Health & Fitness

Workouts That Almost Everyone Can Try At Home

Workouts That Almost Everyone Can Try At Home

No matter where you live, budgets are getting tighter. In Louisiana, even if you got a raise, the money doesn’t go as far. That’s why it’s important to save money where you can and the very reason Wellness on a Dime exists. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a trainer. There are menus that help you boost your health, but don’t break the budget. There are also excellent workouts you can do at home to get the look you want and the good health you deserve.

You don’t have to have weights to build strength.

You carry with you all the equipment you need to build strength, endurance and flexibility. It’s your body. Bodyweight exercises can provide a full workout and all you need is a small area to do them. The basic workouts start with lifts, push-ups, squats, lunges and pull-ups. If you want to build strength in your legs, do a hip bridge or single leg deadlift. You lay on your back with knees bent for a hip bridge and then lift the weight of your lower body to create a straight line bridge from your knees to your shoulders. All the exercises mentioned use the muscles of your body to lift your body, building muscle tissue as you do.

If you’re short on time, try circuit training or HIIT—high intensity interval training.

You can get cardio and strength training when you do your workout circuit training or HIIT style. Circuit training combines a group of exercises with little or no rest between each one. HIIT training could use the same group of exercises but varies the intensity for each one as you do the exercise. If your exercise is walking, you’d walk at top speed for a minute, then reduce the speed to recovery, a slower pace, then back to top speed. Both will enhance the benefits of each workout and reduce the time necessary.

Do you want to get a little fancier and add equipment?

Not all equipment costs a lot of money. Resistance bands, for instance, a set of resistance bands can be as low as $12.00. If you have milk, detergent or soft drink bottles or canned food, you can also make your own weights. If you’re just starting out, fill a clean, soft drink or water bottle with sand or water to get the weight you want. As you get fitter, move to larger detergent bottles or milk jugs for weights. You can run up and down steps for cardio or build a step platform with scrap wood.

  • If you have a busy schedule, you can break up your workout to several 10-15 minute sessions throughout the day.
  • You can work out while you’re getting supper ready. Butt kicks are good calorie burners and can be done at the counter or stove. They burn up to 300 calories in a half hour.
  • Other inexpensive workout equipment includes a jump rope and a hula hoop. You can get weighted versions of each, but it’s not necessary. Both can cost less than $10.00
  • No matter what type of exercise program you do at home, don’t forget to warm-up and cool-down to prevent injury. Taking a few minutes before you workout to do these can also improve the benefits from your workout.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


Are All Processed Foods Bad For You?

Are All Processed Foods Bad For You?

Every article you read about eating a healthy diet says to cut out all processed foods, but just what is processed food and are they all bad for you? First, let’s look at what the real definition of a processed food is and what most articles and diet experts are actually discussing. Any time you change a fruit or vegetable and it’s not exactly as it was on the plant, you’re processing it. Washing food, for example, is a type of processing. That’s definitely not what dietitians and health experts are discussing.

It’s all about what’s in the food and what’s not in it.

Frozen vegetables that contain nothing more than the vegetables are processed foods. They’re taken from the fields directly to the plant where they’re washed, sometimes blanched and fast frozen. The plants are often built close to the fields, so the fruits or vegetables have adequate time to ripen to their best in the field. In many ways, frozen fruits and vegetables, at least those with no other ingredients, are actually healthier than the ones you buy fresh in the store. The produce in the store is picked before ripeness and ripens in travel. Every day that the produce sits uneaten, it loses nutrients, unlike its frozen cousin.

Canned food may or may not be just as healthy an option.

It’s all about the ingredients that you find listed on the can. If there’s nothing but fruits, vegetables and water, you have a healthier option. Sometimes, even if there is extra salt, such as on beans, you can rinse the beans in water to remove the excess sodium. Buying canned fruits and vegetables, such as green beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach and fruits packed in their own juice without added sugar, can save you money and provide good nutrition.

