps with joint health. There are other things your body uses fat for. But no matter how good it is for you, fat is fat in the end. Too much of any one thing isn’t any good, especially fat. It contains nine calories per gram as opposed to protein and carbs, which both have four calories per gram. That’s why fat should be kept to two servings per day in my opinion. So, yes, almonds. I would have about ten to fifteen as a snack.”

“Ok, got it—some fruit and almonds for a snack” Jenny said firmly.

“No, not together. Separately” I jumped in. “As a general rule of thumb, to help portion meals, I recommend having a small amount of protein with each meal with a serving of carbs or a protein and a serving of fat. It will balance out to about the same amount of calories. If you do a fruit or almonds by itself, that is ok to start. It is a step in the right direction.

Now that you have somewhat of an idea of how to keep your muscle from being used as food for your body, let’s talk about how to increase that muscle mass to make you a calorie burning machine. Follow me to where the little boys curl and the real men move mountains—the squat rack!”

source:elitefts.com

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Posted in: Diet,Fitness

10 Biggest Depression Triggers -- and How to Turn Them Off

It's downright scary: More than 20 million Americans can expect to suffer from depression in the coming year. But you don't have to be one of them if you're alert to the events and situations that can turn the blues into something more serious.

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

Here, the 10 most common depression triggers -- and what to do to prevent them from dragging you down.

#1: Losing a job

Why: In addition to causing financial stress, losing a job can jeopardize your sense of identity and feelings of self-worth. Unemployment and financial stress also strain marriages and relationships, bringing conflict that compounds stress and unhappiness.

Who's most vulnerable: Statistics show that the older you are or the higher you were paid, the longer it's likely to take to find work again. Also, those employed in downsized industries and fields, such as the auto industry, may have to retrain or start over in a new field, which can be frightening and can undermine self-confidence.

What helps: Connect with others in the same situation, whether it's through a job skills class, training program, or job-search support group. Also, if you can afford it, use a career counselor or coach to help you create a plan, stay accountable, and feel supported. Experts also recommend building a support network by reaching out to friends and colleagues and setting up regular events throughout the week. The more you can structure your time with lunches, walks, and other get-togethers, the better. Try signing up for a morning exercise class or schedule regular morning walks to get you going each day.

If time goes by and it doesn't look like you're going to find a replacement job quickly, consider volunteering. It's not only a way to boost your self-esteem and get out of the house but it's also great for learning new skills and making new connections.

#2: Sexual issues

Why: According to sexual health expert Beverly Whipple, professor at Rutgers University and author of The Science of Orgasm (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006), depression and sexual problems are interrelated in a vicious cycle. Sexual problems and sexual health issues can trigger depression by removing one of the most effective outlets we use to feel good. But many of the most common antidepressant medications, particularly the group of drugs known as SSRIs (brand names Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa) can sabotage your sex drive and make it harder to achieve orgasm.

Who's most affected: Loss of an active sex life due to age- or health-related issues can trigger depression in both men and women, but men may feel the loss more acutely. That's because sexuality is more central to a man's sense of identity, says Whipple: "When a man experiences a loss of libido or sexual dysfunction, his entire sense of self may be affected."

What helps: In a nutshell, get medical or professional help. While talking about sex and the health of our "equipment" isn't easy for any of us, it's essential to breaking the cycle before it leads to depression. If you're experiencing physical changes that are contributing to a loss of interest in sex or to performance issues, it's essential to bring them up with your doctor. And if the problem stems from relationship or other emotional issues, make use of a couples counselor or sex therapist.

If you let embarrassment or shame prevent you from speaking up, you're denying yourself one of the most effective weapons against depression. Recent studies show that having regular orgasms relieves stress, prevents prostate cancer, and releases feel-good brain chemicals that protect against depression. One of Whipple's many studies even shows that regular sex increases your pain-tolerance threshold, reducing chronic pain.

#3: "Empty nest" syndrome

Why: Two of the hardest things to deal with are loss and change, and when a child leaves home you're suddenly hit with both, all at once. "Your entire routine changes, from the minute you wake up in the morning to the moment you go to bed at night," says Celestino Limos, dean of students at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. "Parents tend to focus on all the practical details of getting a child ready for college, but they're unprepared for how much the rhythm of their own lives changes from day to day."

Who's most vulnerable: Women seem to suffer more acutely than men, perhaps because their self-identity is more closely associated with being parents, experts say. But men can suffer an acute sense of loss as well, and they may be less prepared for the onslaught of emotions. Those who are divorced or otherwise single are much more likely to be lonely once the kids are gone, but married couples may also find themselves struggling, particularly if the marriage is rocky or they've developed a tag-team approach to family life and don't share many activities and interests. Parents of only children are also more vulnerable.

