That's Fit

I've said before that I wish there was a way to ration myself a handful of M&Ms or a small serving of something sweet a day. But I can't keep that stuff in the house because when it comes to chocolate, I just don't have enough self-control. So (perhaps sadly), I can get behind the idea of the Chococlock.

Every hour on the hour, the clock offers up a piece of chocolate. You've got 30 seconds to grab it, then it's gone until the next hour. The fatal flaw with this product, however, is the cheat button. Doesn't anyone understand how a chocoholic works? I'd have that cheat button worn out in no time.

Thankfully, there's a free way to keep a handle on overdoing the sweets. Leave them at the store. Studies show that if you leave tempting food in your line of sight, you're far more likely to eat it. When I want a treat, I go out and buy one, but control my cravings by only buying a single serving every time.

How to you keep your cravings for your favorite treats under control?

Prenuptial agreements are traditionally drawn up to protect parties in the case the marriage fails and they need to divide their assets. But according to Michelle Andrews, over at U.S. News & World Report, lawyers are increasingly seeing prenups that include clauses related to health.

Some potential spouses want to be assured their betrothed won't gain weight or pick up smoking. Others want a guarantee on how many times a week they'll have sex or, in one case, put a weight restriction on physical intimacy. Of course, these clauses aren't legally enforceable, but I suppose if your fiance asks you to agree to them, then you know up front exactly what you're getting into.

We all want our spouses and partners to take good care of themselves. But putting healthy habits on a legal contract? That feels controlling and manipulative to me, not emotions you want to feel when you're saying "I do, till death to us part." I'd have run, far and fast, if my husband had approached me with one of these.

What about you? Are you willing to put your health requirements on paper? Or does this give you the same icky feeling it does me?

What Buettner and his team have done is studied how people live in these blue zones to try and discover why they live up to a decade or more longer than the rest of us. What it boils down to, if their theories are correct, at least, is fairly simple. The people in those communities eat less and eat mostly plant-based foods. They have less stress, they indulge in a glass or two of red wine, and they incorporate physical activity into every day. Essentially, less is more.

It's difficult to make changes like this sometimes in our Western culture, but it's clear that these communities are doing something right, as far as longevity goes anyway. To learn more about what makes the blue zones special, check out Forbes gallery on the subject.

Heart Disease is something few talk about, even though its touched many of our lives. But one notable star has spoken up about how heart disease has affected her life--Marie Osmond. The child star, who recently competed on Dancing With The Stars, talked with Everyday Health about matters of the heart. Here are the highlights:

• (On changing her unhealthy habits) : I started by exercising with my kids - taking long walks, riding bikes, even playing outside games. Then I kicked it all up a big notch by appearing on Dancing With the Stars. My mother told me a couple of months before she passed away (from heart disease,) "Marie, don't do what I did. Take the time to take care of yourself."
• (On passing on healthy habits): My 10-year-old daughter will order a salad instead of pizza. Even my 5-year-old surprised me when she chose an orange once after being offered a bag of chips. They still love their video games, but physical activity is a part of every day.
• (On her advice to other women): Most women spend 90 percent of their time taking care of others, so we put ourselves last on the priority list. I think women have to stop and decide that it's better for everyone in the long run if they take care of themselves in healthy ways every day.
  

Read more here.

There were exactly three reasons I was a couch potato last night:

1) Lost
2) A big bowl of homemade hummus and chips
3) See above.

Six nights a week, I could be happy never turning on the TV, but on Thursdays, I'm committed...and not to my exercise program.

If you're tend to be more couch potato than fitness fan, there could be some not-so-obvious reasons why. So many of us blame our poor exercise habits on lack of time, but that may not be the whole truth. Forbes tells us 10 common reasons why people don't exercise, and some of them may not be the reasons that you think.

For instance, if you live in a neighborhood where people aren't out exercising regularly, you might be less likely to get out and do it yourself. People who live in areas that have safe, convenient trails in pleasing environments are also (somewhat obviously) more likely to get out and use them. Maybe the effect is more psychological -- if you were a hot shot athlete in high school or college, you may have trouble facing up to the ways that aging has affected your performance.

Maybe you'll recognize yourself somewhere in their slide show, and sometimes just knowing is half the battle in changing your behavior for good.

A Cornell University study has found that people eat more than twice as much candy when it's in a clear container compared to when it's in opaque containers, and even more when the containers are within reaching distance instead of a few steps away.

With that in mind, I thought this might work for fruits and vegetables. In other words, I thought that what makes the close and open candy dish nutritionally dangerous might just bring the fruit bowl back in vogue.

It stands to reason that you will eat more fruits and vegetables in an open and close container for the same reasons you were eating more candy.

How does she do it? You ask yourself of your fit co-worker, friend, or neighbor. While it's true that we all come in different shapes, sizes, and body types, being physically fit is a result of healthy habits, not the luck of the draw in the gene pool. With a goal in mind of being the best you that you can be, these 10 habits of fit people can help you make the necessary changes to build fitness and improve your health.

• Sleep well.
• Plan ahead for exercise and for meals.
• Exercise in the morning.
• Bounce back quickly.
• Make lifelong changes.
• Avoid fads.
• Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
• Think about yourself in a positive light.
• Set goals.

What kinds of healthy habits keep you physically fit?

