The Senior Walking Fitness Blog

Hello Everybody,

 As you will know by now there are numerous weight loss plans and it is up to you to decide which one you will use. Changing to a raw food diet, for example, may be rather drastic, but that and our fitness walking program will have dramatic results.

The total plan should always involve diet and exercise and the two together will make a big difference. You must keep it up long term to see the benefits, but they will come in the end. It is just a matter of time and commitment.

We haven’t been mentioning it much recently but a fitness walking program is the way to go.

Do not use pills of any kind, I would always recommend natural ways of losing weight and that you always carry out a natural weight loss plan. I would still suggest walking two miles a day as being easy and achievable, but if you feel you can do more do it. I know of a man who walked a mile to a video shop and rewarded himself by hiring one when he got there. Rewards are important, specially when you don’t eat them, so celebrate your achievements.

Keep it up and you really will achieve lifetime fitness.

See you soon,

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 Hello Everybody,

I found the following article recently. It is good to know you can lose weight by eating more and Melody Biggar shows us how.

by Melody Biggar

To lose weight and get healthy we often begin eliminating certain foods in order to jump start our weight-loss. Everyone tells us what we shouldn’t eat. but what about what we should eat? Here is a list I have compiled of what to add to your diet to speed up your weight-loss.

Lemon Juice: Drink lots of water. Add lemon every time. Lemon juice is a natural detoxifier and aids in cleansing and digestion.

Apple Cider Vinegar: You can use it as salad dressing or drink it with water. Apple Cider Vinegar helps detoxify your liver. Take 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in water before every meal to aid in weight loss. If you can’t stand the taste they have it in capsule form as well.

Cayenne Pepper: The spicier the better. Adding cayenne pepper or any kind of spice to your food aids in your digestion, speeds up your metabolism, and suppresses your appetite. This herb is not only beneficial for the entire digestive system, but also for the heart and circulatory system. I encourage you to read up on this amazing nutritional herb.

Coconut Oil: This has gotten a bad rap in recent years; however I encourage you to research the amazing health benefits of virgin coconut oil on your own. Virgin coconut oil can be added to your everyday meals. It improves digestion, promotes weight loss and helps keep skin and hair looking young and healthy.

Green Tea: EGCG, an antioxidant contained in green tea, benefits weight loss by helping the body burn fat. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E, and the polyphenols found in green tea also help your body reduce the time that toxins stay in your system.

Fiber: Fiber keeps your meal moving along your gastrointestinal tract and helps flush your body of metabolic waste. Fiber also keeps your energy levels high, and slows your rate of carbohydrate digestion, which helps you maintain your blood sugar levels.

Stevia: Replace your sugar with stevia. This herb has been used as a sweetener and flavor enhancer for centuries. The best part is that it has no calories and no carbs but will still satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ginger: Ginger tea brewed from the fresh root has been used in India and China for centuries as an after meal drink to aid digestion.

Acai Berry: a berry that grows on the Amazon Palm Trees harvested in the rainforests of Brazil. Acai berries have powerful anti-aging and weight-loss properties and are considered a must-have “superfood.”

Melody Biggar is co-author of “Natural Sexy Skinny: An Organic, All-Natural Weight-Loss System.” To learn more weight-loss secrets and

get your free weight loss e-book visit http://www.naturalsexyskinny.com

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 I hope this gives you an insight into some of the small things you can do to help improve fitness. You are what you eat and Melody Biggars advice will help you along the way to a healthy lifestyle.

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 Hello Everybody,

 We now know that fewer calories may reduce the risk of dementia as well as improving older person’s memories.

Scientists have found that after three months on a low calorie diet volunteers performed memory tests significantly better than before.

It is thought that there may be a link between the food we eat and the possibility of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Over 700,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia of various types and with this number sure to increase, due to an ageing population, a cure is desperately needed.

The study followed 50 healthy persons of an average age of 60 years who were either of normal weight or overweight. They were split into three groups. One was asked to eat a low calorie diet, reducing its calorie intake by 30 per cent. One to increase its intake by 20 per cent and one to keep its diet the same.

After 12 weeks those who reduced their calorie intake performed 20 per cent better on the memory tests than they had at the start of the tests. There were no changes in the abilities of the other two groups.

The researchers from the University of Munster in Germany believe that the results could be caused by the lowering of insulin created when the body processes food. Insulin may harm the nerves of the brain thus contributing to loss of memory. This is an early sign of dementia.

Of course a poor diet is not the only cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and a poor memory not necessarily a sign that they are developing. But the present results seem significant and once again support the benefits of a low calorie diet.