What helps: Plan in advance. Parenting experts suggest that parents begin exploring independent interests during their child's last year of high school. Sign up for a class one night a week, or subscribe to a travel magazine and think about trips you might want to take.

When your child leaves home, give yourself a few weeks of quiet time to grieve, but don't spend too much time alone. Set up regular events you can look forward to. Organize weekly walks with friends, join a book group, or sign up for a yoga, pilates, or dance class. Plan your weekends ahead of time, so you're not caught off guard with time heavy on your hands. Try something completely new, such as a cooking or language class. When you discover a new interest or passion, having more time available becomes a good thing rather than a liability.

#4: Alcohol abuse

Why: Recent research backs up what addiction and depression experts have long argued: Alcohol abuse and depression are often linked in what's called a "dual diagnosis" or, colloquially, "double trouble." The reason for this complicated interaction is the effect alcohol has on mood. When you stop into your local tavern for a cold one, you might think you're staving off the blues with some camaraderie and relaxation. But alcohol acts as a depressant in the central nervous system, triggering depression in those who are susceptible.

Who's most vulnerable: Those already prone to depression or those prone to overusing alcohol are at greatest risk. In either group, the combination of alcohol abuse and depression is dangerous. According to studies, between 30 and 50 percent of alcoholics suffer from major depression. And the relationship works the other way too: Studies have found that alcohol use causes relapse in people with depression, and that when people with depression drink they're more prone to suicide.

What helps: Cut back on drinking and seek help for alcohol abuse or addiction. "There's a reason we've got the stereotype of the weepy drunk," says Liliane Desjardins of Pavillion International, a treatment center in Texas. "Alcohol triggers a mood crash." But people who drink too much rarely attribute their misery to drinking, she adds. Instead they blame it on other people and factors.

There's only one solution: Cut back and see if, over time, you feel better. If you repeatedly promise yourself or others not to drink and your efforts fail or your drinking brings other negative consequences into your life, you may need help to stop. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs are effective for some people. Others need the physical restriction and concentrated services of a residential alcohol rehabilitation facility or the supervised medical detox of an inpatient program. No matter what type of alcohol treatment program works for you, you'll find it has the additional benefit of preventing depression.

#5: Illness

Why: When you're diagnosed with a serious illness, it changes your sense of what's possible in the present and affects your outlook for the future. Finding out you have diabetes, cancer, or another condition can set in motion a chain of events that profoundly alters your sense of yourself, your relationships, and your expectations for what life may hold in store.

"People call diagnosis of a serious illness a 'wake-up call,' but often it's more like a slap in the face," says Gloria Nelson, a senior oncology social worker at Montefiore-Einstein Medical Center in New York. "Nothing is as it seemed even a few days ago, which can be disorienting and terrifying." Pain and fatigue are physical symptoms, but they take an enormous emotional toll as well.

Who's most vulnerable: At highest risk are those diagnosed with cancer, Alzheimer's, COPD, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, chronic pain, or any other debilitating condition.

What helps: A support group. "I can't say it strongly enough -- no one is going to understand what you're going through like your fellow patients," says Nelson. "Your spouse, your friends, your family -- they all love you and support you, but they can't really 'get it' like others going through the same thing."

Advocating for yourself to obtain effective treatment is important, too. If you aren't getting the answers or help you need from your doctor, ask for a second opinion or referral to a specialist. For many conditions, such as cancer, a social worker can be a valuable addition to your team, offering access to additional resources the doctor may not tell you about. In some circumstances, a patient advocate can be valuable in helping you pursue aggressive or experimental treatment.

#6: Divorce

Why: Although every divorce is different, they all have in common one thing: a huge, sudden change in social status. You were part of a social unit, and now you're not. Loneliness and fear -- how can I make it on my own? -- are common reactions after divorce or separation. Divorce can also bring with it added financial strain. And if there are children involved, custody arrangements and coparenting decisions can cause ongoing conflict and stress.

Who's most vulnerable: Everyone involved in the divorce is vulnerable. A common myth is that the person who initiates a divorce or separation is better off than the person who gets left, but this isn't true, at least not over time, experts say. Even if you were the one who initially asked for the divorce or separation, it's likely the decision came after a long period of pain and unhappiness. And both parties are likely to feel a complicated mix of anger, sadness, resentment, guilt, and a pervasive sense of failure.