You don’t have to cut out a family favorite, peanut butter, to eat healthy.

There are all types of peanut butter, including ones that have jelly mixed in them. Some are healthy options, while others aren’t. Check the label. If there’s just one ingredient, peanuts, it’s a healthy option. If you’re not on a sodium restricted diet, peanut butter with the ingredients peanuts and salt also makes a healthy option. Processed peanut butter, like all highly processed food, has a whole list of ingredients, some of which sound like a lab experiment. Always opt for food with no added sugar, fewer and more natural ingredients.

  • Your favorite snack food probably is highly processed food, unless your favorite snack is fresh fruits or vegetables. Snack food often has additives to make you want to eat more and tend to be almost addictive.
  • Sometimes, a little processing can save you money and time, while still being healthy. Canned salmon, tuna or other types of fish packed in water are healthy options that can cut the cost of protein for a meal.
  • If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t fall for foods labeled low-fat or no fat. You need healthy fat to maintain bodily functions and when fat is removed, it’s replaced with sugar and unhealthy ingredients to make the consistency and taste more appealing.
  • It’s not just the food you eat, but also what you drink that makes a difference. Sugary soft drinks have 100 calories, compared to water, plain tea or coffee. If you don’t like water, make it infused water. There are some delicious recipes available.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


How To Lose Body Fat And Preserve Muscle Mass

How To Lose Body Fat And Preserve Muscle Mass

When you lose weight, it doesn’t always mean you’re only losing fat. Sometimes, you’re losing muscle mass too. You have to follow a weight loss program that specifically helps you lose body fat, while you preserve muscle mass. A fit appearance takes more than just reducing the number of calories you eat, but also exercise. The exercise builds muscle tissue, while the restricted calories help melt away the fat that hides that muscle.

Start with a healthy diet that focuses on building muscle tissue.

One of our goal specific diets is a muscle building nutritional plan. It focuses on providing all the nutrients you need to build strong muscle tissue, while also is lower in calories to help you burn fat. You need about 1.5 grams of protein for every pound you weigh to build muscle tissue. Our healthy plan helps you do it without having to calculate all the nutrients and micronutrients necessary. While most people think they have to cut out fat entirely, it’s important that you have about 15% of your calories from fat to build muscle tissue.

Of course, exercise is also a key to building muscle tissue and losing fat.

You’re probably aware that you won’t build muscle unless you exercise and that exercise also burns more calories to help you lose weight. What you may not know is that the more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight. Muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does, so you’ll be burning extra calories 24/7 as you increase the amount of muscle tissue.

Aim for reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories a day.

You can’t starve yourself and expect to build muscle, but you can’t lose fat without reducing calorie amounts. There’s a fine line to walk in how many calories to cut. For most people cutting calories by 500 a day can be the answer. Of course, this varies based on your size, gender and goals. Strength training can help you build muscles. You can combine your routine into a HIIT—high intensity interval training workout to burn extra calories. On the days you push that hard, you can up your calorie allotment by a few hundred calories to provide extra nutrients for muscle repair and rebuilding.

  • Don’t worry that you’ll look muscle bound if you’re a woman. Due to sex hormones, it’s harder for women to build bulky muscle and takes a strict diet, rigorous exercise and sometimes supplements to do it.
  • You do need cardio, but if you’re building muscle tissue, it can be counterproductive. When you do cardio, you’re burning both lean muscle tissue and fat. Focus on strength training.
  • Don’t do strength training every day. Your body needs to rest between sessions. Give it 48 to 72 hours before you work the same muscle groups again.
  • Get adequate sleep and hydrate frequently. Sleep helps make your workout better and keeps hunger hormones in balance. Being adequately hydrated improves your performance, while also boosting energy.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


The Best Freezer Meals For Meal Prep

The Best Freezer Meals For Meal Prep

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a healthy supper ready in minutes, with the only thing you have to do is heat and serve? You can get that and more when you meal prep and do extra freezer meals for later. Some food isn’t as appealing once it’s frozen, such as fresh vegetables used as a salad ingredient, like lettuce or cucumbers. Other food that aren’t the same after freezing include mayonnaise, soups or sauces that are cream based, cooked pasta, fried foods and most gravies.

