Daily Workout Plan

OKAY. Goal for this Week is to seriously do this! PROMISE?

Love, 

ALPHA

New Year. New You. The Core Challenge.

Something I took from Alpha's Pinterest. 

Let's Do IT! This is going to be the year! 

I CAN FEEL IT.

Source. 

GET THEM ABS YO. 

WERK.

Love, 

ALPHA

New Section!

Hey Everyone! I was just looking through some of the past posts and have realized that there should be a new section. "Easy Living" seems like a broad topic and so I have decided to split it into two parts. The regular "Easy Living" is going to be cooking, crafts/DIY, and the home while "Healthy Living" is going to be about exercise and healthy food facts.

Love,
ALPHA

Foods To Never Eat

Artificial Sweeteners

Since sweeteners are sweeter than sugar, they can reset your taste buds to crave sugary foods. As a result, you end up eating more junk. 

Margarine

Margarine has loads of trans fats, which increase your cholesterol. And it contains a lot of ingredients vs butter's one or two. The calorie count is also similar to butter, but we tend to eat more of it because we think it's healthier. Stick with small does of butter or use heart-healthy olive oil.

Soy Protein Isolate (don't know why people would eat this in the first place)

All soy isn't bad, but the isolate (a refined, often genetically-modified form of soy that pops up in a lot of soy-based products) resembles estrogen, which is iffy—some research has shown that it can increase the risk of cancers and infertility in women. If you want to go vegetarian, opt for veggie burgers with quinoa, chickpeas, or black beans as a base, and eat protein bars that are based on nuts and seeds. And for meat subs, go for beans, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and natural sources of soy like edamame, tofu, and tempeh.

Diet Foods

"Diet" or "low-fat" doesn't mean low-calorie. Diet bars and low-fat foods usually have more sugar, salt, and unhealthy fillers to make them taste okay. Even worse, we typically eat double the serving we should because we're not satisfied or think that it's okay to eat more because it's "healthy."

Frozen Foods

These are often heavily processed and filled with fat and salt. Instead of going this route, make a big meal at home when you have some downtime, portion it out, and freeze the servings. 

More information on Cosmo

Love, 

ALPHA

Foods That Fight Fat

Salmon

Research suggests the omega-3s in salmon and other fatty fish help build muscle—and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Omega-3s may also help reduce fat storage by lowering cortisol levels.
Go for: Two 3-oz servings of fatty fish per week.

Yogurt
Calcium-rich foods have slimming superpowers. Get too little of this mineral and your body's more likely to pack away calories as fat, according to a review of studies. With up to 50 percent more calcium per ounce than milk, yogurt is a potent source. Better yet, its probiotics may help keep belly fat under control.
Go for: At least two servings a day.

Avocado

For a speedy metabolism, you need to keep inflammation in check and blood vessels clear and supple. Avocado's unique combo of essential fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, and antioxidants helps you do just that. Plus, one avocado's 14 grams of fiber kicks up your calorie burn.
Go for: One to two daily servings of foods high in healthy fats.

Beans

High in resistant starch and fiber, beans force your system to use extra energy (as in calories) to break them down. Research suggests that if you choose foods high in resistant starch—it's also found in whole grains and not-quite-ripe bananas—you can increase your calorie-burning power by up to 24 percent over the course of the day.
Go for: One serving of a resistant-starch food per meal.

Chili peppers
Chilies' heat signals the presence of capsaicin, a compound that, along with capsiate, can propel the body to scorch an extra 50 to 100 calories following a spicy meal.
Go for: Chilies as hot as you can stand. 

Green tea
This packs caffeine and antioxidants called catechins, a dynamic duo believed to stimulate your nervous system and increase fat-burning. Studies suggest that drinking green tea can help you drop pounds and trim your waist.
Go for: Several cups a day (keeping in mind how caffeine affects you).

Coffee
The caffeine in one cup of joe temporarily perks up your metabolism by as much as 15 percent. Caffeine also helps mobilize the forces that burn stored fat.
Go for: One to two cups a day, especially before exercise.