What helps: Therapy can be extremely beneficial while going through a divorce or separation. Individual therapy can help you work through the complicated emotions you're feeling and take concrete steps to move forward. Couples therapy, sometimes known as divorce therapy, can help you and your ex resolve your issues with a minimum of anger, bitterness, and recrimination. And family therapy is invaluable in helping kids express their emotions; studies show that kids tend to blame themselves for divorce, which can result in depression for them as well. Family therapy has also been shown to more quickly and successfully resolve custody issues and help divorced parents coparent effectively. Divorced-parent or single-parent support groups are also a great place to find support.

#7: Debt and financial stress

Why: Worrying about how to pay the bills causes an ongoing "buzz" of stress that, over time, sabotages your mood and self-esteem and can lead to depression.

Who's most vulnerable: Those who feel alone dealing with their financial problems are at most risk. Not knowing where to turn is scary, and feelings of shame and secrecy can compound the fear and anxiety.

What helps: Sit down with your bills and a calculator and take stock. Look at what's coming and what's going out. Buy a book or two on financial management and set up a step-by-step plan for yourself. If you're not good with money or feel unable to come up with a plan of action on your own, look for a reputable financial counselor or debt advisor. Many communities offer free financial services, particularly around tax preparation time, and your bank or financial services provider may also have free services you can take advantage of.

Just don't let yourself stay "stuck" in denial while panic builds under the surface. Taking any action, even just talking to a friend or family member about your situation, will help you move forward and formulate a plan.

#8: Infertility

Why: Wanting to have a baby and not being able to can be a powerful depression trigger, particularly in women. Having a miscarriage or multiple miscarriages often sends a women spiraling into depression. Going into early menopause as a result of surgery, chemotherapy for cancer treatment, or illness can also lead to depression when a woman realizes her window of fertility has closed.

Who's most vulnerable: Women with age- or health-related fertility issues, women who've suffered multiple miscarriages, and women who've had a surgically induced menopause are most prone to distress over infertility issues.

What helps: Advance planning and exploring all options for parenthood can help you if you're nearing the end of your fertile years. Look into the services available for preserving your eggs; whether or not you choose to do so, simply researching the option makes some women feel less vulnerable and powerless, one study has shown. If you're a single woman and lack of a partner is leading you to despair, look into the option of single parenthood by choice via a sperm donor. Whether or not you choose to take this route, investigating what's involved can make you feel more in charge of your choices, experts say. Exploring adoption and familiarizing yourself with the options available there can also be empowering.

#9: Being a hands-on caregiver to someone with a debilitating disease, such as Alzheimer's or cancer

Why: Taking on a caregiver role places enormous demands on your time and energy, adds the stress of constant decision making, and often forces you to choose between conflicting obligations, which can result in resentment, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy.

Who's most vulnerable: At greatest risk are women in their 30s and older who are juggling multiple pressures, such as being a caregiver along with working or raising children. Men assume the role of caregiver less commonly, but when they do they may be particularly prone to depression because they're less likely to have strong social bonds and to seek support from their family and community.

What helps: For starters, set boundaries around your caregiving responsibilities. Do what you can, and be clear with the person you're caring for and with other family members about what you can't do and need others to do. This is key to preventing guilt and feeling overwhelmed, both of which are major setups for depression.

Set up a support system for yourself: Schedule respite care, so you get occasional breaks; delegate tasks to others or outsource tasks in your own home. If you're spending many hours on the upkeep of your parent's home, for example, consider paying someone to clean yours, so you don't walk in the door to face more cleaning tasks. If you have siblings in a less active caregiving role, tell them the thank-you gift you'd most appreciate is a cleaning service for your home or gift certificates to restaurants, so you don't have to cook.

And don't neglect your own health and well-being. No matter how tough and strong you are, you won't be able to be an effective caregiver if you don't care for yourself first. Clear time each day to do something for yourself, whether it's to take a walk, cut a few flowers in the garden, meditate, or have a cup of tea with a friend. You need to replenish your inner resources or you won't have anything left for the others who need you.

#10: Menopause and "male menopause"

Why: The hormonal fluctuations that accompany aging can cause levels of key hormones to drop, setting off a cluster of symptoms that can include depression and other problems, such as fatigue, low libido, and anxiety that in turn contribute to depression.

Who's most vulnerable: Women ages 40 to 55 are the most likely to suffer the wide-ranging symptoms of perimenopause -- the period leading up to menopause -- and menopause itself. Less well known, though, is that men go through their own midlife decline in energy and mood, a phase popularly known as "male menopause." In some men, this is caused by a drop in testosterone levels, but other men experience symptoms even when their testosterone levels remain within the normal range. Experts believe other age-related symptoms such as prostate problems, weight gain, and decline in muscle mass and fitness may be at fault when this happens.

