How to keep those resolutions

Made any for 2011?
My only goal for this year is to make it a significant improvement over 2010 in every way possible.
According to a study reported by Real Age, and perhaps counter-intuitively, it might actually be easier to accomplish a whole list of resolutions at the same time, rather than one at a time.
Here's some advice:

Boost Your Success
Want to lose weight? Cut back on ice cream? Walk more? Cook healthier meals? We all know that making resolutions to change for the better is one thing, but keeping those resolutions is quite another. Here are a few more ways to help tip the scales in your favor:

4 Make-It-Happen Tools

• Get a diet/exercise buddy to help keep you on task.
• Look up healthier versions of your favorite foods in the RealAge Recipe Finder.
• Spend more time in the sack.
• Work on relaxing more.

Snack on this for weight control

Want to stay faithful to your diet or lose more weight? Eat a handful of nuts when you get the munchies.

Despite their high fat and calorie count, nuts are the perfect diet food. Research shows that people who eat nuts lose more weight and are more likely to stick to their weight loss plans than people who don't nibble on this ultra-satisfying munchy.

Perfect Helper Food
Nuts boost weight loss efforts in three ways. First, they satisfy hunger, helping people to eat less later. Second, research shows that eating nuts helps people burn more calories at rest. And finally -- because of how the body digests them -- nuts might actually deliver fewer calories than you think (in fact, fewer calories per serving than nutrition labels suggest). Yep, sounds like nuts just might be the superfood of all superfoods.

Nuts About Nuts
Of course, noshing on nuts isn't a shortcut to weight loss. To drop pounds, you still need to cut calories from your day -- either by eating less or exercising more. And you need to stick to the regimen. Still, most diets fail because nagging hunger takes over, and healthy "diet" foods tend to lose out over junk food when hunger gets out of control. But nuts can help with both of those diet pitfalls. As a snack, nuts have a delicious, crunchy, satisfying texture. And they help you feel full, so you're less likely to overeat later on. Check out more health news about nuts:

• Find out what eating nuts once a week can do for your eyes.
• Discover what nut is best for heart health.
• Pair nuts with this treat and you'll probably live longer.

Source: www.realage.com

Fight winter pounds with this food

Weight gain and winter go together like -- what, peas and carrots? We're less active in these cold, dark times and on top of that, we crave so-called comfort foods.
One type of food to keep on your menu is winter squash. It's filling, versatile (amazing number of ways you can prepare the stuff), and best of all, delicious.

Here's some info about squash from Real Age, and then scroll down for a recipe.

Research shows that getting more vegetable fiber into the diet could help prevent an expanding waist. It may even help people drop a few pounds. So go ahead -- eat up.

Slimming Squash
Be it butternut, acorn, or delicata, winter squash has a lot going for it nutritionally, writes Jonny Bowden in his book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Squash is high not only in fiber -- about 6 grams of fiber per cup of mash -- but also in water. That means you can eat lots and feel full without going overboard on calories. Just hold the butter and brown sugar, of course.

More to Love
Whole grains are another good source of weight-controlling fiber. So why not make it a two-for-one by combining roasted squash with a toasty high-fiber grain like bulgur or quinoa. Try this EatingWell recipe that combines squash and whole grains in one delicious fills-you-up-without-fattening-you-up dish.

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Barley Pilaf Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 T olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 14-ounce can chicken or vegetable broth/stock
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup pearl barley
2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth, water, barley and squash; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the barley and squash are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes. Add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper; mix gently. Serve.

Help for the Sleep-Deprived (or Sleep Interrupted)

This posting isn't about food, but it's certainly on a topic that's very crucial to our health: sleeping well.
Some health-oriented folks, including doctors, believe that sleep may be the most important component in our entire health profile, above diet, exercise, vitamins, medications, and visiting doctors.
So here's some advice for those who have trouble staying asleep -- that is, you may fall asleep easily enough, but you wake in the night and can't get back.
It's from Real Age, and it's titled "Fall Back Asleep Fast with These 3 Tips"

1. Don't fight it. Tossing and turning works for salads, not sleep problems. If you can't get to sleep within 15 minutes, get out of bed and do some light activity, like a yoga pose or a short walk. Getting your mind off sleep resets and reboots your system. Then, once back in bed, invite sleep with some soft music or meditation. (Try setting the stage for sleep by doing this 7-minute evening stretch workout with Dr. Oz.)
   
   
2. Use the night. Dim your lights several hours before bed to avoid the stimulation caused by artificial-light pollution -- that stuff that emanates all around us thanks to TVs, computers, and indoor lighting. (And here's a great reason to nix midnight Web surfing, too.)
   
   
3. Treat your nose. Allergies can prevent and disrupt sleep, thanks to all the congestion they cause. Consider over-the-counter nasal strips or a nasal saline or antihistamine spray for a stuffy or runny nose. (Not sure if you have allergies? Read up on allergy testing.)

What Matters More: Diet or Exercise?

Ideally, we'd all like to be thin and athletic, right? We'd never eat junk, fit perfectly into our skinny jeans and compete in marathons, or at least be able to run up flights of stairs without getting winded.
But since most of us can't do all that, it's interesting to think about what our top health goal should be.
Well, according to new research, it seems that being active -- getting regular exercise -- is more important than dropping the pounds.

Here's the scoop, from Real Age:

"Is your health goal to get thin or to get active? Science suggests it may be best to think more about breaking a sweat than about stepping on the scale.