A favorite of mine are stuffed peppers.

There are so many ways to make stuffed peppers and all of them are delicious when heated after you freeze them. You can make the filling using quinoa or rice, adding black beans, ground beef, chicken or even refried beans. The sauce can be as simple as a couple of cans of stewed, spicy or plain tomatoes or as complex as you want to make it. If you buy peppers in season to stuff, it’s a budget friendly dish that can be a whole meal when partnered with a side salad.

Pack the fixings for a great soup or leftover meal(s).

Did you serve roasted chicken? Pack up what’s left over for ingredients for your next meal. Debone the chicken and save the bones for broth. Chop the pieces of chicken so it’s ready for chicken salad. Just thaw and add onions, celery and dressing and it’s ready. You could save even more time if you chopped onions ahead and packaged them or have celery cleaned and ready to use as a snack. When you boil chicken, save the stock for soups with a few bits of chicken still in it. Freeze leftover vegetables, even small amounts. Toss the stock and the leftover veggies together in a slow cooker in the morning for a delicious soup that only takes a few minutes of actual preparation.

Make it fresh but make it easy.

You can assemble all the ingredients, freeze them and the day before you’ll be serving it, thaw the meal and use a slow cooker or insta pot the next day. Salsa verde chicken is an assembled and freeze ahead style meal. It requires a pound of chicken breasts, a cup or can of chicken broth, a whole 16 oz can of green salsa, 2 minced garlic cloves, a diced large onion, 4oz of green chilies and cumin. When you’re ready to cook, spray the slow cooker with non-stick oil, add the bag of thawed ingredients and cook. Use high for three hours or low for five or six. Salt and pepper to taste. You can use it for several meals if you make enough. Shred it to top a salad, rice or a burrito.

  • You can make sweet potato black bean chili and freeze it for up to three months. It uses sweet potatoes, black beans, lime juice, a can of diced tomatoes, onions, chili powder, garlic, cumin ground chipotle chili and salt.
  • If you’re using our menu planner, you can double most of the recipes and freeze part for later. If you’re making a creamed or milk based dish, hold the milk for the frozen version and add later.
  • Put the name of what’s frozen on the container and the date you froze it. Brown or cook all meats when you buy them and pack them in small freezer bags in smaller portions to use later.
  • We have a wealth of recipes you can make and freeze ahead for later in our DIMEnutrition meal planner option. The meals are custom-made for you and address your specific needs.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


Why Sourdough Bread Is Better Than Other Breads

Why Sourdough Bread Is Better Than Other Breads

At one time, all bread that was leavened was sourdough bread, which took a long time. In fact, the fact that the Jews had unleavened bread during the exodus from Egypt, may have been because they didn’t have the time to wait overnight for it to rise. These breads were made via natural fermentation of the grain. While it took a long time to rise, and required a starter, bread was extremely popular. About 150 years ago, baker’s yeast was introduced and it made the process less time-consuming and easier.

Sourdough bread is made by a fermentation process with less than predictable flavor.

Yeast bread, that’s the most prominent today, is far more predictable and faster. When you use a sour dough starter, it can vary from location to location. You can make your own starter by putting 2 TBSP of flour and 2 TBSP of unchlorinated water in a jar and make a thoroughly mixed paste. Scrape down the sides to avoid mold and cover it with a paper towel with a rubber band to secure it. Keep it in a warm place out of sunlight for 24 hours. Remove the paper towel, then remove 1 TBSP of it that you throw away. It grows fast and if you don’t remove some, by the end of a week you’d have a gallon of starter. Add 4 teaspoons of flour and a TBSP of water to feed it. Mix and cover. Repeat every day from 5 days to 14 days. As you can tell, it takes a lot of work and time.