In younger women, early-onset menopause caused by surgery or cancer treatment can trigger extreme hormonal symptoms.

What helps: Talk to your doctor, and be prepared to be extremely specific about the symptoms you're experiencing. Keep an ongoing written record of your moods and physical symptoms so you can document what's happening when, and how frequently.

If a hormonal imbalance is the problem, treating the imbalance is key to an overall solution. This doesn't necessarily mean taking hormone replacement therapy, although -- despite negative publicity -- that's one option that's effective for many women and that appears to pose little risk to most. For men, testosterone supplementation has been shown to treat sexual dysfunction and other symptoms of male menopause if done carefully and correctly.

Many men and women can also stabilize hormones and combat midlife depression by using vitamins, herbs, and other supplements, or by using stress-management techniques such as meditation and yoga. Interestingly, studies show that stress itself inhibits testosterone release, says sexual health expert Beverly Whipple. In men, stress can be a direct cause of sexual issues and depression. Treating underlying conditions such as thyroid disorders can also get hormone levels back on track.

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Posted in: Depression

10 Ways to Wake Up Beautiful

1. Get an Early Start

Make a habit of washing your face a few hours before bed. If you wait until you're tired, you're more likely to blow it off -- allowing "toxins and dirt to stay on there all night," says dermatologist Laurie Polis of N.Y.C. Another consequence? You miss the best time to treat your skin. "At night there's more blood flow to the skin's surface, and there's nothing else on your face to interfere with absorption," Polis says.

2. Sleep on Your Back

Note to Audrey Hepburn fans: Lying on your stomach is bad for "beauty sleep." The average head weighs 7 to 8 pounds -- a lot of pressure to be putting on your face every night. In fact, many dermatologists say they can tell what side of the face people sleep on by the number of wrinkles there.

3. Get a Lift

Sleep with your head elevated on two pillows, or put the headrest area of your bed on 2- to 4-inch pieces of wood. Gravity helps lymph and blood flow so fluid won't accumulate, Polis says.

4. Save Money, Not Wrinkles

At night you don't need to worry about eye treatments smearing your makeup, so slather on the richest formula you can. Polis swears by Aquaphor: "It conditions lashes and hydrates the delicate eye skin really well."

5. Sneak a Glow

Mix a drop of self-tanner into your night cream or use a cream that contains a bit of tan-producing DHA.

6. Avoid Carb Face

To wake with defined cheekbones, eat a high-protein, low-sugar dinner (try salmon and asparagus, a natural diuretic). Skip the rice, pasta and potatoes. "When our diet's high in glycemic carbohydrates, our features take on a soft, doughy appearance," says Connecticut dermatologist Nicholas Perricone.

7. Wrap It Up

To minimize A.M. frizz, sleep on a satin pillowcase or put your hair in a silk scarf. "Those fabrics are much softer than cotton, so there's less friction," says Harry Josh, a John Frieda stylist.

8. Find Your Inner Ballerina

Pile hair into a twist on the top of your head (use a scrunchie to avoid crimping). "In the morning you'll have major volume and beautiful waves," Josh says.

9. Turn on the Hair Conditioning

Sleep with a moisturizing treatment in damp hair overnight. We like Philip B. Katira Hair Masque, but any rich conditioner will do. Rinse in the morning.

10. Pop a Rooster Pill

Trust us, we were skeptical. But after swallowing two Wake Up on Time pills at 11 P.M., we found it much easier to get out of bed seven hours later. Created by a sleep-deprived single mother, the pills contain an energizing blend of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12 and guarana-seed extract. It's formulated with a coating that releases ingredients into your bloodstream toward the end of your last sleep cycle, so you wake up feeling clear-headed, not fuzzy.

source:shine.yahoo.com

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Posted in: Beauty,Fitness

Secrets of Happy Eaters

For many of us, sumptuous meals translate to a guilt-ridden reach for the gym pass, a seven-day juice fast or panic about being able to zip up our jeans.

Fully 75 percent of women eat, think and behave abnormally around food, according to a one-of-a-kind survey of 4,000 women SELF conducted with Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., director of the eating disorders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A minority has full-blown eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. But most are disordered eaters with less severe—but definitely unhealthy—hang-ups.

