Seven Habits of Highly Healthy Eaters

"What exercises can I do to ?? As fitness professional I hear these words often. It doesn't matter if the sentence ends with, "get bigger muscles", "firm up my butt" or "flatten my stomach". My initial response is always the same. "Well, what are you eating? In terms of physical fitness exercise is only part of the equation. Proper nutrition is vital regardless of the specific fitness goal.

If you want to maintain energy levels, achieve or maintain optimal weight and lower risk of disease, a healthy diet is imperative. It doesn't matter if your goal is fat loss, body shaping, mass building, improved athletic performance or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle; the following tips will help build healthy habits that will allow you to fine tune your body and feel great.

1. Eat 5 - 6 Smaller Meals a Day.

This practice will allow your body to utilize the food you eat more efficiently. More of your food will be used for providing energy, building muscle and maintaining healthy tissue, while less will be stored as fat. If your goal is weight loss, this is a great way to reduce calories without loosing energy or feeling hungry. If you are looking to gain lean muscle mass, eating more frequent meals will allow you to take in an increased number of calories without feeling stuffed. This will also insure that the vital muscle building nutrients will be available when your body needs them. Regardless of your fitness goal, eating 5 - 6 smaller meals a day will get your metabolism firing on all cylinders and give you the energy needed to reach your goals.

2. Do Not Skip Meals.

Skipping meals often leads to extreme hunger which can lead to "binge" type eating. The body can only process and utilize so much food at a time. It doesn't matter if you're only eating one or two meals a day. If you eat too much at any given meal, much of what the body doesn't use will be stored as fat. Here's another important reason not to skip meals. Depriving the body of vital nutrients often leaves one feeling tired and unmotivated (a real workout killer.)

3. Eat Real Food.

Our bodies are designed to metabolize food! Unfortunately the food industry has turned our bodies into chemical processing plants. Grocery store shelves are littered with food products containing non-food additives that are used to color, sweeten, stabilize, emulsify, bleach, flavor and preserve the food. The FDA lists approximately 2800 international food additives and about 3,000 chemicals, which are added to our food. Avoid foods that claim to be "enriched." The only reason processed foods are enriched in the first place is because their process has stripped them of virtually all their vital nutrients. Stick with whole foods including a good variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.

4. Read Food Labels.

To be sure you're making good food choices, read food labels. Look at the ingredients, the main ingredients are listed first. If the first few ingredients on the label include processed sugar (i.e. high-fructose corn syrup.) or saturated fat or trans?fatty acids (coconut oil, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, vegetable shortening), you may do well to make another food choice.

5. Pay Attention to Serving Sizes.

Pay attention to serving sizes, it's easy to over load. Weighing and measuring food is a good way to assure you are taking in the proper amount of calories and nutrients. This is especially important if you are on a weight loss or a weight gain program.

6. Eat Slowly and Chew Food Thoroughly.

Chewing food thoroughly aids in digestion, thus reducing the time it takes for vital nutrients to become available for use by your body. Eating slowly gives the stomach time it needs to tell the brain it's full. Taking your time to eat your meal is especially helpful if you are on a reduced calorie diet. It will allow you to eat less, yet still feel satiated.

7. Keep a Food Journal.

Write down everything you eat and drink. Initially include serving sizes along with the number of calories, as well as the amount of macronutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates). This will make you conscious of everything you eat while you become educated on the components of a healthy diet. If you are not making satisfactory progress towards your goals, your food journal can provide valuable information needed to make necessary adjustments.

Bill Scibetta, RN, NSCA-CPT
Bill is the founder and President of Precision Fitness ? Personal Training Centers in the Charlotte, NC area and co-author of the book Play Better Longer! ? Peak Performance and Injury Prevention for Golf. Bill is a licensed Registered Nurse as well as a National Strength and Conditioning Association ? Certified Personal Trainer. After spending years practicing in the specialty of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Bill has dedicated his career to helping individuals identify and overcome obstacles that stand in the way of optimal wellness and peak physical performance.

