Healthy eating, fitness and losing weight

Texas Republicans Attack Agenda 21, Smart Growth, Sustainable Development and All of Europe

Lloyd Alter — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:32:00 +0000

You may think that the Agenders are just an extreme fringe, but this is what the State Republican Party of Texas just passed.

Article by Lloyd Alter (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

Rethink Your Drink.

Davey Wavey — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:31:22 +0000

This sobering diagram shows how much sugar is in each of these sugary drinks.

The accompanying picture is really worth 1,000 words – and even more calories.

When losing weight, one of the easiest – and most effective – changes occurs when we modify our liquid intake. Rich in sugar, these drinks often contain few other nutrients and have a very negative impact on our overall health.

Drinking just one soda a day can equal an extra 25 pounds of weight per year. And sugary beverages are the single biggest source of added sugar for the average American – equaling about 50% of the typical person’s increased calorie consumption. All of this can lead to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Sugary drinks are truly poison for our bodies.

It’s time to rethink your drink!

Here are just a few great drink substitutions:

Coconut water. Gatorade can’t touch nature’s own secret sports drink recipe! Coconut water contains all the electrolytes and carbohydrates you need, but without the artificial flavors, refined sugars or coloring found in manufactured sports drinks. And, coconut water has more potassium than a banana. Sparkling water. Add a touch of fruit juice to a glass of sparkling water or seltzer and you can cut 90% of the calories that you’d otherwise consume from a can of soda. Green tea. Hot or cold, green tea has a number of benefits and it’s a great alternative for anything else you might order at Starbucks. Studies have shown that it may help reduce the risk of several types of cancer, heart disease, hypertension, kidney stones and more. Add a touch of honey for a little treat.

Beyond these recommendations, water is always a smart choice – and fresh vegetable juices can be a wise replacement for other, less-healthy drink options. I always keep a bottle of fresh carrot juice in my refrigerator.

If you still have a hard time giving up the sugary drinks you crave, portion control is another option. Cut the size of the drink in half – and, no magic here – you reduce your caloric intake by 50%.

Was the above drink diagram eye-opening for you? What are some of your favorite and healthy drink alternatives? Let me know in the comments below.

Article by Davey Wavey (c) Davey Wavey Fitness - Read full story here.

Getting the Market to Tell the Truth

Lester Brown — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:20:00 +0000

If the world is to move onto a sustainable path we need the market needs to tell the truth, through full cost pricing.

Article by Lester Brown (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

Magnitude 8.6 Earthquake Struck Indonesia Last Night, No Tsunami

Michael Graham Richard — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:19:27 +0000

Thankfully, there was no big tsunami this time. The region's tsunami defenses have been much improved after the 2004 tragedy, but they still can be very dangerous.

Article by Michael Graham Richard (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

Nine-Year-Old Creates Entire Arcade From Cardboard Boxes and Tape

Jaymi Heimbuch — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:15:00 +0000

There's nothing like hand-made toys, especially when they skip all the wiring and electronics and go back to the basics of cardboard boxes.

Article by Jaymi Heimbuch (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

Natural Gas Vehicles Less Climate-Friendly Than Thought, Methane Leaks To Blame

Mat McDermott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Another study takes on methane leaks from natural gas production, saying that because of these natural gas vehicles are less green than claimed, though replacing coal power plants with natural gas will help the climate.

Article by Mat McDermott (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

Copper Gold Nanoparticles Could Convert CO2 to Fuel Cost Effectively

Christine Lepisto — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Copper can convert carbon dioxide to methane efficiently -- as long as a patina coating does not slow things down.

Article by Christine Lepisto (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

N1 Kitchen System Is Designed For Outdoors, But Would Look Good Anywhere

Lloyd Alter — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Kyle Thacker's design has some clever ideas for a folding portable kitchen. He should bring it inside.

Article by Lloyd Alter (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

School Desk Designed To Protect Students From Earthquakes and Other Disasters

Lloyd Alter — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:19:00 +0000

Israeli industrial design students come up with desk that does double duty

Article by Lloyd Alter (c) Latest Items from TreeHugger - Read full story here.

Positive Attitude: How to Develop One

The Self Improvement Blog — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:04:12 +0000

By Sam Milner -

One of the most critical things that you can do if you want to achieve your goals is to have a positive attitude. A lot of people have a hard time doing this however, mainly because they have been taught that it is best to expect the worst. Learning to develop a positive attitude is not all that hard and it will help you to achieve all the things that you want to in life.

The most important thing to developing a positive attitude is to understand that you are in control of your destiny. One of the biggest reasons that people have a negative attitude is that they believe that they have no control over what happens to them, this is rarely in fact the case. Admittedly there will be times when things that you can’t control do happen but for the most part you are the one responsible for what happens to you. Once you realize this it is a lot easier to have a positive attitude since it is easier to believe that things will work out the way that you want.

Another important step to developing a positive attitude is to try to be around other people with positive attitudes as much as possible. The attitudes of the people around us tends to rub off on us. When we are surrounded by people who have positive attitudes we usually feel the same way ourselves. Conversely you are going to want to avoid people who have negative attitudes since that will rub off on you as well.

Another good way to keep attitude positive is to read books about people who have done the things that you want to do. There are few better ways to convince yourself that your goals are attainable than to read about other people who have attained them. Once you believe that you can attain your goals it is very easy to maintain a positive attitude.

One last tip that will help you to keep a good attitude is to keep in mind that there is opportunity in change. A lot of people get discouraged when things don’t work out the way that they hoped and this usually leads to a negative attitude. If you keep in mind that even when things don’t work out the way that you planned there is still an opportunity to do something else it will help your attitude. You will be a lot more willing to try things if you go in knowing that even if they don’t work out the way that you hoped things will still work out fine in the end.

A positive attitude is critical to being able to achieve the things that you want to in life. One of the best ways to develop the belief that you can achieve anything that you want is through positive affirmations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Milner
http://EzineArticles.com/?Positive-Attitude:-How-to-Develop-One&id=6898549

Article by The Self Improvement Blog (c) The Self Improvement Blog - Read full story here.