It's all an understandable reaction to our cult of thin and feast of fat. "Americans are bombarded by food cues. The profusion of cheap, high-calorie food is too often a prescription for weight gain," says Michael R. Lowe, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Yet if you look at our survey another way, 25 percent of women have a positive relationship to food. And plenty of these women—SELF calls them "happy eaters"—are not effortlessly slim. Many of them watch their weight; they judge themselves in the mirror. Yet they also keep food in perspective. Happy eaters manage the tricky balance of self-control without obsession.

Here's how to join them.

Happy eaters go on fewer diets

Of the disordered eaters in SELF's survey, 69 percent have spent at least a quarter of their adult life on a diet. But among women the survey classified as nondisordered eaters, 81 percent have spent little or no time dieting since age 18. "Losing weight and eating healthy are different things," Bulik notes. The survey's happy eaters are also much less likely to have started dieting before age 20. "If you start early, dieting can become a lifestyle," she says. Yet calorie-restricting diets aren't proven to lead to lasting weight loss or better health, an analysis by the University of California at Los Angeles notes.

The happy way to diet is for health, Lowe says—"not based on the idea that you can't be a worthwhile person unless you lose weight." Survey participant Julie Waldrop, 40, the owner of an eBay store in Crestwood, Kentucky, is 5 feet 6 inches and makes choices daily to maintain her 130 pounds. "I plan to have protein, veggies and fruit at meals. I avoid anything fried; I have irritable bowel syndrome, and junk food makes it worse," she says. "I don't know if it's a diet, or just healthy living."

"Weight loss should be the result of a goal, not the goal itself," adds Suzanne Farrell, R.D., of Cherry Creek Nutrition in Denver. Rather than a target weight, set a goal such as training for a race or eating a breakfast that gives you more energy at work. By redefining success, you'll stick with healthy habits even if you don't see immediate results on the scale.

Happy eaters have breakfast, lunch and dinner

Lisa Dolan, a 44-year-old mother of five from Cazenovia, New York, organizes three moderate meals a day for her entire brood. "I take a few extra steps: TV off, music on, the table set," says Dolan, who is 5 feet 2 inches and weighs 114 pounds. "We sit down instead of standing at the kitchen counter. I take my time—I've actually gone on yoga retreats where I wasn't allowed to talk while I was eating." The rest of the day, Dolan says, "I don't focus on food too much. I enjoy it, but I don't ritualize it."

Dolan is a happy eater who keeps food top of mind at meals and out of mind between them. And like 9 out of 10 happy eaters in the survey, she doesn't skip meals for weight loss—almost half of disordered eaters have. Regularly skipping meals makes you more prone to belly fat, heart disease and diabetes, reports a study from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Happy eaters are also much less likely to fast or smoke to lose weight. A mere 3 percent of them have eaten less than 1,000 calories a day, whereas 21 percent of disordered eaters have. "It's human to look for a quick fix," Bulik says. "But extreme dieting behavior backfires. Slow and steady wins the race."

Happy eaters can feel full all day by having a breakfast that's roughly 350 calories, lunch that's 500, dinner that's 600 and one or two 200-calorie treats, say SELF contributors Stephanie Clarke, R.D., and Willow Jarosh, R.D., of New York City. Plan menus and snack bags with a mix of dried fruit, nuts and whole-grain cereal. "Just as skipping meals is a habit, so is eating regular meals," Clarke says. "Stick with it, and soon skipping meals will feel strange."

Happy eaters use a scale, but not daily

"Patients tell me, 'Getting on the scale tells me how my day will go,'" says Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, Ph.D., director of the eating disorders clinic at the University of Illinois in Chicago. "That's a lot of power for one little number." Happy eaters, she says, know that weight fluctuates daily and that weighing each morning doesn't give you an accurate measure.

Normal- and underweight women often don't need a scale. For people who are prone to weight gain, checking in occasionally "makes them aware of when they need to cut back," Astrachan-Fletcher says. But happy eaters don't define themselves by the number they see or put off things they want to do because they haven't reached the right number. Nearly two thirds of disordered eaters say that a 5-pound weight gain would make them moderately or extremely upset, whereas about one third of nondisordered eaters feel that way.

Waldrop gained almost 10 pounds last year. "But I wasn't stressed about it," she says. She hit the scale a little more often, every few days, and asked herself what had led to the gain: being busy with two kids and a home business. She adjusted her calories and gradually dropped the weight. "I understand I'm going to gain a little, and I also know I can get it off," she says.

Happy eaters splurge with no regrets

In the SELF survey, 92 percent of disordered eaters said they categorize foods as "good" and "bad," defining bad foods as ones that are high in fat, calories and carbs. "We shouldn't look at foods as good or bad," Astrachan-Fletcher urges. "Foods don't carry judgment; they carry nutritional value. Think of food as just food—fuel for your body and something one can enjoy within reason."