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Greek Salad on Greek Food TV☼ - Greek Food - Mediterranean diet
Recipes from Greece: GREEK SALAD
By Diane Kochilas

6 SERVINGS for Greek Salad
4 medium firm, ripe tomatoes
1 medium cucumber
1 medium red onion
1-2 bell or long peppers, seeded and cut into rings
Salt to taste on Greek Salad
3 - 4 oz. Greek feta, crumbled or sliced
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
3 tablespoons extra virgin Greek olive oil
Great Greek Salad
1. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Place in serving bowl.
2. Wash, peel, and slice cucumbers into ½-inch rounds. Place in bowl with tomatoes.
3. Peel onions, cut in half and then into 1/8 — inch slices. Place in bowl. If using peppers, add to the salad. *
4. Season lightly with salt. Place feta on top. Sprinkle with oregano and dress with extra virgin Greek olive oil. Serve.
Best Greek Salad and Mediterranean diet
* Optional: You can also, of course, add a few (6) Greek olives, preferably Kalamata.

Per Serving, with olives : 164 Calories; 12g Fat (64.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 458mg Sodium.
That’s it for your Greek Salad & Mediterranean diet.
Well-known Greek food expert and award-winning author DIANE KOCHILAS and photographer VASSILIS STENOS own and operate the THE GLORIOUS GREEK KITCHEN COOKING SCHOOL and DV FOOD ARTS CONSULTING. We run cooking classes and organize culinary tours in Greece for recreational and professional cooks. We produce specialty books and other food-and-wine-related literature for a wide variety of clients and independently for the tourist and other markets.
Diane consults on Greek cuisine for restaurants, retail outlets and producers of fine Greek foods. Vassilis Stenos offers an extensive archive of food and travel photographs of Greece.
Name: Diane Kochilas
Well-known Greek food expert, consultant, chef, and author Diane Kochilas has written 12 books on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. She is the consulting chef at Pylos, one of New York’s top-rated Greek restaurants. Diane divides her time between Athens, Ikaria, and New York. In Athens, where she’s lived for the last 15 years, she is the weekly food columnist and restaurant critic for Ta Nea, the country’s largest newspaper. Diane writes frequently for the US food press and appears regularly on American television. Her books: The Food and Wine of Greece, The Greek Vegetarian, The Glorious Foods of Greece, Meze, Against the Grain (good carbs), Mediterranean Grilling, Mastiha Cuisine. Forthcoming: The Northern Greek Wine Roads Cookbook and Aegean Cuisine. And Greek Food with Greek Feta

Duration : 0:1:12

Read the rest of this entry »

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Hello Everybody,

The best way of losing weight is a lifestyle change. Short term diets work and there are some good ones available, but there is a dangers of reverting to your old ways once you have lost weight.

The Mediterranean diet with its fresh vegetables, fruit, lean meat and oily fish can easily become a way of life. It is one of the best weight loss diets around and is even better if the ingredients are organically grown. There is a school of thought that argues there is no clear evidence of a difference in vitamin or mineral content of foods grown organically and inorganically. But even if this is the case by eating organic produce you are minimising the chemicals going onto the land and leaching into the ground water. With organics you are helping the planet with your weight loss program. Surely a good thing.

But what are organically grown fruit, vegetables and meat anyway? The definition is that it is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources such as biological pesticides may be used. There are programs in some countries certifying 100% organic labels, so that you can buy from shops with confidence.

Organic food is available from most supermarkets, but the best and cheapest way of buying seasonal produce is at garden gates. Many gardeners sell surplus fruit and vegetables very cheaply and do not heavily use chemicals. Their produce may not be 100% organic, but it is likely to be better than 90%.

So now we have healthy fruit and vegetables for our Mediterranean diet. What about meat? Organic meat is produced by giving animals and poultry organic feed, access to the outdoors, rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing to minimise disease. Not only does it benefit us, it greatly improves the living conditions and happiness of the animals and birds.

There is no denying that healthy eating, including the Mediterranean Diet, is more expensive than unhealthy eating. The cost of farming organically is high and this must be passed on to the consumer if farmers are to make a living. So you must decide whether you can afford to go the organic route or not. If you can’t don’t despair, just buy the best ingredients available at the price you want to pay.

Now with the elements of the Mediterranean diet in place you will need to learn more about it.

