Positioned comfortably by the TV this wintry evening? Americans, on average, watch nearly four hours of television daily—potentially a lot of sitting time. Yet we all know, fitting more movement into leisure time offers more long-term health benefits. Get more from your TV time today. Take a commercial action break! You’ve got 10 to 12
According to tradition, Saint Nicholas was the first to fill stockings— with gold coins to ensure happy marriages for three noble sisters who lost their mother. Today food and trinkets turn empty stockings into festive gift bags. Rather than the usual candy canes, chocolates, and small toys, why not stuff children’s socks with health-focused goodies?
No matter how—or why—you may celebrate, it’s Christmas Day. As you enjoy family and friends, make healthful choices together that match your individual lifestyles. For the best gift of the season—good health. Be realistic. Stick with your small steps to eat smart and move more. Enjoy vegetables served at dinner. Serve yourself a reasonable portion
Keep the holiday spirit. Today starts Kwaanza, a weeklong African American commemoration of renewal, patterned after the African harvest celebration. Its name comes from the Kiswahili word ku-anza, meaning “to begin.” Symbols of Kwaanza have universal meaning. This first day honors umoja, or unity, among family as well as the community, the nation, and the
Dates add a flavorful complement to romantic dinners for two. Enjoy this peak season for this nutritious and sweetest of fruits. Seventy-percent sugar by weight, dates have a candy-like sweetness. Unlike other fruits, dates have essentially no vitamin C. Yet even five or six dates deliver fiber and potassium, and no fat. Sweeten your cooking
Gained weight this season? Before you’re lured by January promotions that advertise “fat-melting,” “appetite-suppressing,” “metabolism-boosting” weight-loss aids, get your guard up! Even if they foster short-term results, they’re likely ineffective in the long run. First, two gimmicks: Electric muscle stimulators don’t really work your muscles, so you don’t burn calories. Rubber belts and nylon clothes
You know the basics: a pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories. To trim down, eat fewer calories, burn more, or do both. You get out of it what you put into it. So, the more often you’re physically active, the longer you do it, and the harder you move, the more calories you burn.
Over this past year, you’ve explored the positives: what you can eat, not what you can’t, for health. You’ve “tasted” what’s known so far about the wide variety of health-promoting foods. And you’ve learned how many of those foods may protect you from heart disease and cancer. With these benefits in mind: • Add one
When the clock strikes midnight, how will you ring in the New Year? Will you reflect back on how you achieved your fitness goals over the past twelve months? Will you rethink and update next year’s approach to healthful eating and active living? The smart approach: Do both. Review what you’ve learned this past year
Love the creamy thickness of chowder? The velvety smoothness of vegetable bisque? The heartiness of harvest stew? The full body of these dishes often comes from heavy cream, a flour-butter roux, or egg yolks—adding calories, fat, and cholesterol, too. Try these healthful culinary tricks to get you through the thick or thin of soup, stew