A sourdough starter has a variety of bacteria and wild yeast.

The sourdough starter comes from the beneficial bacteria and wild yeas. For instance, lactobacilli feeds on the flour and changes it to lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Flour contains many of the different strains of beneficial microbes, as does the water you start it with. The bacteria break down the starch in the flour and change them into glucose and maltose, which the yeast metabolizes. When the yeast consumes maltose from fermentation, it produces carbon dioxide bubbles that cause it to rise or leaven.

Sour dough isn’t gluten-free, but it does contain less gluten than regular bread.

It’s all about that long fermentation process that makes a difference. It tends to degrade the gluten a bit each day. Gluten is a protein and while not bad, you can become gluten intolerant, causing health issues. You can make sourdough bread gluten free by starting with brown rice flour or other types of gluten free flour. It also will taste quite different from the sourdough bread made from wheat.

  • The longer sourdough is fermented, the less gluten it contains and the more the gluten is degraded. That can be healthier even for people who aren’t gluten intolerant, preventing bloating and gas.
  • If your starter smells like gym socks or has other bad smells, it often just needs more time to brew and let the good bacteria to take over. It should smell good. If the smell changes, it may be time to feed it again with flour and water.
  • The friendly bacteria and microbes help make the sourdough bread easier to digest. The fermentation process makes the nutrients easier to absorb. It eliminates the phytic acid that can block the absorption of minerals.
  • Sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index rating compared to processed white breads. You can make it with any type of flour, but whole grains are best. Some studies show it fills you up faster, so you eat less.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


The Benefits Of Seaweed For Digestion

The Benefits Of Seaweed For Digestion

If you want to boost your nutrients, reap many benefits and add a dash of the unique to your diet, add seaweed. While seaweed is good for digestion for most people, some types of seaweed can cause problems for people with certain digestive issues. There are seven types of edible seaweed, wakame, kombu, nori, dulse, hijiki, Irish moss and sea lettuce. The edible seaweed is also classified by color, green algae, brown algae, red algae and blue-green algae.

Seaweed helps boost beneficial “belly bugs.”

Your gut microbiome, the collection of microbes in your gut, determines a lot about your health, both mentally and physically. There has to be the proper balance of beneficial microbes to harmful ones, or the harmful ones will take over and you’ll end up sick. For a healthy digestive system and to promote beneficial microbes, you need adequate fiber and polysaccharides. Not only is seaweed a good source of fiber, but it also promotes a healthy gut. The fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria, while the polysaccharides, some sugar in seaweed, boost the growth of beneficial gut microbes.

Seaweed can also exacerbate some digestive issues.

While seaweed can be good for most people, some people shouldn’t eat it. People who often have digestive issues or who have bacterial overgrowth in the small intestines, shouldn’t eat it. The carrageenan in some seaweed can cause inflammation. Irish moss is one seaweed high in carrageenan. If you have a thyroid-related health issue, such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, the high iodine content can interfere with your medication. Since seaweed is high in fiber, it aids digestion, but like any fibrous foods if you eat too much it can cause digestive issues, such as bloating, constipation or gas.

Seaweed helps protect the body, including the digestive tract, with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

Free radicals cause oxidation. Oxidation can cause damage to your cells, but the food you eat can provide antioxidants that prevent that from happening. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties, which fight inflammation. Free radicals are both the cause and result of inflammation, so if you have one, you have the other. Seaweed contains potent antioxidants that both help eliminate free radicals, but also reduce inflammation, which can help prevent serious colon diseases and other digestive issues. Scientists have now proven that nutrients are responsible for fighting inflammation of the gut.

