5 Ways To Get Rid Of A Cold Fast!

If you're already sick (like I am -- and I never get sick), these remedies will have you on the mend in no time.

TAKE ZINC. In a study at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, people who used an over-the-counter (OTC) zinc nasal spray four times a day recovered almost two days faster and had fewer symptoms than those given a placebo. Another study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that volunteers treated with zinc lozenges had colds that lasted about half the time as those who didn't pop zinc -- four and a half days instead of eight.

EAT CHICKEN SOUP. Mom was right: A Nebraska Medical Center Study shows that the broth reduces inflammation and inhibits the activity of neutrophils, the white blood cells that may increase mucus production.

TRY GINSENG. People who took 200mg of ginseng twice daily during cold and flu season had shorter colds than those who just popped a placebo, according to a study performed at the University of Alberta, Canada.

STAY IN BED. If your body is exhausted, it will be that much harder for it to fight the virus. If you must go to work, at least get a good night's rest: People who sleep four hours a night have weaker immune systems than those who get a seven and a half to eight and a half hours, according to a University of Chicago study.

TREAT YOUR SYMPTOMS. To power through the day, look for a product that contains the nasal decongestant phenylephrine. It's a stimulant, so it won't leave you feeling groggy. It can temporarily drive up blood pressure, though, so if you've got hypertension, talk to your doctor before using it. Choose a remedy that has an antihistamine, as well as acetaminophen. The antihitamine will make you drowsy, and the acetaminophen will relieve the fever and achiness that may keep you up. If coughing is disturbing your sleep, an OTC with dextromethorphan will help.

Article originally appeared on Fitness, food, gadgetry, life, travel and trends (http://www.lift-magazine.com/).

Losing Weight Can Cost You - WORK OUT!

Wake up. When is everyone going to figure this stuff out? All the fancy, well-marketed diet gimmicks in the world won't fix you. If you don't raise your heart rate and exert yourself, you'll keep getting what you've been getting. Read below...

Assuming you've already decided that the money-saving "eat less" method won't work for you: How much will it cost to lose 30 lbs? Bankrate checked out five diet programs and calculated the total cost based on losing the recommended healthy amount of weight per week:

• Jenny Craig: $399 with a payment plan or $358 upfront, not including food.

• LA Weight Loss: Calculating the cost with a setup fee of $174 and $7 per week charge, the total cost of the plan is $685 for 73 weeks, not including the cost of food and L A Lite bars.

• NutriSystem: $1,174.88, including all food, except fresh greens and dairy.

• Weight Watchers: The total cost is between $214.80 and $299.80, depending on location, not including food.

• The Zone Diet: $3,599.10 to $4,798.80 including all food.

Low carb. Low fat. Low energy. A low-down, dirty drag. I still like the eat less (and eat REAL) method, but to each his own!

Article originally appeared on Fitness, food, gadgetry, life, travel and trends (http://www.lift-magazine.com/).

Behind-the-Scenes Workouts for Movie "300"

Arnold and Old School Bodybuilding Clips

Some key events of 1975 include:

• Gerald Ford was President
• Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl IX
• Vietnam War continues
• Watergate convictions
• "Jaws" is released
• Jimmy Hoffa comes up "missing"
• Ali vs. Frazier "The Thrilla in Manila"
• Bill Gates coins the term "Micro-soft," later to become Microsoft Corporation
  

Maybe the Best 3 Rounds of Boxing Ever...

A Trainer could have Helped...

Fabulous Fiber

Fiber is the part of plant foods that the body cannot digest. It moves through the digestive system, absorbing water. This helps eliminate food waste from the body more quickly. Since fiber is not absorbed, it is not a nutrient. Rather, we refer to fiber as a "component" of food.

Fiber is found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, dry beans and peas, nuts, seeds, bread, and cereals. (It is not found in animal products — meat, milk, eggs.) Fiber can also be added to foods during processing.

Fiber’s health benefits

Fiber comes in two varieties: soluble, which dissolves in water, and insoluble, which does not. Although fiber does not nourish our bodies, it has other ways of promoting good health as the chart below illustrates.

	Soluble Fiber	Insoluble Fiber (Roughage)
Name	Pectins, gums, mucilages	Cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin
What it does	Dissolves in water, forming a gel in intestines	Holds on to water, moving waste through intestines
How it promotes good health	Binds to fatty substances in the intestines and helps carry them out as waste, lowering LDL or bad cholesterol Regulates the body's use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check.	Helps push food through the intestines quickly, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation.
Where it's found	Dried beans and peas, lentils, oats, barley, apples, bananas, citrus fruits, berries, pears, carrots	Whole-wheat products, wheat and corn bran, brown rice, oats, cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, fruit skins (apple, peach, pear)

Reprinted from Harvard Health Publications

Low-Carb, High-Protein Diets: The Bottom Line

Beware of closely following an Atkins-type diet for an extended period of time. At the same time, beware of the amount of refined carbohydrates in a typical low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet. They cause people to become unhealthy and overweight.