"In a recent study, being inactive translated into a higher risk of heart disease, regardless of a person's body mass index (BMI).

Get Moving
"BMI is a measure of overall body weight that takes into consideration a person's height. Medical experts have used it as an indicator of body fatness and thus a tool for determining disease risk. But in a recent study, inactive people were in a higher heart-risk category no matter what their BMIs were. Seems their couch-potato ways translated into a disproportionately big waist, irrespective of how much -- or how little -- they tipped the scales. And a too-big waist means big trouble for the heart.

Body Composition
"Having a BMI within a normal range is great, but it's not the be-all and end-all of good health. You can have a normal BMI and still be unhealthy -- especially if you don't exercise. In the recent study, inactive men had a higher risk of future heart disease compared with active men. Again, this was regardless of BMIs and bathroom scales. Inactive women fared even worse than men when it came to heart disease risk, and it's all because activity affects body proportion. Exercise makes it less likely that your body fat will get stored in the most dangerous place you can store it: around your abdomen."

Stay slim by doing this -- daily!

If you don't already follow this important healthy-foodie rule -- what's your excuse?

That is: always start your day with a healthy breakfast. Even a less-than-healthy breakfast (bacon and the like) is better for your weight control than none at all.

Here's some advice from the Real Age folks about the importance of breakfast and staying slim:

Ever skip breakfast, secretly hoping you'll fit into your jeans better if you do?
It's a natural thought. Less food in your belly means more room in your waistband, right? Think again. New research shows that skirting the ritual of a morning meal can totally sabotage your waistline by setting you up for minimal calorie burn and a bigger appetite throughout the day.

Break Your Fast

In fact, breakfast skippers are twice as likely as breakfast eaters to pile on pounds, according to the study results. It may be because energy-deprived breakfast skippers tend to be less active throughout the day, so they burn fewer calories. On top of that, when people skip breakfast, their blood levels of ghrelin -- a hunger-inducing hormone -- creep higher, upping the odds of downing a supersized meal or high-calorie treat later in the day.

More Breakfast Boons

Here's yet another potential benefit of eating breakfast: a richer, happier life. Yes, really! In the study, people who often skipped their a.m. meal reported bigger drops in vitality, social functioning, and mental and emotional well-being compared with the breakfast eaters. So belly up to the breakfast table each morning. You'll look better and feel better if you do. (Follow these four simple rules to shed even more pounds.)

Which veggies are healthiest? Here's the TOP THREE

At the peak of summer, all the markets are filled with what seems like dozens of fresh veggies. While it's best to eat a variety of foods -- buy and eat them all, if you have the urge -- sometimes it can seem like we have too many choice.

Here's fresh news about which vegetables have the most anti-oxidants (disease-fighting substances) and therefore deserve starring roles on our plates.

A recent study of close to 30 different types of veggies put these three at the top of the list: broccoli, beets, and bell peppers (the red kind). Yep, the top-notch veggies all start with B. Makes it easier to remember, doesn't it?

The recent tests measuring total antioxidant content of the veggies revealed that they were particularly high in phenols -- that category of disease-fighting plant compounds that does everything from bolstering artery function to inhibiting the kind of cell damage that might lead to cancer or Alzheimer's. Broccoli and bell peppers are also a top source of antioxidant vitamin C. And beets are full of blood-pressure-friendly potassium.

Why They're Better than POTATOES
Though broccoli, bell peppers, and beets were tops in the recent study, it turns out we get most of our antioxidants from . . . potatoes. Not because they are more nutritious, but because we eat so many of them. (Alas, mostly French fries, too.) So the next time you reach for the potato sack for your side dish, try one of these recipes on for size instead.

• Skip the usual potato salad at your next picnic and serve this quick 20-minute salad: Broccoli Slaw.
• Forget the baked potato and make this: Lemon-Herb Roasted Beets.
• Bright bell peppers become a colorful side or vegetarian main with this recipe: Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers.

SOURCE: Real Age

Sweet snack that helps us stay slim

Craving a sweet treat? Of course, we know we should reach for fruit instead of candy or ice cream, and that's easier than ever in summer because so many yummy fruits are in season. But here's a sweet bite you probably haven't thought about. It's portable, not perishable, and available year round. Yes, I'm talking about the humble prune. The docs at Real Age remind us that with their high fiber content, prunes help us to feel full and make it less likely we'll overeat at mealtime. Here's some of what they have to say about the benefits of prunes, aka dried plums.

Hunger Be Gone
When researchers gave 45 volunteers a midmorning nibble of white bread and low-fat cheese, adding prunes to the snack produced some significant findings. The snackers reported feeling less hungry after the prune-infused nosh -- and they ate 6 percent fewer calories at lunch compared with when they had snacked on just bread and cheese. (Did you know? Prunes are great for your heart and bones, too.)

The Fiber Factor
So what gives prunes the advantage in edging out hunger? It's the fiber. Even though each test snack had roughly the same amount of protein, calories, carbs, and fat, the prune snack packed more than twice the fiber. That chewy fiber makes you eat more slowly, allowing your brain to realize when you've had enough to eat. And the roughage sits in your stomach for a long time, slowing down digestion. The fiber also reduces the rate at which sugar is soaked up into your bloodstream -- good for keeping insulin levels on an even keel and reducing between-meal hunger pangs.