  • A type of seaweed that grows close to the Florida Keys has been found to be extremely important for fighting inflammatory digestive diseases and colon cancer.
  • The polysaccharides found in seaweed not only promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, but they also increase short-chain fatty acid—SCFA—production. SCFA nourishes and supports the cells lining of your gut.
  • You also should check the source of the seaweed to avoid contamination from copper, nickel, other heavy metals and radiation caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident that occurred in 2011. Consider land based seaweed farms.
  • Adding sugar kelp—a type of seaweed—to beans can help control a gassy response. It breaks down the raffinose sugars beans contain, so they’re easier to digest and less likely to cause bloating or gas.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


Superfood Benefits Of Pumpkin Seeds

Superfood Benefits Of Pumpkin Seeds

A great superfood with lots of benefits comes from a pumpkin. While meat is normally used for food and has many wonderful qualities and benefits, pumpkin seeds are the real hero that often isn’t recognized. If you call pumpkin seeds pepitas, you have good company, but you’d also be wrong. All pepitas are pumpkin seeds, but not all pumpkin seeds are pepitas. Pepitas don’t have the same color or the hard shell and the pumpkins they come from look extremely different from the traditional big orange pumpkins. However, many of the pumpkin seeds you purchase at the store are indeed pepitas.

Pumpkin seeds are packed with nutrition.

These are seeds, which means there’s a great amount of nutrition available to nourish the new pumpkin plant. They’ll nourish you, too. Whether you’re eating home-roasted pumpkin seeds or green pepitas from the store, they all have healthy protein and fat, like omega3 fatty acids. Vitamin K, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper are also present in pumpkin seeds. They also have a lot of antioxidants, some potassium, B2, folate and fiber. They also contain phytonutrients, which can improve your overall health in many ways.

Eat pumpkin seeds to lower your risk of cancer.

If you eat pumpkin seeds regularly, there’s a good chance you’ll reduce the risk of breast, lung, stomach, colon and prostate cancer. They also help relieve the symptoms of BPH—benign prostatic hyperplasia. That causes an enlarged prostate gland and interferes with urination. Studies show that when people with BPH ate pumpkin seeds, it reduced the symptoms. Overactive bladders can benefit from eating pumpkin seeds too.

Early research indicates that pumpkin seeds may lower blood sugar levels.

Most studies so far have shown that pumpkin seeds, pumpkin, or pumpkin juice can help reduce blood sugar levels. However, they’re mostly animal studies. Human studies on people with type 2 diabetes found that taking a supplement of pumpkin powder or pumpkin juice could reduce blood sugar levels. It may be due to the magnesium levels in pumpkin seeds, since large observational studies show a diet higher in magnesium had a 33-34% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

  • Pumpkin seeds might improve heart health. Antioxidants, magnesium, fatty acids and zinc are important for a healthy heart and pumpkin seeds contain all of those. The oil may reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while increasing nitric oxide levels.
  • The zinc in pumpkin seeds may help improve sperm quality. It’s known that low levels of zinc are linked to increased infertility in men. Pumpkin seeds also contain antioxidants that may boost testosterone levels.
  • Pumpkin seeds contain tryptophan, which is associated with a good night’s sleep. They also contain zinc that’s necessary for converting that tryptophan to serotonin, which then becomes melatonin, a sleep regulating hormone.
  • You don’t have to spend a lot of money or opt for exotic dishes to add pumpkin seeds to your diet. Add them to a smoothie, toss on a salad or eat them for a snack. Seeds from winter squash also have many of the same benefits.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


Do Nutrients In Broccoli Help Fight Cancer?

Do Nutrients In Broccoli Help Fight Cancer?

If you’re like most people in Louisiana, you began to focus on ways to live and eat healthier during the pandemic. That means eating foods that contain loads of nutrients that can boost your immune system and make your body stronger. For many years, it’s been known that broccoli was one of those healthy foods and more recent studies show it can be a powerful cancer fighter, thanks to all the phytochemicals it contains. Other diseases and conditions those chemicals battle include arthritis, heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease and diabetes.

