Many people decide that one of their New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. Unfortunately, it seems to take a lot longer for the weight to come off than it did to put on the extra pounds we are concerned about after the Holidays. The following 4 weight loss tips that work will help you to make positive changes you can stick with throughout the year. 1. Start by Making Small Changes Resist the urge to slash your caloric intake in half and to never let anything that you consider “bad” past your lips for the rest of your life. No matter how motivated you are at the begin...

Losing weight is something that can lower your risk of heart disease. Here are some simple tips to help you get on the right nutritional track: 1. Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fruits and vegetables are tasty and low in calories. They provide much-needed fiber and fill you up so that you are less likely to eat between meals. Start by adding a piece of fruit at breakfast and lunch and a salad at dinner a few times a week. 2. Keep an eye on portion sizes. Restaurant portions tend to be much larger than what the average person needs. Don’t feel obligated to finish everythi...

Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. If you are trying to lose weight and improve your health, diet alone won’t help you to reach this goal. To achieve permanent weight loss, you need to include exercise and strength training in the mix. Exercising regularly helps improve your health in several ways. It increases your heart rate, which strengthens the heart and burns calories. Regular physical activity also releases endorphins, which help to relieve stress and anxiety. Exercise can also help to relieve the symptoms of depression. Adding strength training into...

Most of us associate losing weight with going on a diet. We think that if we cut back on calories or limit ourselves to only a few “magic” foods we will shed unwanted pounds quickly and reach our ideal weight. The truth is that diets don’t work. If you want to achieve a healthy weight, you need to be prepared to make long-term changes to what and how much you eat…and stick to them. You didn’t put on the weight overnight, and it’s not realistic to think that it is going to come off that quickly. Start by making some small changes, like substituting a baked po...

Experts have linked obesity and the risk of heart disease for some time. The results of a new study have been released, and the results are surprising. Being a bit chubby can help you live longer. If you happen to be slightly overweight at the age of 40, you will live an average of six-seven years longer than a person who is very thin. Japanese researchers from Tohoku University followed 50,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 for 12 years. The idea that thin people have shorter a shorter lifespan due to illness or smoking was debunked by the study. Skinny people have shorter don’...

If you have had a heart attack, you may be thinking that what your heart needs is rest. This may be true for the first few days, and your doctor will let you know when it’s safe for you to start being physically active again. Over time, you will want to start including more activities in your routine so that you can strengthen your heart. Once the doctor tells you that you can start exercising after heart attack, you will want to start slowly. The first step may be to start with some stretching exercises and walking for a short period of time. Before more vigorous exercise is allowed,...

If your body is shaped more like an apple than a pear, you may be at increased risk of developing heart disease. A recent study conducted on children in Australia has revealed that they are more likely to carry body fat in their stomach area than in their limbs. Researchers examined children using calipers to determine how much body fat was present in the upper arm under the shoulder blade. The results of the study, which was conducted over a 50-year period, indicate that the amount of body fat in children is increasing by almost a full percentage point every decade. This is disturbing news, s...

If you want to lower your risk of developing heart disease, keeping your triglyceride levels down is important. When you have high triglyceride levels in your bloodstream, the risk of coronary blockage increases. Definition of Triglycerides The term “triglycerides” refers to fatty deposits that are stored in the body. When you eat carbohydrates, the body turns them into glucose, which is food for your body’s cells. The cells use the glucose for energy, and any excess amount of glucose is returned back to the liver, where it is turned into glycogen. The glycogen is stored i...

Your diet is a factor in your risk for developing heart disease. You can lower this risk by making a few simple changes. Don’t worry; eating healthy foods doesn’t mean that the food you eat will be boring or that you need to completely sacrifice taste for your health. If you want to lower your risk of heart disease by changing your diet, start slowly. Incorporate one heart-healthy diet change at a time and get used to it before changing something else. Most people don’t like change at the best of times, and you want to start eating better permanently, not just for a few we...

Being overweight or obese does increase the likelihood that you will be diagnosed with heart disease during your lifetime. The risk does diminish if  you can get to a heart healthy weight, though. Following a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products and whole grains is a good place to start. There are no “good” or "bad" foods, and you can still have a treat on special occasions, so long as you eat healthy foods most of the time. Try eating well at least 80 percent of the time, and you can enjoy special foods at other times, too. ...