Love,

ALPHA

7 Foods Worse Than White Bread

MOVIE THEATER POPCORN  Popcorn is already
 about 1,200 calories, almost all from carbohydrates
 and a whopping 580mg of sodium for a large-sized bag.
That's before you add the butter. (this broke my heart
a little)

YOGURT WITH FRUIT AT THE BOTTOM 
It's the ultimate chick pre-workout/afternoon/late-night snack.
Problem is, that fruit is sugar central. All yogurt contains lactose,
which is a naturally occurring carbohydrate, but when you
 add the jammy fruit you end up with nearly 30g of carbs, half of
which is the processed.

BAKED GOODS AT COFFEE SHOPS Muffins used
 to be a baseball-sized treat. Now they're more like softballs,
with some containing nearly 64g of carbs and more than 30g
of sugar. 

CHEESE CRACKERS  While the carb count isn't necessarily
 through the roof (about 18g per serving), these orange snacks are
 particularly cringe inducing because there is literally no other
redeeming nutritional factor. 

JUICE DRINKS & SMOOTHIES A 16oz fruit-heavy
 juice can have as many as 75g of carbohydrates and 64g
 of sugar. If you can't start the day without juice, stick to about 4oz,
which has a reasonable 15-20g of carbs.

BAGELS Depending on the size, a bagel is only
recommended to someone who is going on a 2-3 hour
 run afterwards. Many deli bagels can have 250-300 calories
 and more than 50g of carbs each.

FANCY COFFEE DRINKS These can have as many
 calories as a meal, (sometimes upwards of 400). Add in sugars,
 saturated fats in whipped cream, and chocolate flavorings,
 and you've got dessert in a very large plastic cup.


Love,
ALPHA

Workout Tips

Need inspiration to go to the gym? Tip yourself $1 each time you workout and after every 100 workouts, treat yourself to something!! 

Pretty damn clever no? 
Love, 
ALPHA

6 Nutrients For Faster Weight Loss

CALCIUM
How It Melts Fat: Calcium is a mineral that works in tandem with D to help you shed fat. Calcium is stored in fat cells, and the more calcium a fat cell has, the more fat that cell will release to be burned. Calcium also promotes weight loss by binding to fat in your GI tract, preventing some of it from getting absorbed into your bloodstream.

PROTEIN
How It Melts Fat: In addition to keeping hunger in check, regular doses of protein help to keep body composition—the amount of fat relative to muscle—in better proportion. It also helps you to preserve muscle mass as you drop pounds. 

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
How It Melts Fat: Omega-3s enable weight loss by switching on enzymes that trigger fat-burning in cells. They also help to boost mood, which may help reduce emotional eating. And omega 3s might improve leptin signaling in the brain, causing the brain to turn up fat burning and turn down appetite. Fatty fish like salmon (which are also high in D) are one of the richest sources of this fat. Other foods, such as some nuts and seeds, contain a type of fat that can be converted into omega-3s after ingestion.

MONOUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (MUFA)
How It Melts Fat: MUFAs are a type of fat found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, peanut butter, and chocolate, and they have just one chemical bond. A diet that includes 20 percent of its calories from MUFAs improved 24-hour calorie burning by 0.1 percent and fat burning by 0.04 percent after 6 months. Other research shows that MUFAs zero in on belly fat. Specific foods that are high in MUFAs have been shown to keep blood sugar steady and reduce appetite, too.

CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID (CLA)
How It Melts Fat: CLAs are potent fat burners that are found, along with D and calcium, in dairy products. CLA helps blood glucose enter body cells, so CLA can be burned for energy and not stored as fat. CLA also helps to promote fat burning, especially in muscles, where the bulk of our calorie burning takes place.