Broccoli helps prevent DNA damage by helping protect the cells.

Broccoli has a lot of phytochemicals that are antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. Those same naturally occurring compounds also help detox the cells, are anti-inflammatory and not only slow the growth and spread of cancer cells, but also kill cancer cells. It’s not just compounds like sulforaphane, phenolic compounds. Diindolylmethane and glucoraphanin, it’s the fiber, vitamins and minerals, too. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and like all crucifers, it has glucosinolates, substances that contain sulfur, which not only fight disease, but give the broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables their slightly bitter taste and distinct odor.

Sulforaphane is just one of the potent cancer fighters, but a very important one.

Sulforaphane is important to maintain proper replication of the cell’s DNA. That helps them reproduce healthier cells and limits mutations that can lead to cancer. Ironically, it also encourages cell death, but it’s the defective cells it gets rid of, in the colon, kidney, bladder, prostate, breast, lung, brain, thyroid, tongue and skin. Just three servings a week of broccoli or other crucifers, such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage can lower the risk of cancer by as much as 60%. It contains anti-inflammatory compounds that fight more than just cancer, but also heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and more. It also protects the cells from free radicals.

The glucosinolate glucoraphanin defends broccoli plants, and they can defend your body, too.

Glucoraphanin is a precursor to the cancer cell blocking phytochemical sulforaphane/ Sulforaphane not only blocks cancer cells and prevents them from forming, but it also prevents them from multiplying. Broccoli also contains Diindolylmethane—DIM, which boosts the immune system so it kills cancer cells more effectively. It’s especially effective fighting cancers that have to do with sex hormones, like ovarian, prostate or breast cancer.

  • While broccoli has a lot of glucosinolates, broccoli sprouts have as much as twenty times that amount. Sprinkling a few on a salad or including them in smoothies a few times a week can boost your protection.
  • Excess estrogen can convert into dangerous forms of estrogen that can lead to breast cancer. The DIM in broccoli helps prevent that from happening. Cultures that include more cruciferous vegetables in their diet, like Asia, have a lower incidence of estrogen-related cancers.
  • Broccolini, also called baby broccoli, has a milder taste that people who don’t like broccoli find palatable. It is also more potent with more concentrated cancer fighting phytochemicals.
  • While researchers do not know how powerful the anti-cancer compounds are, they also warn they can be destroyed by overcooking. Eating sprouts or lightly steaming broccoli for 2 to 4 minutes is best.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


Do Foods Like Celery Have Negative Calories?

Do Foods Like Celery Have Negative Calories?

There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet, especially about dieting and the best type of food to eat. You might have heard about food that contains negative calories, so the more you eat, the more weight you lose. Is that a fantasy or a reality? Let’s start with the facts. Food has to be digested and to do that, it requires energy. In fact, digestion requires about 10% of the calories you consume. Foods high in fiber, such as celery, use approximately 20% of the calories they contain for digestion. Proteins are used the most at 30% and fats just require 3%.

It’s called the thermic effect and celery certainly qualifies.

Celery is not only high in fiber, but also in water, as well. Digestion may actually cause the body to burn far more calories than celery contains. A rib of celery has between 6 and 7 calories. While it might not be a negative calorie count, it’s close, and celery has one more feature that can cause quick weight loss. It’s a natural diuretic, so you’ll lose water weight when you eat a lot. The fiber fills you up and keeps you feeling fuller longer.

Celery may actually be a negative calorie food.

Food that is low in calories and high in water and fiber may actually burn more calories than they contain. Celery fits that description. With so few calories and so much fiber, it’s something to consider, but there’s no scientific proof that celery has negative calories. One thing is certain, it helps you lose weight, plus celery juice is a natural diuretic if you have water weight.

Celery may be king of negative and super low calorie foods, but it’s a close race.

