Good-Housekeeping-related stories
Fat and Aging - 6 Tricks for Fighting Both
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
There's got be to be nothing better than fighting fat and aging at the same time. Now, I don't mean actually stopping the aging process. That would be weird, and I don't really want to stay 38 forever. What I mean is that it would be great to fight fat and feel younger all at the same time."Good Housekeeping"' Editor-In-Chief Rosemary Ellis told Ann Curry on Tuesday's "TODAY" show that she knows how we can tackle this double-whammy. Armed with six tricks for blasting fat and bolstering youth, Ellis spouted all sorts of wisdom. Check out her secret six:
- Produce: Eat your leafy greens with their vitamin K to reduce bone loss. Blueberries are tops too -- they help retard memory loss.
- Protein: Consume lean meats to preserve muscle mass, because you lose one percent a year starting at age 40.
- Whole Grains. Suppress your appetite with these fiber-filled goodies.
- Exercise: Aim for 30 minutes, five days a week. Be sure to do some strength training too.
- Wine: Drink one glass (five ounces) per day, says Ellis. It's one of the most potent anti-aging drinks around.
- Coffee: Ward off all sorts of disease with this drink. Tea works too. Just not the herbal stuff.
Ellis shares more detail in the video that follows, and she features a seven-day anti-aging diet (complete with menu and recipes) on the "Good Housekeeping" website.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The Cubicle Workout - 90 Seconds, Tops
Ouch, your shoulders. Ouch, your neck. Ouch, your head. Sitting all day in an office chair staring at a computer screen certainly doesn't do any favors for these body parts. But a 90-second workout, done every few hours, might.Italian workers are a little more limber after engaging in 90 seconds of exercise every two to three hours for six months. They participated in this study, you see, and they liked what they felt: 41 percent fewer headaches and 43 percent fewer shoulder and neck pains. Want to get in on these percentages? Well, then, the experts at Good Housekeeping say you should stand with your back and head against a wall and repeat the following moves eight to 10 times:
- Pull your shoulders back until they touch the wall, then release.
- Move your head forward and backward slowly, without tipping your chin forward or your head back.
- Cup your hands behind your neck, and ease your head up and back.
Now, because this workout will really only warm you up, I'm thinking you should conquer some cubicle squats, lunges, push-ups and planks too. Don't forget crunches. Think your boss will mind? If so, practice some of these celebrity gallery tips on your own time and see how fit you can get.
Celeb Fitness Tips
Cheryl Ladd from Charlie's Angels
"First of all, I think it's most important for women to have a close relationship with their doctor. It's important to trust your doctor, so when things go weird you are comfortable addressing the situation and taking care of things." READ MORE
Getty Images
Colin Egglesfield of All My Children
"Run! You can do all the weight training in the world, but nothing burns off that winter weight better than a good 30-45 run at least three times a week." READ MORE
Getty Images
Anthony FIeld of the Wiggles
"Put your legs up during pull-ups to make it harder on your stomach." READ MORE
Getty Images
Paige Davis of Trading Spaces
"Do you exercise on vacation?"
PAIGE: "No, not intentionally. But vacation seems to be busy. We walk a lot...and have lots of SEX!" READ MORE
Getty Images
Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard
"We really don't need a lot. I try to do cardio. I like the elliptical machine a lot, because it's low impact on my knees. If they don't have that I'll do the stationary bike. I always get in at least 35-40 minutes of hard cardio, work my core, and then work some other muscle group." READ MORE
Getty Images
Jeff Fatt from the Wiggles
"I stretch to get the lower back of my back more flexible." READ MORE
Getty Images
Pro skaters Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman
"Warming up before you stretch is key." READ MORE
Getty Images
Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN College Game Day
"It's kind of a lifestyle really. As an athlete I worked out so hard, I could eat anything without paying the price for it. As I got older, I still had that appetite and I was not able to work out as hard as I did when I was playing football. What I really try to do is control my portions, and mix in cardio and strength training workouts four to five days a week. If I can do that, I feel like I'm in a pretty good place." READ MORE
Getty Images
Pro skater Michael Weiss
"[Substandard hotel gyms] teach you that you can work out just about anywhere." READ MORE
Getty Images
Fat - Ground Turkey Can Have More Than Ground Beef
How can ground turkey possibly contain more fat than ground beef, asks one Good Housekeeping reader. Hey, I'd like to know the answer to that question too. How about you?GH Food Director Susan Westmoreland says in the January 2009 issue that both kinds of ground meat have varying amounts of fat. It all depends on what goes in the grinder.
OK, so here's the skinny: "Ground turkey breast" is the leanest, with one percent fat. "Lean ground turkey" mixes white and dark meat with some skin and totals about seven percent fat. This is comparable to "lean ground beef." Then there's "ground turkey," made from white, dark and skin, with 15 percent fat -- similar to "ground beef."
You've got to read labels, says Susan -- yes, that's what we're always saying -- in order to figure out exactly what you're buying. It can be tricky. Reading the word "lean" on a package of ground turkey can be misleading, because "lean" in this case is not the lowest-fat option.
Soup Diet Raises Skepticism
Any time there's a gimmick to a weight loss plan, I immediately get skeptical. Not fair, really. I should read about the plans with an open mind. Call me silly, but I'm jaded after all the crazy diet plans that have been created over the years. Good Housekeeping has a plan they're calling The Amazing Soup Diet. Basically, they have a seven-day meal plan. You start your week by making a big pot of a basic vegetable soup recipe. Then they give you healthy meal suggestions for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, you add some ingredients to the basic soup to give it some variety. For snacks, you can have a small portion of the basic soup at anytime; you can also snack on raw vegetables.
The Good Housekeeping staffers who tried it are very positive about the plan. I, however, remain a jaded skeptic. I love soup as much as the next person, but that's a lot of soup to eat. More importantly, I think any plan that requires you to eat certain things is a bad idea. To successfully lose weight and maintain the loss, you need to learn healthful eating patterns and establish an exercise routine -- and those habits have to last a lifetime. However, unlike other crazy diet plans, there's nothing in The Amazing Soup Diet that's unhealthful or potentially harmful ... and the soup does sound tasty.
For diet tips that really work, click on the Shrink a Size banner.
Craving swap
We all have overwhelming cravings from time to time. And it's okay to cave in and let yourself have a treat from time to time. After all, food is meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. But when treats change from the rare occasion to the norm, you've got a problem. Most people don't tend to crave the healthiest foods. Chocolate, salty snacks, and sweets tend to be the foods we ache for. Good Housekeeping has a fun tool that provides suggestions for craving substitutes. You can satisfy your sweet tooth (or salty tooth as the case may be) with some alternatives that are a little less hefty in the fat and calories department.