Read more at Women's Health: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/the-vitamin-d-diet#ixzz23ga4AdjU

Love,
ALPHA

Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

1. Hot peppers: The compound capsaicin that gives chili peppers their kick has long been connected with boosting metabolism and curbing cravings.
2. Whole grains: Whole grains offer loads of dietary fiber and complex carbs that help speed up your metabolism. 
3. Coffee: Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system; your daily cup of coffee can boost metabolism by five to eight percent.
4. Vinegar: Vinegar has a ton of health properties including the ability to burn fat. Studies indicate that it's the acid in vinegar that signals genes in the body to break down fat. It's especially useful to enjoy vinegar after you eat refined carbs, since it manages your blood-sugar levels from rising too quickly.
5. Citrus: Chowing down on citrus favorites burn fat and keep your metabolism in check. Examples of these foods are grapefruit and orange.
6. Spices: Spices are one of the easiest foods to incorporate to keep your metabolic rate high. Turmeric and cinnamon do the best job at kicking up your body's temperature, speeding up your body's fat burning process.

Love,

ALPHA

Insanity

Let's Hope I Survive and Stick to it!! 

Insanity: Super Intense Workout.

ahhh i'm scared >_<

Love, 

ALPHA

47 Foods You Should Be Eating

Spinach

Wild salmon

Blueberries

Raspberries

Swiss chard

Quinoa

Rolled oats

Pistachios

Barramundi 

Plain Greek yogurt

Apples

Red, yellow and orange bell peppers

Lean red meat

Whole eggs

Blackberries

Almonds

Sardines

Carrots

Black tea

Green tea

Pink grapefruit

Turmeric

Kale

Cauliflower

Red grapes

Nut butters

Coconut

Strawberries

Avocados

Tomatoes 

Pumpkin

Unsweetened cocoa powder or cocoa nibs

Pineapple

Sweet potatoes or yams 

Beans

Lentils

Garlic

Broccoli

Red and green cabbage

Onions

Cherries

Cinnamon

Oat bran

Beets

Barley

Mushrooms

Canola and olive oils

Read more at Men's Health: http://blogs.menshealth.com/bellyoff-nutritionist/47-foods-you-should-be-eating/2011/06/29/#ixzz1zwZqOKbM


Love,
ALPHA

9 Health Benefits of Chocolate

1. A Healthier Heart

The latest research backs up claims that chocolate has cardiovascular benefits and that about a square of dark chocolate a day lowers blood pressure and reducs risk of heart attack and stroke by 39 percent. Most of the credit goes to flavonoids, antioxidant compounds that increase the flexibility of veins and arteries. But since those antioxidants come with a generous portion of sugar, milk, and butter, chowing down on chocolate isn't an excuse to skip your workout. Chocolate and exercise actually work surprisingly well together: Another recent study, out of Australia this time, showed that eating chocolate high in healthy antioxidants reduced the blood pressure-raising effects of exercise on overweight individuals. So go ahead and reward yourself. A chocolate bar has five times the flavonoids of an apple, after all.

2. Weight Loss

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that dark chocolate is far more filling, offering more of a feeling of satiety than its lighter-colored sibling. That is, dark chocolate lessens cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. So if indulging in a bit of healthy dark chocolate should not only make it easy for you to stick to the small portion recommended for optimal health, but it should make it easier for you to stick to your diet in general. 

3. Happier Kids

Women who ate chocolate daily during their pregnancy reported that they were better able to handle stress than mothers-to-be who abstained. Also, a Finnish study found their babies were happier and smiled more.

4.  Diabietes Prevention

Candy as a diabetes foe? Sure enough. In a small Italian study, participants who ate a candy bar's worth of dark chocolate once a day for 15 days saw their potential for insulin resistance drop by nearly half. "Flavonoids increase nitric oxide production," says lead researcher Claudio Ferri, M.D., a professor at the University of L'Aquila in Italy. "And that helps control insulin sensitivity."

5. Reduced Stress

UC San Diego researchers recently confirmed what your fat pants could have told them back in college: When times get tough, people tend to dip into the chocolate stash more often than they might otherwise. And as it turns out, that kind of emotional eating might not be such a bad thing. You know what kind of havoc stress and its sneaky sidekick cortisol can wreak on your body. Swiss scientists (who else?) found that when very anxious people ate an ounce and a half of dark chocolate every day for two weeks, their stress hormone levels were significantly reduced and the metabolic effects of stress were partially mitigated. After a breakup, break out a dark chocolate bar rather than a pint of ice cream.