We could all benefit from redefining what "good" food is, argues Kelly Brownell, Ph.D., director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Food choices have consequences beyond ourselves, he says. "For example, food production is a huge contributor to global warming. Instead of eating something with 50 ingredients, eat one ingredient from a farmers' market." In his view, happy eating means valuing organic and local food, not just low-cal fare.

When happy eaters do splurge, they told SELF, they don't beat themselves up. "If I want a bag of chips, I'll have it. I don't deny myself," Dolan says. "Everyone needs Dairy Queen once in a while, right?" Waldrop reasons. Eve Metlis, a 33-year-old real estate agent from Orlando, Florida, builds splurges into her regular meal plans. Metlis is 5 foot 4 and weighs 140 pounds—a number she's proud of, as she lost 70 pounds to get there. At a party, she says, she'll choose a glass of wine over cake. "I might take a forkful of icing," she says. And she knows when going whole hog is the happy choice. "On holidays like Thanksgiving, I indulge. I can enjoy it because it's about being with my family," she says.

Farrell encourages her clients to have a weekly splurge. Six days a week, stick to low-calorie treats. One day, go for the full banana split. "Have a real-deal dessert without looking at the fat or sugar content," she says. "Savor and eat with pleasure."

Happy eaters know women come in all sizes

Danielle Trentacosti, 32, is 5 foot 7 and a size 0 and freely admits she has a blessed metabolism. "I thank my mother for that," says the stay-at-home mom in Toms River, New Jersey. Food and body image are not her issues—except to the extent that other women single her out. "I was at the beach with my friends, and someone hopped up to take a photo," Trentacosti recalls. "All the women scrambled to move away from me, saying they didn't want to be next to the 'skinny mom.' I was embarrassed and uncomfortable. I would never comment on what other women weigh or eat."

How can women who are not as effortlessly slender as Trentacosti be as nonjudgmental? For disordered eaters, it's a struggle: They are five times more likely than happy eaters to start a diet as a result of having slim friends. The difference is equally stark when it comes to feeling pressure from media images of slender women. And these unrealistic comparisons feed dangerous eating habits. "I hear women saying to each other, 'Oh, my God, you got so thin!'" says Sondra Kronberg, R.D., codirector of the Eating Disorder Treatment Collaborative in Westbury, New York. "It's normal in this culture to do that, but to me, it promotes something unhealthy. We can't all be 6 feet 2 inches and weigh 104 pounds."

Simply being aware of the body assessments you make throughout the day can help end the negative ones, notes Mary E. Connors, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Chicago, who specializes in mindful eating. Take a day to track how much you are body checking—looking in mirrors, fussing with the fit of your clothes, touching areas such as your tummy or collarbone. "If your first thought is something like, Compared to that model's, my thighs are gross," Connors says, then try to shift your thinking to a happier frame of mind. "Focus on what your legs do for you and all that they add to your life."

Happy eaters exercise without anxiety

Among the women we surveyed, one group was most likely to work out more than once a week: nondisordered eaters who are watching their weight. Many disordered eaters exercise frequently, too. But for happy eaters, "exercise is a means to have a healthy body and cope with stress. It doesn't define them," says Graham Thomas, Ph.D., assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Brown University Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island, and coinvestigator for the National Weight Control Registry. "For some eating-disordered women, exercise does define them. They might decide how they feel about themselves based on how much they work out."

Gregory Florez, CEO of FitAdvisor.com, a corporate health-coaching service in Salt Lake City and spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, says two thirds of his clients are exercise addicts. "Some women have low self-esteem or anxiety that they are pouring into body image. Because they exercise from a place of fear, they can feel frantic if they miss a workout and stick to their routine even when ill or injured." Happy eaters, in contrast, "listen to their body and rest when they need to," Florez says. "Give your body time to recover and your next workout will be of a higher quality."

For happy eater April Grimm, a 36-year-old day care center owner from Little Cedar, Iowa, making a mix of activities part of her daily play has helped her decouple exercise from weight loss worries. And by testing her muscles in new ways, she gets better results than she would with a set routine. Grimm, 5 foot 9 and about 135 pounds, lifts weights and gets creative to stay active with her kids. "I do sit-ups while my youngest crawls around me," she says. "We take bike rides or run in circles in the yard." Learning to feel satisfied with this kind of "unworkout" is a happy approach. "The worst thing you can do is say, It's not going to count if I don't do 60 minutes at the gym," Florez says. "Any movement counts, even if it's only for 10 minutes."