For more information visit http://www.lakenormanfitness.com

custom home cleaning Winnetka ..
In The News:

Comprehensive analysis of Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps examines usability, routing accuracy, data handling and features across the top navigation platforms.
Expert analysis reveals whether wired Ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi connections are safer for home internet use, plus practical steps to secure your network from attackers.
Australian construction robot Charlotte uses sand, crushed brick and recycled glass to 3D print fireproof, floodproof homes with reduced carbon footprint.
Cybercriminals are using fake invitation emails to trick recipients into downloading malware and stealing personal information and data.
Flying drones could help retailers fight a 93% increase in theft rates as Flock Safety promotes airborne security systems to track suspects and deter crime.
The Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter brings you the latest news on the emerging technology every Saturday, highlighting top stories.
Hacker group Radiant stole data from 8,000 children at Kido nursery chain, demanding ransom and directly contacting parents with intimidation tactics.
As 18 states implement bell-to-bell cell phone bans, creative students use Google Docs, iMessage on MacBooks and Post-It notes to stay connected in class.
A sheriff's captain says deputies often spend hours writing reports between calls, but Axon's AI program, Draft One, helps them save crucial time in the field.
Sora 2, OpenAI's new video-generation app, can create AI-generated videos based on a singular prompt. The results are both mind-blowing and terrifying.
iPhone and Android users can reduce Wi-Fi calling battery drainage through settings adjustments, background app limits and stronger Wi-Fi connections.
Work email scams are becoming harder to detect as criminals use AI and spoofed addresses to trick employees into opening malicious attachments and links.
From her Arizona living room, Christina Chapman ran a covert hub that helped North Korean operatives infiltrate U.S. firms, netting $17 million in stolen salaries.
UC Santa Barbara researchers developed a soft robotic intubation system that achieved 100% success rates for experts and 96% for paramedics with minimal training.
Scammers exploit probate filings to target grieving families with fake fees and debts, Kurt "Cyberguy" Knutsson reports.
Automotive giant Stellantis becomes latest victim of widespread Salesforce breaches affecting companies like Google, Cisco and Adidas this year.
A woman from Washington reunited with her missing Maine Coon cat Louie after 11 days using Love Lost, a free AI-powered pet recovery platform.
Expert cybersecurity tips help Mac owners remove malware infections and strengthen defenses with antivirus software, password managers and system updates.
Meta's AI chatbot training rules bans sexual roleplay with minors and block access to child abuse material as regulators scrutinize its safety measures.
Online banking users face a new threat: web injection scams that overlay fake pop-ups to steal logins. Here’s how to spot them and protect your accounts.
Meta introduced Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger while launching a School Partnership Program for U.S. educators to report bullying within 48 hours.
Executive order signed by President Donald Trump tasks Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA Commission with using AI to find new cures for childhood cancers.
New FileFix attack tricks Facebook and Instagram users into running malicious PowerShell commands disguised as Meta account maintenance to deploy StealC infostealer.
Step-by-step instructions help users migrate to Windows 11 while preserving emails, contacts, documents, and software licenses during the transition.
Chrome faces its sixth zero-day attack in 2025 as Google patches critical V8 engine flaw CVE-2025-10585 discovered by Threat Analysis Group.

Fat: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

When it comes to planning a healthy diet, fat is... Read More

Preventing Heart Disease: What Not To Eat

About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More

Stay Healty, Eat more Fish and Seafood

There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More

The Benefits Of Drinking Herbal Teas

Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits... Read More

Unhealthy Foods: How To Become Disgusted By Junk Foods That Make You Fat

With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in"... Read More

The Truth About Omega 3

Since Dr Basant Puri, a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer... Read More

An Open Letter to Mankind

In the last twenty years, a huge and growing body... Read More

4 Important Facts You Should Know About Whey Protein

Are you concerned about taking care of your body before... Read More

A Background to Dietary Fiber

Fiber is the part of the plant that is resistant... Read More

How to Grow Sprouts

Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a... Read More

5 Secrets of Reading Food Labels Revealed

Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More

Olive Oil -Not Just for Popeye

Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree... Read More

Fattening Foods: Not So Fattening After All?

Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have... Read More

Artificial Sweeteners - Are They Safe?

To research the health risks Sweet 'N Low and other... Read More

Fighting Burn-out: Natural Help For Stress, Fatigue and Adrenal Insufficiency

The adrenal or "stress glands" are small, triangular shaped glands... Read More

The Skinny on Salt

Salt was used long before recorded history began. One of... Read More

Calcium Absorption and Information

Ionized minerals, colloidal minerals, chelated minerals . . . What... Read More

How to Use Flax Seed

You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to... Read More

How to Have Great Sex - Nutrition and Foods That Create Passion

Is the thrill gone? Has the thrill gone out of... Read More

Adding to Your Level of Health is the Key

Here is a continuation of the light and darkness metaphor:... Read More

Finding Your Reason Why to be Healthy

The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More

The Five Keys to Healthy Eating

1. Enjoy what you eatWhether someone is following the Atkins... Read More

Cherries Taste Great and Build Health

You must add some fresh cherries, which are now in... Read More

Healthy Eating Myths Destroyed

Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More

A Home Water Filter - Do We Need To Filter Our Drinking Water?

Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we... Read More

professional home cleaners Glenview ..