Not All Carbs Are Bad! Learn the Difference Between Good and Bad Carbs
What is the Difference Between Good and Bad Carbs
No carbohydrates are good or bad. No food is truly bad or good.
Carbohydrates and food items simply cause different things to happen in your body when you eat them.
It is better to think of carbohydrates as whether you should eat them or avoid them, as opposed to them being bad or good. Carbohydrates could get their feelings hurt if they heard you referring to them as bad, or evil.
That having been said, there are distinct differences between certain types of carbohydrates.
You understand that not all fruits look and taste the same. The same is true with vegetables. There are any number of variations of pizzas. So there are definitely different types of carbs.
Let’s take a look at the construction of carbohydrates, because that really is what makes carbs either healthy or unhealthy for your body.
The Difference Between Simple and Complex Carbohydrates
When a food has a very simple molecular construction, it is broken down very quickly. In the case of simple carbohydrates, they enter your bloodstream almost instantly. This is not a good thing. When the carbohydrates you eat are complex, they are hard for your body to break down. Imagine a simple puzzle or brainteaser as opposed to the New York Times crossword puzzle.
Solving a simple puzzle doesn’t do much, if anything, for your brainpower. Solving the New York Times crossword puzzle gives you an incredibly healthy brain boost.
The same difference applies to simple and complex carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are sugars.
They come in a couple of forms, simple and complex. You may hear simple carbohydrates referred to as simple sugars or simple starches as well. Simple carbohydrates, as mentioned above, enter your bloodstream rapidly. They raise your blood glucose levels quickly. Unfortunately, the sugar in these “bad” carbs is rapidly converted and stored as fat, to be used as an energy source later.
Complex carbohydrates are very difficult to break down. Their construction is intricate, so they are hard to take apart. They are usually much higher in dietary fiber than simple carbs, and any glucose in these carbohydrates is efficiently processed before it goes straight into your bloodstream.
Simple carbohydrates include soft drinks, candy, artificial syrups, table sugar, pastries and desserts, white rice, white pasta and white bread.
Complex carbs, “good” carbs, are found in beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
If you just do what mama told you when you were a kid (Eat your fruits and vegetables!), you will avoid most simple carbohydrates, enjoy lots of complex carbohydrates, and treat your brain and body to better health and wellness.
How To Improve Your Health With A Stronger Core
How A Weak Core Impacts Health And What You Can Do About It
The core muscles of our body are kind of like the knot that ties our upper and lower body together.
Our core muscles are used every single day, likely in ways that you never even realized.
A weak core not only throws off our balance and posture, but it can prevent us from doing everyday tasks such as tying our shoes or doing housework.
Keep in mind that a “strong core” does not mean you have 6-pack abs, it simply means your core is strong enough to support your daily level of functioning and that you are healthy.
Daily tasks that require a strong core
Every single day, even if you do not workout, you are doing something that engages your core muscles. Basic activities, such as, putting on your shoes, looking behind you, getting dressed, even sitting down/standing up all activate your core muscles. These are activities that we do naturally every single day and without decent core strength, these basic tasks will become difficult or painful.
Work related tasks that require a strong core
The most obvious core-engaging jobs are construction, fitness instructor, and any job that requires an extensive amount of lifting, bending, and twisting. These tasks are very difficult without a strong core.
However, those of you who sit at your desk for x-amount of hours/day are still engaging your core. Sitting still for hours on end, answering phone calls, using the computer, and other like – tasks can hurt your lower back. A strong core will help prevent back pain or injury as well.
Sports and Housework
Activities such as tennis, biking, running, football, swimming, and boxing all require a strong core. A weak core will only tire you out faster and prevent you from playing to your best ability
There are also several household activities that require a strong core.
If you are a fix-it yourself kind of a person, the hammering, sawing, lifting, bending, it all is much easier if your core muscles are tighter. Other household activities such as vacuuming, dusting or even gardening if you’re into that, can be more pleasurable if you don’t get a side cramp after twenty minutes.
What You Can Do About It
So, have you found yourself experiencing side cramps or having a hard time bending or lifting? You could probably benefit forma stronger core and there are so many ways to go about getting those muscles fired up.
• Work out your entire core! When people think “core muscles” the first thing that comes to mind is their abs, but there is much more to your core than that. You also have to engage your back muscles, which are very important to everyday living. Nobody wants back pain every time you bend down to pick up the newspaper or chase your kid around the yard. Exercise such as Pilates or yoga are ideal for working out all the muscles in your core.
• Practice standing up straight. Many people do not realize that good posture actually engages the core and helps to fight fat build up. Slouching can cause damage to your back muscles and prevent core engagement.
• Eat healthy! I know I know, this is the most overstated piece of information, but it really is the most important. All that exercising is nothing without the proper nutrients. You need to feed your body plenty of protein (preferably form actual food and not a powder) as well as drink lots of water. Fruits and vegetables are also crucial for proper bowel movement, aim for 3-4 different fruits/vegetable per day.
Top 5 Core-Engaging Exercises
1. Planking. Planking is an exercise that engages nearly every muscle in your body and is great for core strengthening.
2. Bridges. Bridges target the lower abdominal muscles, glutes, thigh muscles, and lower back.
3. Supermans. Supermans engage the lower back muscles as well as the glutes. They are perfect for working out the lower back.
