FACTS ABOUT HEALTHY LIVING

1.More than 1/3 of adults and over 12.5 million children and teens in the US are obese. In the last 30 years, obesity in children and teens has nearly tripled.

2.One can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and the average American adult drinks 500 cans of soda every year, estimating about 52 pounds of sugar consumed in soft drinks alone.
3.In a survey of 9th through 12th graders in 2011, 13.1% of the teens admitted to skipping breakfast in the past 7 days, while 11.3% had drunk 3+ servings of soda per day in the same time frame.
4.Excess meat consumption is bad for the planet, for our health, and for the well-being of animals. Ask your school to host meatless Mondays in your cafeteria to keep meat consumption down. Sign up for Meatless Mondays.
5.In 2011, more than 15% of the students were overweight, and more than 12% admitted to starving themselves for 24 hours or more in the last month in an attempt to lose weight.
6.Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it feeds your body and mind with the necessary nutrients and energy to function throughout the day. Eating breakfast regularly will also help keep weight off because it gets your metabolism going.
7.Teens need 9+ hours of sleep per night for their bodies to function properly. Less than 1/3 of high school students in 2011 reported getting 8 or more hours of sleep per night.
8.Physical activity like aerobic exercise (walking, running), muscle-strengthening (weight-lifting), bone-strengthening (jumping rope), and balance and stretching activities (yoga, pilates, dancing) are especially beneficial to a healthy body.
9.Foods that don't expire contain unnatural preservatives, additives, and chemicals that deteriorate your body. Focus instead on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, low-fat dairies, and above all, moderation in whatever you eat.
10.The rate at which your body burns calories when you are resting is called your "resting metabolic rate." If you cut calories below what's needed for RMR, your body will go into survival mode because it doesn't have the energy to perform basic functions.
11.For teens, the recommended caloric intake is 2,100 calories, but it is important to base your diet on your level of physical activity. Depending on how active you are, you can determine how many daily calories are healthy for your weight and lifestyle.

Some Summer Date Ideas

As the summer rolls along with longer days and weather that’s not sub-zero, your dating possibilities open up. No need to hide away in a dark bar (unless that’s your preferred wooing spot, of course), the outdoors is now your oyster.

But today, this post is all about summer date ideas, al fresco style! So, let your summer romance blossom with this list of six ideas for summer lovin’ activities.
Go for a picnic
Although this requires a bit more thought and preparation than your usual dinner date, the outcome is much more memorable. Picnics can be as romantic or as casual as you’d like them to be, which means you can be in control. It’s a great opportunity to wow your date with your home cooking, or take them to a favourite park or viewpoint.
Visit an outdoor cinema
A twist on a classic date idea. Take your love interest to see a movie, but don’t worry about missing the last rays of sun in a dark theatre. Outdoor cinemas have become a summer staple over the past few years, with screens on rooftops taking over most of London. Beyond the big smoke, you’ll find more pop-up cinemas at various locations across the US.
Do a trip to the coast
The US is surrounded by sea, so why not make the most of it? If you live near the coast, then a walk along the beach is a great way to get some one-on-one time with your date. And if you live a bit further away, take a train for a special a day trip. There are loads of seaside towns that are perfect for a day out.
Visit a stately home
Indulge your secret love of Downton Abbey. OK, maybe it’s not a secret. But even if your date claims they don’t watch the series, US many National Trust properties are well worth a visit. Most of them have a busy calendar of summer events, so if your date is interested in history, architecture or being in a beautiful setting, they’re sure to be impressed.
Play a round of golf
This may not seem like the most obvious of dates, but hear us out. There are classes for beginners, you get to spend lots of time outside and there’s some mild competition to keep things entertaining. Plus, you get the opportunity to sneakily put your arms around your date when giving them putting tips.

Get active
If you’re a bit more of an adventurous duo, try a wild activity to get the heart really racing. There are opportunities for wild swimming, kayaking and cycling all over Britain for those who like a challenge. Or, if you’d rather soak up the scenery with a gentler activity, try hiking – or going for a walk with a pub at the end.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

What is Green Tea?

