Archive for May, 2009
All About Fiber and Why You Need it in Your Diet
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Jackie O is the First Lady of Fitness, Fashion and Fun.
She is a Pittsburgh personal trainer, fitness instructor, life coach, motivational speaker, and fashionista. She also moonlights as a socialite.
What’s up ya’ll This is Jackie O., the First Lady of Fitness, Fashion, and Fun. Today, I have decided to do a positing on fiber and the importance of fiber in your diet.
Dietary fiber is a complex carbohydrate and is the part of the plant material that cannot be digested and absorbed in the bloodstream. Fiber is mostly polysaccharides composed of glucose units, but human digestive enzymes cannot break the bonding of these units. We can think of fiber as non-starch polysaccharides. These include cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and some other types of fiber. That might sound like Greek to you, but fiber is an important part of our daily diet, and a high fiber diet might be perfect for your body.
Depending on their solubility in water, there are of two main types of fiber: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Both of these types are important for optimum health. Fiber has a number of health benefits and hence is highly recommended in daily food. Some of its health benefits are:
• It promotes the feelings of fullness and reduces energy consumption.
• It prevents constipation, hemorrhoids, and other intestinal problems.
• Fiber helps prevent bacterial infection of the appendix.
• It reduces the risk of colon cancer.
• It stimulates the muscles of the digestive tract and helps them retain their health and tone.
To keep the digestive tract healthy and prevent other disorders like hemorrhoids and intestinal problems, people normally need 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily. These can be obtained from a variety of plants, vegetables and fruits. Fibers are especially abundant in whole foods. Good sources of soluble fiber include oatmeal, oat bran, barley, dried beans and legumes, and citrus fruits. All fruits are rich in fiber. For just 2 grams of fiber, you could eat 1 small apple, 1 peach, 1 small banana, 2 prunes, 16 large cherries, or a number of other fruits. Grains also contain fiber. For 2 grams of fiber, simply try 1 slice of whole wheat bread, 2 slices of cracked wheat bread, 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, 2 cups of popped popcorn, or ¼ of a cup of corn bran.
If you are on a low-carb diet, you can try eating cooked vegetables to provide your body with adequate fiber. For 2 grams of fiber, eat ½ of a cup of broccoli, 1 cup of celery, ½ of a cup of carrots, 1 small potato, 1 large tomato, or a variety of beans. Beans, or any type of legume, are the real powerhouses for fiber. By only eating ½ of a cup of kidney beans, 1 cup of dried peas or lentils, or ½ of a cup of canned baked beans, you can provide your body with a whopping 8 grams of fiber. If all else fails, small amounts of fiber can also be found in peanuts, walnuts, and pickles, so there is really no excuse for not getting enough fiber in your diet!
Getting Fit with Aerobics Classes
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Getting Fit with Aerobics Classes
If you have ever wanted to be healthier, you probably already know that aerobics can be the way to go. You’ll find that you are able to stay trimmer, and you are also able to have more endurance and be able to do other sorts of exercises. One of the best ways to get into aerobics and to make it something that you can do full time is to take aerobics classes.
At aerobics classes, you’ll be able to learn how to do the basic fundamentals of the types of aerobics that you want to be doing. You can also learn how to different moves – things you might not know yet, and you can learn how to transition between one type of aerobics and another. At aerobics classes, you are going to have a chance to learn all about aerobics – what they can do for you, how they work, and why they are important. Not only that, but you’ll actually be able to learn them, from an instructor, someone who is good at what they do and someone who can help you be good at aerobics as well.
When it comes to aerobics classes, they good for you in another way, other than simply teaching you aerobics. Everyone knows that the hardest part about working out is actually doing it, going to the gym or riding your bike, or doing whatever it is that you have decided to do. This is the hardest part about an exercise routine, actually getting it done. However, if you sign up for an aerobics class, this means that you are actually scheduling yourself to do it – you are saying that during these times you’re going to be at aerobics, which means that you have to go.
Often, just getting it put down on the calendar is a great way to make sure that you do something. This is a great thing for you, and you can find that by scheduling yourself to be taking aerobics, you’ll find you are even more likely to actually go ahead and work out instead of putting it off. This is something that you might want to think about, because if you have a lack of motivation for any reason, trying to work out on your own just might not cut it. You would probably be better off taking a class because this way you are guaranteed to have scheduled this time to work out.