6. Sun Protection

London researchers recently tested chocolate flavanols' sun-protecting prowess. After 3 months eating chocolate with high levels of flavanols, their study subjects' skin took twice as long to develop that reddening effect that indicates the beginning of a burn.

7. Higher Intelligence

Not only will it help your body ward off the effects of stress, but it'll boost your brain power when you really need it. Drinking cocoa rich in flavanols boosts blood flow to key parts of the brain for 2 to 3 hours, which could improve performance and alertness in the short term. People who consumed flavanol-rich chocolate, wine, or tea scored significantly higher on cognitive tests than those who didn't.

8. Cough Relief

One study found that chocolate quieted coughs almost as well as codeine, thanks to the theobromine it contains. This chemical, responsible for chocolate's feel-good effect, may suppress activity in a part of the brain called the vagus nerve.

9. Diarrhea Relief 

Scientists at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute found that cocoa flavonoids bind to a protein that regulates fluid secretion in the small intestine, potentially stopping the trots in their tracks.

Love, 

ALPHA

15 Super Foods

1. Nuts

Buts are backed with monounsaturated fatty acids (good fats) that lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Eating a high-protein, high-fat snack, such as almonds, increases your calorie burn for up to 3 and a half hours. And just one ounce of almonds boosts vitamin-E levels, increasing memory and cognitive performance.

2. Eggs

Eating eggs for breakfast (as opposed to something like bagels)  gives higher energy levels and allows you to lose more weight, with no effect on their cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Egg protein helps boost muscle strength and development more than other proteins do because of its high concentrations of the amino acid leucine. And egg protein is also better at keeping you from getting hungry over a sustained period.

3. Whole Grains

People who eat whole grains daily weighed less than those who eat only refined-grain foods.
Whole-grain eaters lose more belly fat than those who eat refined grains. Whole grains more favorably affect blood-glucose levels, which means they don’t cause wild swings in blood sugar and ratchet up cravings after you eat them. Plus, the antioxidants in whole grains help control inflammation and insulin (a hormone that tells your body to store belly fat).

4. Avocado

Just because a food has plenty of fat and calories in it doesn’t mean it’s “fattening.” Avocados  aren't fattening, because they’re loaded with healthy fat and fiber and don't cause wild swings in insulin levels. So enjoy the fat in avocados, olive oil, and nuts. Research shows that diets containing upward of 50 percent fat are just as effective for weight loss as those that are low in fat.

5. Meat

Grass-fed beef, chicken, and pork is leaner and healthier than conventional livestock—and will help trim away pounds. Grass-fed beef is so much more nutritious than commodity beef that it's almost a different food. Grass-fed beef contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to reduce abdominal fat while building lean muscle. It also has more omega-3s and less omega-6s than corn-fed beef. It’s the same with chickens; free-range chickens have significantly more omega-3s than grain-fed chickens, less harmful fat, and fewer calories than grain-fed varieties. This is important because omega-3s improve your mood, boost your metabolism, sharpen your brain, and help you lose weight.
 

6. Fish

Generally, small, oily ocean fish (herring, mackerel, sardines) are low in toxins and score highest in omega-3s. Wild Alaskan salmon, Pacific Halibut, Rainbow Trout, and Yellowfin tuna are generally low in toxins and high in nutrients. And then there are fish that we should avoid at all times: farmed (or “Atlantic”) salmon, farmed tilapia, Atlantic cod, Chilean Sea Bass, and farmed shrimp. 

7. Berries

After eating a high-carb, high-sugar meal, free radicals (rogue molecules produced when your body breaks down food) attack the neurons that tell us when we’re full. The result: It’s hard to judge when hunger is satisfied. Escape the cycle of overindulgence by eating foods that are rich in antioxidants. The berries that give you the most antioxidant bang per bite, in order: cranberries, black currents, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranates.

8. Instant Oats

Fiber is the secret to losing weight without hunger. Do nothing to your diet other than add more of the rough stuff, and you will lose nine pounds in a year, effortlessly. Instant oats are one of the easiest ways to get more real fiber into your diet. Plus, new research indicates that oats can also cut your risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, and even reduce your risk of weight gain. Oats also have 10 grams of protein per 1/2-cup serving, so they deliver steady muscle-building energy. Choose oatmeal that contains whole oats and low sodium, which also has whole-grain wheat flakes and flaxseed.

9. Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables—like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, and bok choy—are all rich in folate, and the more folate you have in your diet, the lower your risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s, and depression. New research shows that folate helps protect against damage from estrogenic chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), which have been linked to obesity.These veggies also rich in potassium, which help preserve lean muscle mass.

10. Apples

Eating the peel of an apple is a great way to add more fiber and nutrients into your diet. But there’s a downside: The peel is where fruit tends to absorb and retain most of the pesticides they are exposed to, apples and peaches being the worst offenders. That’s why, for maximum weight-loss potential, it is strongly recommended that you buy organic versions of apples, pears, peaches, and other eat-the-peel fruits.

11. Beans

Study after study reveals that bean eaters live longer and weigh less. One study showed that people who eat 3/4 cup of beans daily weigh 6.6 pounds less than those who don't eat beans. Another study found that people who eat one and a half servings of beans a day (3/4 cup) have lower blood pressure and smaller waist sizes than those who skip beans in favor of other proteins.

12. Dark ChocolateResearch shows that dark chocolate can improve heart health, lower blood pressure, reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol, decrease the risk of blood clots, and increase blood flow to the brain. Dark chocolate boosts serotonin and endorphin levels, which is associated with improved mood and greater concentration; it's rich in B vitamins and magnesium, which are noted cognitive boosters; it contains small amounts of caffeine, which helps with short-term concentration.

13. Ice Cream

Calcium-rich desserts like ice cream bind to fatty acids in the digestive tract, blocking their absorption. Half a cup of vanilla ice cream gives you 19 milligrams of choline, which translates to protection from cancer, heart attack, stroke, and dementia. We’re not suggesting you have a bowlful of ice cream every night. But a scoop every few days isn’t the diet-saboteur it’s made out to be.

14. YogurtProbiotics and enzymes, those friendly bacteria found in yogurt, may be the key to losing those last stubborn inches around your waist. They not only help the digestive system work properly, but also have a profound effect on the metabolism.

15. Tea

If you swap just one soda a day for water or unsweetened tea or coffee, you’ll lose 2.5 pounds each month. Cutting down on liquid calories has a bigger impact than cutting down on calories from foods. Instead of sugary beverages, try green tea, which is high in the plant compound called ECGC, which promotes fat burning. 

Love,

ALPHA

Reasons You Have Belly Fat

1. You're Doing Crunches, Not Cardio

While ab exercises will tone your core muscles, they won't do anything about the layer of fat covering them up. Cardio is a must because it's the only way you can burn calories, which will decrease your overall percentage of body fat, to slim down your tummy and reveal your toned tummy.

2. Your Cardio Isn't Intense Enough

If you really want to melt away unwanted pounds, the kind of cardio you do matters. You must exercise for at least an hour a day, five times a week, doing heart-pumping, high-intensity cardio like running, biking, swimming, or dancing. Keep in mind that interval training targets your waistline, so mix up your pace for even faster results.

3. You're Skipping Breakfast

It would make sense that eating less would help you lose weight, but you should never skip meals, especially the first meal of the day. Eating breakfast jump starts your metabolism, regulates your blood sugar levels, and gives you energy until lunch. Make sure your breakfast choice is high in protein and fiber to fill you up.

4. You Follow the Three-Meals-a-Day Rule

Eating three meals a day was a standard way of eating many years ago, but the problem with this plan is that you end up starving by the time it's mealtime. It's best to eat three regular meals and one or two healthy snacks throughout the day. Spacing out your calories and eating every three or so hours regulates your blood sugar and controls the release of insulin that can cause your body to store more calories as fat.

5. You're Kicking Back More Than a Few

The one-drink-a-day isn't just good for your health; it's also good for your waistline. Alcohol can add on hundreds of extra calories, so if you're trying to slim down your belly, ditch the alcoholic bevvies for a month or so, and you're sure to notice a difference.

Love,

ALPHA