Virtually all tea originates from the Camellia sinensis plant and healthy green tea is no exception. Unlike oolong teas or black teas, however, green tea leaves haven’t undergone the same withering and oxidation process.
After harvest, the leaves are processed by way of various methods, including sun-drying, pan-firing, charcoal firing, steaming, oven-drying, and tumbling. As with most teas, green tea comes in different varietals, blends, and qualities.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
The good news is that most green tea benefits are supported by actual research. The bad news is that way more research is required before we can start making foolproof claims about the benefits of green tea.
Nevertheless, green tea has been used for medicinal and health-related purposes in places like China and India for centuries. That’s not to mention its perennial association with healthy living, in general. There’s also no disputing the fact that green tea is loaded with healthy compounds and antioxidants. If you’re exercising regularly, eating well, and drinking healthy green tea on a regular basis, you may experience some advantages.
Here is a list of the seven benefits of green tea.
1. Improved Brain Function
While green tea typically contains less caffeine than both black tea and coffee, it still holds enough to produce a response. Numerous studies have linked caffeine consumption with improvements to mood, energy levels, memory, and reaction times.
Green tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which boosts GABA neurotransmitter activity and therefore helps reduce anxiety, raise dopamine levels, and increase the number of alpha waves in the brain.
Some studies have found that L-theanine and caffeine can combine to powerful effect inside the brain, thereby improving function.
There’s also some evidence to suggest that healthy green tea might protect the brain from aging and dementia. Its bioactive compounds may potentially help ward off diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. However, much more research is needed to back up any of these claims.
2. Increased Fat Burning
Some studies have concluded that drinking healthy green tea can increase fat burning and provide a boost to your metabolic rate. Other studies found no link between green tea and metabolism, however, so the correlation (if it exists at all) could boil down to personal variables.
If we wanted to explore green tea benefits vicariously, one could point to the caffeine content. Caffeine boosts energy levels and thereby boosts physical performance levels. In that scenario, the increased activity would have a positive effect on fat burning and metabolism.
3. Antioxidants
Green tea includes natural antioxidants known as polyphenols, most of which are powerful catechins such as EGCG. Polyphenols have been reported to reduce inflammation, prevent cell damage, and even fight cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, polyphenols may have a direct effect on decreased tumour growth. Some studies have concluded that drinking green tea can help fight the following types of cancer: breast, bladder, ovarian, colorectal (bowel), esophageal (throat), lung, prostate, skin, and stomach.
It all sounds too good to be true and for the time being, it should be treated as such. That is to say, much more research needs to be performed. And while areas with higher concentrations of green tea drinkers do tend to have lower cancer rates, that could also be due to peripheral lifestyle choices.
For those who want to drink green tea for the antioxidants, avoid adding milk. Some studies have found that milk can inhibit antioxidants and their associated benefits.
4. May Reduce Bad Breath
In test-tube studies, it was suggested that the catechins in green tea can prevent bacteria from forming in the mouth. This would likewise prevent things such as plaque build-up and tooth decay. Consequently, you’re potentially warding off bad breath.
To be clear, these studies isolated the catechins in green tea. The researchers did not determine that drinking green tea can actually reduce oral bacteria. However, they did not not determine it either. You follow?
5. May Reduce Blood Sugar Levels
Another reported benefit of green tea is that drinking it might improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels. This would theoretically lower one’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes, which is associated with insulin resistance and raised blood sugar levels.
One Japanese study discovered a 42% lower risk of type 2 diabetes amongst participants who drank the highest amount of green tea. Then we have a comprehensive review, which looked at over 286,000 subjects to find that those who drank tea had an 18% lower risk of getting diabetes.
Again, peripheral lifestyle choices should be taken into consideration before any hard conclusions are drawn. Generally speaking, the studies showing a relationship between green tea and diabetes have been inconsistent.
6. May Improve Cardiovascular Health
In 2006, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study on green tea, which followed 40,000 Japanese participants over the course of 11 years. According to the study, those who drank at least 5 cups of green tea per day had a lower risk of dying from things like a stroke or heart disease than those who drank less than one cup of tea per day.
Other studies have suggested that drinking green tea can lower LDL cholesterol levels and increase the blood’s antioxidant capacity (which affects LDL particles). Both of these factors can potentially reduce one’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
7. Healthier Skin
Green tea contains both Vitamin B2 and E, which have been linked to healthy skin. Furthermore, a 2007 study found that green tea can potentially slow down the overproduction of skin cells, thereby fighting inflammation, irritation, and skin disorders such as psoriasis.

A 7-Step Plan to Lose 4,5kg in Just One Week

If you want to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in one week, then you need to follow an effective plan.