Looking for a little humor this Saturday afternoon? Pete Cohen of Weight Loss Guru put together this very funny video titled the Ultimate Anti-Health plan. It includes tips for slowing your metabolism, eating an entire day's calories in one sitting, and avoiding fiber (which will fill you up unnecessarily).

Sadly, these anti-health tips are all too easy to follow and they create habits that can be difficult to break. Check out the rest of Pete's site for support in changing your "anti-health" ways to healthier habits.

Thanks for the laugh, Pete. We'll be keeping our eye out for more videos from the Imperial Ministry for Anti-Health!


(via Cranky Fitness)

I've been a healthy eater pretty much all my life. Sure, I have a love of cheese, chocolate and wine, but I don't do fast food very often, I don't drink soda and I'll choose an apple over a bag of chips for a snack any day. But when I try to lose a pound here or there, it's really difficult. The internet is full of tips like 'cut out soda' and 'eat whole grains', and to someone like me who already does these, it's not really helpful. How do healthy eaters lose weight?

The key is taking an honest look at your lifestyle. For me, even though I eat healthfully, I was eating too much -- my portions were too big. And although I was walking for 45 minutes a day, it was really more of a stroll, not a workout.

Want to know how to lose weight when you're a healthy eater? Check out this helpful article from WebMD -- it's got lots of fixes for the habits that are keeping you heavy.

What's keeping you from losing the weight?

A recent review of World War I draft cards, done by the University of Chicago's Center on Aging, revealed some interesting clues about what it takes to live to be 100. Researchers found that, in that group of men at least, those who lived to be centenarians were most likely to:

• be farmers
• have four or more children
• have a thin or medium build
• be born to women under the age of 25

These findings are at odds with other recent studies, and health experts say they deserve a closer look. Whether or not these same characteristics would help you reach 100 in today's world is unclear. Some theorize that farmers had better sanitation than city dwellers in the late 19th century (when these men would have been born), or that the hard work of farming helped men stay trim and healthy. Others think that having more children means having better support late in life, though other studies have linked more offspring with a shorter life span.

What do you think of this finding?

A Malaysian doctor has stated that parents should teach their kids to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle in order to avoid diabetes soon or in their adult future. While not really an epiphany, it does reinforce a recent thought: why aren't so many parents involved in the health of their kids?

A lack or time, effort or patience can lead to letting parents just run by the fast food joint for all those meals, and the television can become a babysitter that costs very little. Why? Are trips to the park and fixing nutritious meals now a non-existent part of many people's lives?

Unfortunately yes -- for a gamut of reasons. Each parent is free to do anything with regards to the welfare of their children. Some could do a lot worse, but more could do a lot better.

You might recognize the name Michael Roizen, M.D., and you're probably even more likely to recognize his website RealAge.com. According to this article from the Seattle Times, Dr. Roizen has been spending his time reviewing 35,000 scientific studies to find out exactly why and how we age. He's used that knowledge to come up with 12 ways that women can reduce their "real age" in as little as a 3 months -- wow!

Interested in learning what they are? Click on the gallery below to read more about Dr. Roizen's tips for a younger you. You may find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with Dr. Roizen's suggestions -- I know that taking vitamins has been an especially controversial issue lately, for instance -- so if you have an opinion, we'd love to hear about it in comments!

In 90-seconds, you can walk to the kitchen and open a bag of chips and a soda. Or you can improve your health -- which sounds better? I know you're leading towards the chips, but think about how much better you'll feel if you choose your health.

According to Prevention, you can improve your health in 90 seconds. Now, that's not that's all it takes, but here are some easy things you can do in addition to leading a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat the apple peel. You might like apple slices bare, but most of the nutrition is in the skin.
  
• Sniff lavender and rosemary. Studies have shown that doing this can help slow the aging process.
  
• Add pistachios to your salad. This can significantly reduce your cholesterol
• Instead of pouring on the sugar, use buckwheat honey.
  

Want more great tips? Click here.

Does your company encourage employees to adopt healthier habits? If the answer is no, you could soon see changes in this regard -- according to this article, employers are being encouraged by health insurers to implement higher insurance rates for employees who smoke, or don't eat well or exercise. So you could end up paying for your bad habits -- literally!

In one company, employees undergo health tests, and if they don't pass, they pay high premiums and are encouraged to work with a health coach. And those who refused to take the test automatically paid the high rate.

What do you think about this? A good idea? I think it's a great idea, but I'm biased because I'm one of the people who would qualify for the lower rate.

You know that living a healthy lifestyle is good for your health, and you know that protecting the environment is important too. But did you know that the two don't have to be exclusive? Green living and a healthy lifestyle often go hand-in-hand. In fact, here are nine healthy lifestyle habits that will also let you do your part to conserve energy and lower your impact on the environment.

• Get to work on foot or by bicycle.
• Keep an early bedtime.
• Turn down your thermostat.
• Eat the right kind of fish.
• Switch to CFL light bulbs, but learn how to dispose of them correctly.
• Be wary of "healthy" alternatives.
• Give preference to local foods.
• Only take the medications you need.
• Support green practices in hospitals.

Interested in learning more? Click on the gallery below to find out how these tips can help you live green and clean at the same time. For more tips on green living, be sure to check out our sister blog Green Daily.