The Mediterranean Diet  is an 84 page downloadable e-book, it comes with six valuable bonuses and a guarantee of a full, no hassle, refund if you find the program is not for you. It tells you all you need to know about healthy eating and has tips, recipes and much more to make your diet fun while those pounds slip away.Just CLICK HERE now to access details of The Mediterranean Diet and a new way of life.

See You Soon,

Peter Stockwell

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 Hello Everybody,

 Walking is one of the best ways to lose weight. Twenty pounds in three months is easily lost if you walk every day. Just start slow with a quarter of a mile and in a week or so work up to a mile a day. That’s ten minutes there and ten minutes back. You can do it by walking round the block, it’s nothing.

If you are shopping in a store use the stairs between floors and not the elevator. Leave out that pastry at Starbucks, it all helps.

Walking in the countryside is a joy at any time of year but, with spring just round the corner, now is the time go. Look for the first snowdrop, or the first barn swallow and you will not notice the miles. There are two places where you will walk further than you expect. The countryside and a big city. In both you will be amazed at how far you have walked without realising. Or you will be if you have checked your mileage.

That is where a cheap, simple, pedometer comes into its own. Wear one and you will know just how far you have walked. You will be pleasantly surprised. So keep up your walking and eat a healthy diet.

Bur what is a healthy diet? I like the Mediterranean diet with its emphasis on fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, lean meat and oily fish. Keep to that and you can’t go far wrong. Bear in mind that there are things to avoid. Animal fats, sweets and sugared drinks should be consumed seldom, but you don’t have to give them up completely. The occasional treat does no harm and we all need cheering up sometimes.

Milk, yoghurt and cheese contain fat, so you should be sparing with them, but they may be consumed on a daily basis. Beware of low fat foods, they may be low in fat but are often high in sugar. Check the labels before you buy. Don’t turn all this into a chore. Be aware of what you are eating, keep fitness walking and watch the pounds just vanish.

See you soon,

Peter Stockwell

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You may think that recently I have been writing about weight loss diets more than about walking. This is true and we must not forget that we can lose 20lb in three months by just walking. But only if we avoid eating all the wrong things on the way.

Our aim is fitness and to my mind most people cannot be fit without losing at least a little weight. Hence my concentration on weight loss in my last few posts.

As you know weight loss can be achieved with the right diet but it does involve something of a lifestyle change. Don’t forget the little things which make a lot of difference. A latte and a pastry at Starbuck’s every day is lovely. Not to be missed! Except that you really do need to miss it if you want to lose weight. You can try black coffee if, like many of us, you need your daily fix. But don’t be tempted by those pastries, or day after day you will be piling on the pounds.

Cut out crisps and bars of chocolate when watching TV. Have an apple instead and, of course don’t drink too much alcohol or fizzy drinks. Diet Coke works amazingly well if you don’t drink it at all.

I know that all this seems to be cutting out the good things in life. There you are, eating like a rabbit and all the time desperate for chocolate goodies. But the choice is yours, fruit, fresh vegetables, lean meat and fish are best but not the only things you can eat. Check out the diets available and you will find a healthy diet to enjoy following. Then weight loss can be fun.

Remember, I have never said cut out treats completely, just don’t treat yourself every day. So once a week have that latte and croissant at Starbuck’s. You deserve it.

See you soon,

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Do you forget things? We all do. Is your memory getting worse? Read on.

It’s official, diet and exercise can improve memory. Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Centre have found that memory loss can be partly the result of rising blood glucose levels. So if we reduce blood sugar content we may be able to slow the normal decline in memory that happens as we get older. Exercise achieves this. But it is not just exercise, a healthy diet bolsters fitness levels and weight loss, forming one more part of the equation.

Dr Scott Small, head of the research team at Columbia, says. “Whether through physical exercise, diet or drugs our research suggests that improving glucose metabolism could help some of us avert the cognitive slide that occurs as we age.”

In other words more exercise and a healthy diet equals less blood sugar which means not only weight loss but a better memory as well.

Research indicates that the part of the brain essential for memory, which is affected by late life diseases like diabetes and stroke, is sensitive to levels of blood sugar. So there you have it. Still a lot of work left to be done in finding multiple ways of targeting memory loss. But research is bearing fruit and the diet and exercise route towards lifetime fitness and weight loss is a beginning. One day, as well as being fit and slim, we will be able to remember the way home.

So why not start with a weight loss diet that works? With one of the top five on the web for satisfied customers. The Fat Loss4 Idiots diet is just that, and it offers a 60 day money back guarantee if you decide it is not for you. CLICK HERE to go to the Fat Loss 4 Idiots website to learn everything you need to start 2009 slim and healthy. Don’t forget.

See you soon,

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