I've tested this plan on clients who were looking to lose weight fast before an event like a vacation or photo shoot, and it works wonders.
In fact, some of my clients who use this look like they've been on a three- or four-week diet after just one week.
Although it's not a long-term fix, this can kick-start your weight loss journey and motivate you for more sustainable long-term changes.
This plan is not recommended if you have a history of eating disorders like anorexia.
It Is Possible to Lose 10 Pounds in a Week
While it's certainly possible to lose 10 lbs in one week, it won't be pure body fat.
Due to the calorie deficit needed to burn each pound of fat, it's simply not possible to safely burn 10 pounds of pure body fat in just one week.
However, this isn't to say you can't lose that much weight and still look leaner.
While a lot of the weight loss will certainly come from body fat, you will also drop pounds by losing excess water weight (1Trusted Source).
This is partly because this plan lowers your insulin levels and makes your body get rid of stored carbs, which bind water.
Although your body can only store about 300–500 grams of carbs in a form known as glycogen, stored glycogen does hold around three times that weight in water (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
Reduced insulin levels will also make your kidneys shed out excess sodium, leading to reduced water retention (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Along with reduced body fat and water weight, you may also lose some weight due to less intestinal waste and undigested food and fiber in the digestive system.
Here are the 7 steps you should follow in order to lose 10 pounds in a week.
1. Eat Fewer Carbs and More Lean Proteins
You can lose several pounds by following a low-carb diet for just a few days.
In fact, lots of research has shown a low-carb diet is a very effective way to lose weight and improve health (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
A short-term decrease in carb intake can also reduce water weight and bloating.
This is why people who go low-carb often see a difference on the scale as early as the next morning after starting the diet.
Additionally, making sure you eat plenty of protein can help reduce your appetite even further while boosting your metabolism (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
Try eliminating or drastically reducing all starchy carbs and sugars for the week. Replace these with low-carb vegetables, while also increasing your intake of eggs, lean meats and fish.
Check out this article to learn more about how to set up a low-carb diet and which foods to include.
2. Eat Whole Foods and Avoid Most Processed Junk Foods
When you're trying to lose weight quickly then it can be helpful to eat a simple diet based on whole foods.
These foods tend to be very filling, and make it easier to eat fewer calories without getting too hungry.
During the week, you should make sure to eat mostly whole, single-ingredient foods. Avoid most foods that are highly processed.
Eating mostly lean proteins and low-carb veggies can be incredibly satisfying even if you're not getting that many calories.
3. Reduce Your Calorie Intake by Following These Tips (See List)
Reducing your calorie intake may be the most important factor when it comes to weight loss.
If you aren't eating fewer calories than you expend, then you will not lose fat (10Trusted Source).
Here is a calculator that shows you how many calories you should eat to lose weight (opens in new tab).
Here are a few simple tips to reduce calorie intake:
Count calories: Weigh and log the foods you eat. Use a calorie counting tool to keep track of the amount of calories and nutrients you are taking in.
Eat only at meals: Reduce all snacks and don't eat anything after dinner.
Cut your condiments: Eliminate calorie-dense condiments and sauces.
Fill up on veggies: Fill your plate with vegetables and limit starchy carbs and added fats for the week.
Choose lean proteins: Choose lower-fat proteins, such as chicken and fish.
Don't drink your calories: Instead, opt for water, zero-calorie drinks, tea or coffee. Protein shakes are fine if you count them as a meal.
4. Lift Weights and Try High-Intensity Interval Training
Exercise is one of the best ways to burn fat and improve your appearance.
Resistance training, such as weight lifting, can lead to a similar amount of weight loss as regular aerobic training. It also helps you add or maintain muscle mass and strength (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
Full-body resistance training workouts are also a great method to lower your body's carb stores and water weight, which can lead to a sharp decline in weight (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Lifting weights can also protect your metabolism and hormone levels, which often decline during dieting (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is another very effective training method.
Research suggests that 5–10 minutes of HIIT can lead to similar or greater benefits for health and weight loss as five times that amount of regular exercise (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
Like weight lifting, it can quickly reduce muscle carb stores and also boost other important aspects of weight loss, such as your metabolism and fat-burning hormones (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
You can perform HIIT three to four times a week after a workout or as part of your normal training regimen. It is very important to do this with 100% effort or intensity. Most sprints should not last more than 30 seconds.
Here are a few protocols you can try. These can be done running in place or outside, or applied to a cardio machine like a bike, rower or treadmill:
Session 1: 10 x 20-second sprint with 40 seconds rest
Session 2: 15 x 15-second sprint with 30 seconds rest
Session 3: 7 x 30-second sprint with 60 seconds rest
Session 4: 20 x 10-second sprint with 20 seconds rest
5. Be Active Outside of the Gym
In order to burn extra calories and lose more weight, you can also increase your daily activity.
In fact, how active you are throughout the day when you aren't exercising also plays a very important role in weight loss and obesity (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
For example, the difference between a desk job and a manual job can account for up to 1,000 calories per day. This is the same as 90 to 120 minutes of high-intensity exercise (24Trusted Source).
Simple lifestyle changes such as walking or biking to work, taking the stairs, going for walks outside, standing more or even cleaning the house can help you burn a lot of calories.
6. Intermittent Fasting Is Another Simple Way to Reduce Weight Quickly
Intermittent fasting is another effective and proven tool for dropping fat (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).
It forces you to reduce your calorie intake, since you are limiting your eating to a short window of time.
There are many different protocols, such as a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour feeding window, or a 20-hour fast with a 4-hour feeding window.
If you're combining fasting with exercise, it may be wise to do the fasting at a different time than your workout.
7. Use These Tips to Reduce Water Retention
Several other methods can help you drop water weight and appear leaner and lighter. These include:
Take dandelion extract: A supplement called dandelion extract can help reduce water retention (27Trusted Source).
Drink coffee: Coffee is a healthy source of caffeine. Studies suggest that caffeine can help you burn more fat and lose excess water (28Trusted Source).
Mind your intolerances: Eating things that you are intolerant to, such as gluten or lactose, can lead to excessive water retention and bloating. Avoid foods that you think you may be intolerant to.