Fibrous fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories, plus those numbers are lowered by the calories it takes for digestion. Another tough competitor in the race to negative calories is watermelon. Watermelon is not only loaded with fiber, but also primarily liquid. In fact, it’s 92% water. Thermogenesis—the calories used to digest the food—-takes a big bite out of the minimal calories it already contains. It’s also a diuretic. Leafy greens are another almost negative-calorie food.

Add more flavor to your meals can also reduce your calorie count.

Adding herbs and spices adds nutrition to food, but also has nutrients and several other health benefits. For instance, cinnamon is a true negative calorie food. It boosts metabolism and uses more calories to process than it contains. However, a half teaspoon is just three calories and quite a lot to season any single serving. The fiber makes it more thermogenic. It also reduces blood sugar levels and increases insulin sensitivity.

  • Celery is excellent for reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, boosting metabolism and helping the body in other ways.
  • There are many types of cinnamon, some healthier than others. The cheapest type, Cassia cinnamon, is high in coumarin, a compound that is toxic in high doses. Ceylon cinnamon— “true cinnamon”—has almost no toxins and is healthiest.
  • Raise the temperature of the body and eat hot spicy foods that make you sweat. Cayenne peppers or other hot peppers increase the heat in your body, burning more calories to cool it down.
  • Asparagus is not only low in calories, but also high in the thermogenic effect. Add it to a meal that contains a beet, kale or spinach salad and you’ll burn calories and fat, plus boost your health.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching


Will Intermittent Fasting Help Me Lose Weight?

Will Intermittent Fasting Help Me Lose Weight?

There are a lot of diets and gimmicks on the market that help you lose weight. One pill advertised on television for weight loss also adds in its commercial that you have to follow the diet that comes with it to be successful, so it is more likely the diet, rather than the pill that works. All healthy ways to lose weight include eating whole foods that are well-balanced and contain fewer calories than you burn. How does intermittent fasting—IF— fit into the world of diets? It’s not a diet, but a way to time when you eat.

Intermittent fasting—IF— is not fasting like Gandhi.

Mahatma Gandhi was known for fasting days on end, IF isn’t like that. Instead of fasting for weeks at a time, most people use the form where they simply eat in a shorter window of time. For instance, they may fast for 16 hours and eat during the eight-hour window, such as from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some forms of intermittent fasting do include fasting a day or two a week, or simply eating light two days a week and normally the other days.

Fasting has a varied history.

Fasting has been used for religious reasons, weight loss, good health and even to prevent aging through the centuries. Hippocrates, who lived from 460 B.C. to 375 B.C., suggested people fast to improve their health when they were sick and believed fasting was the key to aiding the body heal itself. Fasting has been used to treat a variety of ailments, which includes epilepsy. In the 1940s, animal studies showed that fasting may even slow aging and the occasional fast might actually help the body function better.

Intermittent fasting may improve the autophagy of the body.

What is autophagy? It’s the body’s self-cleaning, getting rid of damaged cells and preparing those old cells for recycling. Autophagy slows as people age, which can lead to conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s. The best conditions for autophagy are when insulin levels are low, like during IF. The process slows aging and returns the body to its previous youthful cell regeneration. It also boosts metabolism. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn. IF also increases the hormone BDNF that aids in reducing inflammation.

  • Intermittent fasting tends to work due to the shorter period of food consumption. The eating schedule also reduces late night snacking, where higher calorie foods are often consumed.
  • Some people should not use intermittent fasting, such as people on medication taken with food, those who are pregnant or lactating, impaired immune systems, digestive issues or diabetes, unless under doctor supervision. Always check with your health care professional first.
  • You need to consume a healthy diet to get the most from IF. That boosts nutrient intake, while also reducing calories. One study showed IF produced Beta-hydroxybutyrate molecules causing vascular aging to be reversed.
  • IF has been shown to boost fat loss by approximately 7% and weight loss by 8%. It’s also been shown to reduce insulin resistance, which helps weight loss.

For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching