Top Indoor Activities in the Winter Season for Women

Here are some of the top indoor activities in the winter season for women.

Yoga

As they say, yoga is not only great for the body, but also for the soul. The benefits of yoga are therefore not only physical, but also mental. First of all, yoga strengthens our musculoskeletal system and therefore not only our muscles, but also our joints and ligaments due to the amount of stretching involved. Contrary to what most people believe, yoga is a great workout and a great activity to tone our body and build muscles. What’s more, Yoga is a bit like meditation, and is therefore a great way to turn our minds off.

Spinning

One of the greatest ways to tone our legs is to go spinning. Spinning helps us to build up our muscle endurance and expand our lung capacity. It is of course a cardiovascular exercise and helps to burn fat, and increase our heart rates.  This exercise, just like yoga, can help in improving posture and is therefore beneficial for those of us suffering from long office hours and a bad posture in our office chairs.

Swimming

Another great indoor activity is swimming. Swimming contributes to the alleviation of arthritis symptoms by stretching the sore joints and therefore improves flexibility.  Swimming is also an aerobic activity and therefore also strengthens the heart and additionally relieves asthmatic symptoms. For those of us interested in losing weight, this exercise is the biggest calorie burner out there.

Dancing

Whether Zumba, or Hip Hop, Aerobics, dancing is probably one of the most fun activities out there. The cool thing about it as that learning choreography is a kind of training for our brains because of the process of memorization, and of course the improvement of physical co-ordination skills as well. Most dancing activities involve a great deal of aerobic activity, because usually there is a whole lot of movement involved, which makes this workout great fun, a great for our hearts.

 

Author Bio

Sara is a blogger in the fashion clothing industry; and she is working her way to become a freelance writer. When not working nor writing, she loves to walk around, travel and take pictures

Weight Watchers Is The Number One Weight Loss Plan

2012 Most Popular Diets

The majority of people who seriously want to lose weight visit the well-known website Diets in Review. It stands to reason people rely on groups like weight watchers to support them, Beyoncé’s maple syrup diet may be one of Google’s most visited sites but losing a few pounds by joining a group is far easier.

For the past five years diet reviewers have recorded their web traffic so that they could work out which weight loss plan was the one that weight watchers continually followed and talked about. Diets in review have followed the 2012 diet trends but only yesterday they released the names of the 25 most popular weight loss plans for the year.

A diet rich in soy and whey protein, found in products such as soy milk and low-fat yogurt, has been shown to reduce breast cancer incidence in rats. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Weight Watchers was Diets in Review number one weight loss plan and Medifast and The 17 Day Diet came second and third. The publishing director for Diets in Review stated that the site tracked unique visitors as opposed to ordinary searches and it indicated the type of diet plan that people were following. Naturally everyone who visits the site does not intend to go on a weight watchers diet, some people are just curious, especially dieters who have tried all of the quick fix and faddy ways of losing weight.

The P.I.N.K Method is a weight loss plan that includes a three phase approach towards nutrition combined with DVD workouts and this weight loss brand appears in Google’s top ten searches. Earlier in the year this diet was talked about on popular television shows and it was aided by a strong marketing campaign. Some who reviewed the diet felt that the plan was sensible if not a bit silly but they still gave it their approval. Some experts think that the P.I.N.K. Plan is a flash in the pan whereas weight watchers are here to stay.

‘Tis the Season to Eat Comfort Food

‘Tis the Season to Eat Comfort Food

With summer having left the building, (although not that many of us heard it knock in the first place), it is now officially the season of comforting food. Autumn combines grey skies and plentiful food supplies and it’s a great time for a whole range of warm, filling comforting recipes. Not traditionally known for its focus on diet friendly cooking, autumn is a time for stocking up our cupboards and our bodies. In the darker, colder months we all need to keep our energy levels up and while it’s important to eat healthily at all times of the year, this time of year can provide an excuse or two for adding a few extra calories to our plates. As long as you keep an eye on those portion sizes, autumn is a good time to bring into play the old say ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’!

Smashing Mash

For perfect mash every time all you need is a little milk and butter, which does sound a little fattening! It probably is, but a little is the key word here. Once you’ve softened your potatoes mash them with a dash of milk and a knob of butter, plus salt and pepper to taste. Give a final blitz with a whisk to create the perfect, filling, tasty and comfort-food mix. If you really don’t care about the calories add cheese to create cheesy mash.

Perfect Pie

Chicken pie is not only a classic food it’s a great make-do-and-mend dish; it often features as Monday’s Tea, as a way to make Sunday’s leftovers earn their keep. If you’re splashing out on a chicken especially for the pie you’ll need a medium sized one. If you’re being sensible and efficient get a big one for Sunday and don’t let the kids see where you’ve hidden the leftovers. The chicken should be combined with some onions that have been fried off, steamed vegetables, carrots and/or leftover vegetables from the Sunday roast are a great idea. Pastry, unless you’re a die-hard cook, can be bought and rolled out but the classic white sauce should be home-made. Two ounces of butter, two of plain flour and half a pint of milk should be enough to make a good quantity. Place chicken, veg and sauce into your pastry casing, top with more pastry and bake for around twenty five minutes.

Pancake-tastic Breakfasts

A comforting winter addition to the breakfast table is the home-made pancake. Obviously we’re not talking the Monday-Friday breakfast table here. Although simple to make pancakes fall under the “faffy” section in most peoples’ minds, with fairly good reason. For a warming winter twist, add a dash of ginger to the recipe, which adds an unexpected kick. Essential for happy families and a messy kitchen is a good smothering of maple syrup. Again, not exactly calorie counting friendly, but Monday-Friday breakfasts are for that; we all deserve a treat at the weekend!

Bonfires and Bangers

With firework displays and outdoor Christmas markets pressing upon us, one great dish for parents faced with not only their own but several lucky friends and neighbours kids to cater for, consider a mass batch of Toad in the Hole. The big advantage to Toad in the Hole is that it’s not exactly a high-octane cooking event. For large batches it’s best to use several baking trays. The batter recipe is basically the same as Yorkshire pudding batter and can be found easily online. For large quantities use 5 eggs per tray and scale up the other ingredients to match. Ten sausages should hopefully be enough per tray, and once the batter is ready and the oven heated to around 220C it takes no more than 30 minutes to cook. Onion gravy is a welcome addition in most cases. It may be calorie filled and cheap but it is very definitely cheerful!

All of these dishes contain a healthy dose of dairy products, particularly milk, which is a great source of calcium and vitamins for growing bodies. While not exactly low on calories skimmed milk and healthier butter alternatives can be added, without compromising on taste or essential goodness. Dairy products, carbohydrates and protein filled pies may not sound exactly good for your diet, but at this time of year a little comfort food can help your body to build your immune system and keep you healthy.

The Purpose Of A Diet Cleanse

Diet cleansing programs are constructed for many different purposes and the principles and advantages vary accordingly. Some physicians recommend a diet cleanse to those who need to rid their bodies of toxins or medication or simply to act as a catalyst for losing weight. The type of diet cleanse you will undertake very much depends on the reason for cleansing, as such the plan will be tailored to suit.

A diet rich in soy and whey protein, found in products such as soy milk and low-fat yogurt, has been shown to reduce breast cancer incidence in rats. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In order to understand your cleansing program you will need to read through the plan carefully. If there are any points that you are unsure of then ask your dietician or physician to clarify the situation. The vast majority of cleansing programs exclude sugar, wheat flour, caffeine, alcohol and dairy products. You will be encouraged to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, whole-grain, olives certain spices and seed and nut oils.

Many embark on a diet cleanse feeling it is like a punishment but you can enjoy eating a host of healthy foods and whole-grain. Those who wish to free their bodies from toxins may try a diet cleansing program, quite often this type of eating program can help to find out if a person has any food intolerance or allergies. Diet cleansing programs have one major thing in common, they tend to cut out or restrict certain types of food.  Common cleansing diets include the abstinence of fast foods, fried foods, processed food and sugars. Other programs may veto common allergens like dairy, wheat flour and soy based products. Anyone who wishes to start a diet cleansing program should proceed with care; it is always advisable to seek the opinions of a physician before going ahead.

Why Choose The Gwyneth Paltrow Cleanse Detox Diet

English: Gwyneth Paltrow at the 2011 Venice Film Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everyone wants to lose weight, but most of us do not know how to lose it the right way. Gwyneth Paltrow has come up with a great detox diet that is sure to work. The best part about this diet is that you do not have to stick to just drinking juice, you get to eat as well.

The Gwyneth Paltrow cleanse detox diet is great for those of us who do not like to cook heavy meals. All you need for this diet is simple ingredients, and of course a food processor. You need to blend as you go, this is to ensure that what you are drinking is fresh. You will drink this juice twice a day, with the third meal being some sort of salad mixture.

A detox diet is used to not only help you lose weight, but get rid of all the junk stored up in your colon over the years. You can lose a potential ten pounds or more in as little as a week. This is a great diet for people to cleanse their bodies, and start a regular exercise regiment. The Gwyneth Paltrow cleanse detox diet is not only for the stars either.

You can substitute some of the ingredients she uses in her diet to less expensive options. It is a great diet because you are not just drinking a liquid, you get to eat as well. You will feel better after just a week knowing that you have cleansed your body of all the toxins you ingested.

Lose Weight With The Biggest Loser Diet

Biggest Loser Diet

You don’t need to be on the television show to take advantage of the Biggest Loser Diet. By knowing how to feed your body right and balance that out with some exercise, you can have success on this plan. It is important to understand how to start this diet in order to have the most success possible.

The plan used by the Biggest Loser is a low calorie diet based on the 4-3-2-1 pyramid. This translates to four servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of lean protein, two of whole grains, and one extra. The program generally lasts for 12 weeks. These meals should be smaller, but consumed more frequently throughout the day. This way you will not feel starved or deprived, which greatly increases your chances of success. It also helps increase your metabolism, which turns your body into a more efficient machine. A high metabolism means you can burn more calories throughout the day without doing extra activity.

Another aspect of this diet plan is what you are not eating, which is foods that tend to stimulate your appetite. These include breads, pasta, and potatoes.  So called “white foods” make it harder to control your appetite and keep the pounds off.

Food logs are another aspect of the Biggest Loser Diet. By keeping track of how many calories you have consumed, you can become more aware of your eating habits. This is also a way to track your progress throughout the program. Many people also choose to do a diet cleanse, which adjusts your palate and helps get rid of excess weight.

Not everyone is lucky enough to make it onto the hit show. However, you can still enjoy the health benefits of weight loss experienced by the contestants. Consider trying the Biggest Loser Diet along with a diet cleanse.