We come back to the same old trusty recommendations, continually borne out in the research, with some new twists:

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
• Whole-grain carbohydrates with a low glycemic index are part of a healthy diet.
• Eliminating refined carbohydrates, which have a high glycemic index, helps you to lose weight and improve health.
• Choose moderate servings (3 to 4 ounces) of lean protein, balancing animal and plant sources. Poultry and fish are the leanest animal proteins. Beans, nuts, tofu, and meat imitators such as veggie burgers are good sources of plant protein.
• Include healthy sources of fat for nutrients and satisfaction, such as nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive- and vegetable-oil-based dressings, canola oil, and trans-fat-free margarines for baking.
• Limit manufactured, synthetic food products. These are labeled as low-carbohydrate, and are made with sugar alcohols that are not digested and can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea if eaten in quantity.

Reprinted from Harvard Health Publications

The Best Workout Video Ever!

Retrain Your Brain to Love Exercise!

The best diet for weight loss may still be under debate, but there's no doubt that the dynamic duo of diet and exercise continues to be the gold standard for weight loss and, more importantly, maintaining a weight loss. In spite of the much-publicized benefits of exercise, too many people fail to stick with an exercise program. Here are three ways to think about exercise and its benefits that will help you love it — especially if your goal is to lose weight.

Tip #1 — Without the appropriate fuel, exercise can feel more like punishment than pleasure. For those seeking a quick fix, a very low-carbohydrate diet can seem like the magic bullet. But a balanced diet with adequate carbohydrates is necessary to optimize energy for exercise. Any diet, especially a weight-loss diet, that is too low in carbohydrates — 125 grams or fewer a day — is a recipe for disaster when it comes to exercise. The primary fuel for muscles is glucose (from carbohydrates) and its storage form, glycogen. Without them, you're likely to feel tired or have sore muscles early in your workout. Planning an exercise routine includes timing meals and snacks to prevent exercising on empty. If you feel sluggish while walking at 5 p.m. because you haven't eaten since lunchtime, try having a pre-workout snack. The same walk just an hour or so after dinner will probably be adequately fueled from that meal. To boost your stamina, eat a 150- to 200-calorie snack that contains one to two servings of carbohydrates about 30 minutes to 1 hour before exercise. Here are some examples: • An apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or mixed nuts • One ounce of string cheese and 6 crackers • A granola or protein bar with about 150 calories and five to seven grams of protein

Tip #2 — Think of exercise as a savings account. With a savings account, you make deposits, watch your money grow with interest, and then reap the rewards. You don't deposit money so you can immediately withdraw it. Exercise is similar. It also gathers interest: As you get more fit, your body rewards your hard work by using more calories during and after your workouts. Here are some other ways that exercise contributes to long-term weight loss and weight maintenance. • Muscle burns calories while fat does not, even though it weighs more than fat. • Exercise builds muscle, which increases your body's resting metabolic rate, so you expend more calories even when you're not exercising. Exercise also helps maintain muscle. Because muscle burns calories, exercise can also help you maintain the weight you lose, which is often harder than losing weight. • Some studies show that vigorous exercise can help reduce appetite; therefore exercisers take in fewer calories during the day without even thinking about it. • Researchers estimate that your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate for between 2 and 24 hours after you finish exercising. If you have not exercised in a while or plan to do more than walking, check with your physician prior to starting to exercise.

Tip #3 — The benefits of exercise aren't measured just by a scale, but by a better working body. Instead of focusing on the minutes that tick by, the calories racked up on the treadmill, or the number on the scale, focus on how exercise changes your body from the inside out. • It reduces depression and can be especially effective for women who have postpartum depression. • It can increase insulin sensitivity if you have diabetes; if you're at risk for diabetes, exercise can help prevent it. • It can help reverse sarcopenia, a condition associated with inactivity and aging in which fat replaces muscle. According to one study, postmenopausal women were able to reverse muscle-mass loss after two months of small increases in physical activity and strength training. This was linked to better overall health, better balance, and fewer falls. Many people are discouraged by the slow weight loss associated with moderate calorie restriction (250-500 fewer calories per day) plus exercise (mobilizing another 250 calories a day) especially in light of the old adage that muscle weighs more than fat. It can be disheartening not to see your hard work reflected in a lower number on the scale. Some changes can't be measured on the scale. Rather they create a better functioning body. Success isn't about any one workout, but if you challenge yourself for the long-haul and continue to exercise even if your weight isn't changing, you can affect more lasting improvements in your body.

Rerinted from Harvard Health Publications