4. Full body crunch. This exercise is ideal for working out your entire core in one swift movement.
5. Cross over crunch. Aimed for working out the oblique’s, the cross over crunch is a must have in your workout routine!
A stronger core can really change the way you live your life.
Take some time every day to put in a workout even if it’s just 20 minutes, and do your best to pass on that extra slice of cake!
The ABC’s Of A Balanced Diet
The ABCs Of A Balanced Diet
You’ve probably heard that one of the best ways to maintain good health is to follow a balanced diet.
But what does a balanced diet actually refer to?
A balanced diet basically requires that you consume foods from all of the main food groups in just the right proportions, while also avoiding foods that contain undesirable nutrients like sugar, saturated fats, and sodium.
However, know that everyone’s bodies are very different, so we can’t all follow the same diet.
Depending on gender, age, or illness, you may require a different amounts and types of certain nutrients.
You will need to adopt new eating habits if you want to achieve optimal health.
Basic Rules For A Balanced Diet:
• Reduce your salt intake, so that it doesn’t exceed 6 grams a day. If you’ve never paid attention to how much salt you ate, then you might get shocked when you find out how little 6 grams is compared to how much people are used to consuming on a daily basis.
• Cut down on saturated fat and sugar, as they are both very dangerous to your health.
• Drink six to eight glasses of water every day. If you’re used to drinking more soft drinks than water throughout the day, try squeezing a few drops of lemon in your glass in order to add a bit of flavor.
• Try to eat two portions (or more) of fish every week. Most fish are incredibly nutritious.
• Never skip meals, especially breakfast! Although you’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day about a million times, you should really listen to that piece of advice. Eating a nutritious breakfast will provide you with the energy you need to make it through the rest of the day.
• Eat five or more portions of vegetables and fruits every day. Not a lot of people actually manage to do this on a daily basis. However, if you want to live healthier, you will need to start including more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
• Starchy foods need to represent the base of your meals, as they should ideally serve as your fuel for the rest of the day.
The Importance Of A Balanced Diet:
In order for your tissues and organs to work properly, they need proper nutrition, and a balanced diet is the best way for them to get it.
When you don’t eat healthy, you’re more likely to get infections, suffer from diseases, and experience fatigue. If you’re a parent, make sure that your kids maintain a balanced diet, as insufficient nutrients may lead to developmental and growth problems in children.
Not to mention that bad eating habits you develop during childhood can be incredibly hard to change later on.
The constant rise of diabetes and obesity around the world, and especially in America, should serve as a wake-up call to all of the people who don’t really pay attention to their eating habits. Know that some of the deadliest diseases, such as stroke, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are all linked to poor nutrition.
If you’re tired of getting sick every couple of months or simply don’t know what to do to start feeling more energized throughout the day, then chances are that you simply need to start eating healthier.
Consulting A Professional About A Balanced Diet:
If you’re really serious about following a balanced diet, then making an appointment with a nutrititionist is a great next step. A nutritionist will help you develop your very own personalized diet plan.
Improving Productivity With Morning Exercise
Can Morning Exercise Make You More Productive During the Day?
It is no big secret that exercise, proper nutrition, getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of water throughout the day is a proven recipe for health.
Regarding exercise, is there a particular time of day when working out or staying physically active will deliver greater rewards?
The answer to that question seems to be “yes”, and the time you should be exercising is in the morning.
When you are productive in any area of your life, you enjoy less stress and anxiety, more happiness and a sense of fulfillment, and more success.
To boost your productivity, get active more often. Jogging, taking a walk, lifting weights, cycling, and performing yoga or Pilates will give you more energy than if you are sedentary, which will naturally lead to better productivity.
When you schedule that exercise in the morning, you supercharge that productivity.
Here’s how it works.
Exercise in the morning means fewer scheduling conflicts.
You never miss a workout when you wake up early, and you don’t have to push other responsibilities aside to make sure you get a workout in. This means after your morning workout, your entire day can be focused on productively knocking out your to do list, and daily responsibilities.
Waking up is hard to do for a lot of people. This means sluggishly getting through the morning and heading to work without much energy.
Exercise fires up your endorphins and cranks up your energy levels. Enjoying even just 20 minutes of physical activity in the morning can lead to energy reserves to fuel a productive day.
Early-morning fitness means a spike in your metabolism. So when you have a mid-morning snack and lunch while you are working throughout the day, you effectively burn more calories.
This means you’re less likely to suffer a mid-afternoon energy crash. Moderately intense to intense physical activity also wakes up your brain. So you start the day with a clear head, improving your chances of keeping ahead of your workload and responsibilities all day long.
As far as motivation goes, getting your workout in early gives you a boost of self-esteem. You have barely begun your day, and you have already accomplished something important. Success can build upon itself. The feel-good hormones that exercise releases make you feel good about yourself for exercising in the morning, a time when it may be tough to think about physical activity.
This successful early-morning achievement develops the proper mindset to attack subsequent goals and commitments with a lot of productive energy and positive feelings.