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Posted in: Diet,Fitness

No-Diet Ways to Lose Weight

If you shudder at any mention of the “D” word but still need to drop a few pounds, use these tricks to help you slim down sans calorie counters and detox drinks

If sifting through the Google results for “diets that work” makes your head spin, try this trick: Don’t call it a diet. “For most Americans, diet is a dirty word that evokes pain, frustration, and bad memories of diets that went belly up,” says Connie Bennett, a life and health coach and author of Sugar Shock: How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life—and How You Can Get Back on Track. So forget trying to overhaul your eating with detox cleanses and flavorless microwave meals. Instead, focus on making small, manageable changes that fit into your life. The following 11 simple strategies will help you slim down without giving up what you love.

The do-it-yourself diet

1) Schedule Sweat Sessions. It’s obvious advice, but it works. Exercise can help you lose weight by burning calories, increasing metabolism, and warding off cravings. Italian researchers found that overweight, sedentary women who made no changes to their eating habits but participated in a 12-week indoor cycling program of three 1-hour sessions per week reported weight loss, fat loss, smaller waist sizes, and increased muscle mass after 24 and 36 sessions. The women also lowered their resting and training heart rates and improved cardio-respiratory fitness, according to a study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.

Don't give exercise the cold shoulder. Rally with these 40 winter-inspired tips.

2) Pick Petite Plates. “If you can decrease the amount of food you currently eat by 25 percent, you would quickly see the pounds come off,” says Adam Shafran, cohost of the Atlanta-based radio show Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy and coauthor of 35 Things to Know to Raise Active Kids. “Try using smaller plates and taller glasses in order to give the appearance of bigger portions.” When you’ve finished eating, leave your dainty dinnerware where you can see it. Sitting among heaps of dirty dishes helped Cornell University graduate students eat 28 percent less than those whose tables were cleared at a free Super Bowl Sunday chicken wing buffet, according to a study published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills.

3) Take Time-outs. To keep your body moving—and burning calories—throughout the day, Bennett suggests taking a mini break every 15 minutes. “It reminds me to stretch, take care of my back, do some exercise bursts, be present, and have fun,” says Bennett. “You can take as little as 30 seconds or as long as 5 minutes. Just get up off your rear end, stretch, go get some water, pull in your stomach, rearrange something on your desk or in your home, and stand on your tippy toes.” To schedule your breaks, try setting a timer. This free tool from online-stopwatch.com lets you pick your own sound—like a round of applause—to signal that it’s time to get up and move.

4) Don’t Skimp on Sleep. “Sleep deprivation causes fatigue, clumsiness, and weight gain,” says Carrie Wiatt, owner of Diet Designs, a Los Angeles–based nutritional counseling firm. “Getting enough sleep is crucial to proper cognitive function as well as controlling hunger.” Sleep deprivation has the power to slow down your metabolism, increase your appetite, and throw your body’s hunger and satiety hormones out of whack. Of more than 68,000 middle–age women who participated in a Case Western Reserve University study, those who slept for less than 5 hours each night were 32 percent more likely to gain 33 pounds or more over the course of the 16-year study, compared with those who got 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye.

5) When in Doubt, Delay. Here’s one way procrastination can work in your favor. “If carb cravings are haunting you, just delay,” Bennett suggests. “In other words, look at your watch and promise yourself that for the next 10 to 15 minutes, you won’t give in to your cravings. During that time, you could go to the restroom, wash the dishes, or call a friend.” You’ll give yourself a chance to figure out what your body really wants or needs—maybe a glass or water, a protein-rich snack, an energizing walk, or even a laugh.

source: msn health

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Top 5 Habits That Harm Your Heart

cording to a centuries-old story, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will announce the end of the world. According to hard data, five harmful habits herald the coming of heart disease. These five are:

1. smoking
2. being inactive
3. carrying too many pounds
4. eating poorly
5. drinking too much alcohol

Alone and together, they set the stage for artery-damaging atherosclerosis and spur it onward. They do this by deranging metabolism and changing how cells and tissues work. They also disturb the markers of health we worry about so much: blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. All too often, the end result of these five habits is a heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, valve problem, aortic aneurysm, or heart failure. And the damage they cause isn't limited to the cardiovascular system, but extends to the kidneys, bones, and brain.

