Exercise as often as you can. Regular exercise can raise your resting metabolic rate (making weight control easier), lower cholesterol and blood pressure. As well, it improves the strength of your muscles and works to build strong dense bones.

Maintain flexibility. Exercise is necessary, not only for building your aerobic fitness to keep heart and lungs in good working order, but to keep you flexible. The older you get the more valuable is stretching. Yoga and stretch-and-tone classes improve flexibility and keep joints mobile and lubricated.

Manage stress. Stress, tension and anxiety are implicated in a string of problems from heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and ulcers. Stress "damages" the immune system and drains your energy. Practice taking short 2-minute stress break during your day.

Think positive. Learn to be happy with life and enjoy things more. It's much more healthy to be an optimist than a pessimist.

Drink water. Keep a glass of water by your desk or on the table and sip it so often so that you finish every two hours.

Time out. Try to spend at least 10 minutes outdoors, especially in the wintertime. The pineal gland at the base of the brain is switched off by lack of light which seems to control the mechanisms for weight gain, depression, lack of energy and poor sleep during those grey months.

If you are feeling stressed, you may want to wash down a vitamin C tablet with a glass of orange juice. A new study suggests that when we're under stress, the vitamin boosts the immune system warding off ills ranging from colds to cancer. If you are already ill, extra Vitamin C will diminish the severity of symptoms, while helping you to get better quicker.

SOURCE: MSNBC News

Eating tuna, salmon, or other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids once a day as part of a weight-loss plan can help you lose weight and improve your overall health.

Cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, cod and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that omega-3's protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Australian Researchers did a 4 month study of 69 overweight men and women who were being treated for high blood pressure. They had three groups:

Those who ate any fish with omega 3 fatty acids daily.

Those who ate any fish with omega 3 fatty acids once a week.

Those who maintained their usual eating habits.

The researchers followed these three groups for sixteen weeks, measuring their cholesterol levels, weight, and diabetes risk profile. Of the three groups, those participants who ate a daily serving of any fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lost weight, lowered their cholesterol, and reduced their risk factors for diabetes.

If you don't like fish then researchers note that fish oil supplements sold in most health food stores are another option for you.

SOURCE: Reuters Health.

97% FAT FREE... This means that the food contains 3% fat. Frequently misunderstood by consumers to mean the food has 97% less fat.

CHOLESTEROL FREE... If a product label says cholesterol free this does not mean that it is fat free. Many foods are free of cholesterol but remain high in fat, for example, snack foods, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, oils, & margarine.

LITE OR LlGHT... Does not always mean that food is low in calories or fat. Light can also mean light in salt but still have the same amount of fat.

REDUCED FAT... Food contains less fat than regular products, but may not necessarily be low in fat. Usually there is 25 or 35 percent less fat than its regular counterpart. Examples are reduced-fat cheese, margarine spreads, mayonnaise, sour cream, and dairy desserts.

SALT-REDUCED... Foods usually have one third to one half less slat than their regular counterparts.

Deciding to join an exercise club is easy, choosing the right club is the challenge. If you don't feel comfortable then you won't go.

Don't join on the first visit. There will always be those special deals. Go with a friend, this will help you keep that New Years resolution. Choose something close to home or work, if the gym is too far away, you won't go. Take an inventory of the equipment, do they have a wide selection of machinery? Check out the locker room and bathrooms - - mold in the showers is a giveaway for poor facility maintenance. Gym personnel should be helpful, friendly, and they should have fitness backgrounds. Do a test drive. Most clubs will let you try out the gym at least once. Check it out at the time you will normally go and see if it is crowded. This will make a difference.

SOURCE: Fitness Online

Contact us today for a free analysis of your food service. It's fast, free, and could save you money!