Premature aging and death

How much do these five habits contribute to a personal health apocalypse? A lot. In a study of 4,900 men and women in England, Wales, and Scotland, researchers tallied up the occurrence of four unhealthy habits — smoking, low intake of fruits and vegetables, little physical activity, and having more than 21 alcoholic drinks a week for men or 14 for women. Compared to participants with none of the habits, those with just one of them were 85 percent more likely to have died during the 20-year study, while the increase among those with all four was 349 percent, or more than threefold higher (Archives of Internal Medicine, April 26, 2010). By the researchers' reckoning, people with all four unhealthy behaviors were physically 12 years older than their chronological ages.

What can making better choices do for health and longevity? Read on for five strategies for change.

Strategies for change: Avoid tobacco

Smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes is as bad for the heart and arteries as it is for the lungs. If you smoke, quitting is the biggest gift of health you can give yourself. Secondhand smoke is also toxic, so avoid it whenever possible.

Strategies for change: Drink alcohol in moderation (if at all)

If you drink alcohol, limit your intake — one to two drinks a day for men, no more than one a day for women.

Strategies for change: Aim for a healthy weight

Carrying extra pounds, especially around the belly, strains the heart and tips you toward diabetes. If you are overweight, losing just 5 percent to 10 percent of your starting weight can make a big difference in your blood pressure and blood sugar.

Strategies for change: Enliven your diet

Add fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fat, good protein (from beans, nuts, fish, and poultry), and herbs and spices. Subtract processed foods, salt, rapidly digested carbohydrates (from white bread, white rice, potatoes, and the like), red meat, and soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages.

How change can help your heart

Consider this provocative finding from the Nurses' Health Study. Nonsmoking women with a healthy weight who exercised regularly, consumed a healthy diet, and had an alcoholic drink every other day were 83 percent less likely to have had a heart attack or to have died of heart disease over a 14-year period, compared with all the other women in the study (New England Journal of Medicine, July 6, 2000). The results were almost identical in a similar study in men. In these two studies, more than two-thirds of all cardiovascular events could be chalked up to smoking, excess weight, poor diet, and drinking too much.

Set goals and track progress

Give yourself a gold star if you are in the small minority of Americans who follow all five healthy behaviors. You have built yourself a solid foundation for good health.

If you have one or more habits that are working against you, now is as good a time as any to set a course for better health. How? "Just do it" may be catchy advice, but it doesn't often work. Most of us need concrete help to make and sustain lifestyle changes. The American Heart Association recommends "cognitive behavioral strategies for promoting behavior change" (Circulation, July 27, 2010). They aim to help you think more positively about yourself as you make healthy changes. Here are some of those strategies:

Set goals. Having specific, achievable goals is a key strategy for successful change. Goals that involve behaviors ("I will eat three servings of whole grains a day") tend to work better than physiological goals ("I will lower my cholesterol").

Track your progress. With all the things you have to remember each day, it's hard to know whether you are meeting your daily goals. Keeping track of steps taken each day (if you use a pedometer) or pounds lost each week gives important feedback about your progress. Data from dozens of studies show that self-monitoring is an important attribute of successful changers. You can do this with a notebook, a computer, a smartphone, or an invention of your own.

Find your motivation and seek support

Motivation. Changing a habit or behavior is easier if you have a good reason for doing it. Hearing your doctor say "You need to quit smoking" isn't nearly as compelling a reason to stop as having a family member or friend diagnosed with lung cancer. Motivation can be something big, like getting in shape for a walking trip with a grandchild, or small, like fitting into a slimmer suit for a wedding. The more personal the motivator, the better.

Get support. Starting a change isn't nearly as challenging as sticking with it. Support from family, friends, a doctor, or someone else — even from an online community — can provide feedback and encouragement, especially when you are feeling low. Sharing a daily walk or a weight-loss program with an exercise or diet "buddy" makes it more fun and harder to slack off.

Reward yourself and realize you're not perfect

Reward yourself. Change is hard work. So give yourself pats on the back along the way. These can be small things, like a new CD or a vase of flowers, or something bigger, like tickets to a play or a special trip. The pleasure you get from rewards loops back to reinforce the positive changes you are making.

Get back on track. To paraphrase poet Robert Burns, the best laid plans of cigarette quitters or new exercisers often go awry. It's to be expected — no one is perfect, and life can get in the way of even the most meticulous plans. Take a derailment in stride. Instead of berating yourself, summon the motivation and goals that got you started and use them to keep moving forward. It is during these so-called relapses that support is most helpful.

You don't need to aim for a complete transformation all at once. Small changes in diet, exercise, or weight can make a big difference in your health. Setting goals you can realistically achieve, and then meeting them, can snowball into even bigger improveme

from: Harvard Health Publications

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Posted in: heart