5 Junk Foods That Could Save Your Life By Hilary Walke

It's A Medical Miracle

From blue M&Ms to cheese whiz, it turns out our favorite junk foods may have some redeeming qualities. Find out if your favorite splurge food made the list.

Blue M&M’s
A recent study led by a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered that the artificial blue dye in M&M’s had a significant impact on the recovery of rats with spinal cord injuries. No, we’re not advising you to make a steady diet of them, but researchers are hopeful this discovery will lead to effective treatment in the future.

Guinness
Remember that old slogan telling you Guinness is good for you? Experts from The University of Wisconsin say one pint of this thick and creamy dark beer may be as effective as a low dose of aspirin to improve blood circulation, hence lowering the risk of blood clots and heart attacks.

"These foods do have active helpful ingredients, but it's all about the
amount," cautions health-editor-at-large Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom.

Cheese Whiz
Conjugated linoleic acid is found in many meat, milk, and cheese products. However, a study published in The Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society concentrates specifically on processed cheese, revealing that CLA contains anti-carcinogenic properties, as well as a possible effective antioxidant. The study says processed cheeses like Cheese Whiz contain more CLA than natural cheese, such as cheddar.

Hershey’s Dark Chocolate

It turns out that dark chocolate — not white, or milk — lowers blood pressure, according to a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003. Because of the high amounts of antioxidants in dark chocolate, it has other health benefits as well, such as decreasing risk of heart disease if you eat around 100 grams a day.

Of course, that’s nearly a quarter of a pound of dark chocolate a day, Fernstrom warns, so do the math and see if it’s really good for your waistline.

Red Wine

Red wine does more than give you a good buzz. According to a study published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology this year, resveratrol, an ingredient in red wine, effectively decreases life-threatening inflammation. The antioxidants in red wine can also help with preventing heart disease and cancer.

"Not a drinker? You can get the same effects in grape juice or red grapes; they both have similar properties," Fernstrom says.

More Deceiving Splurges

Some foods aren't always what they seem. Knowing the facts helps you eat more confidently and healthily. Check out some more hidden food secrets revealed.

What Popular Candy Has the Most Calories? By Linda Vongkhamchanh

We Count Down from Highest to Lowest

All candy is not made equal. See how nine popular candies measure up.

#9. Snickers
A Snickers bar has 280 calories and is one of the highest-calorie candy bars you can eat.

#8. 3 Musketeers

A 3 Musketeers bar may have less fat than most chocolate candy bars, but it will set you back 260 calories.

#7. Skittles

Chocolate bars aren't the only high-calorie candies. Skittles comes in at 250 calories per 2-ounce bag.

#6. M&M's

A single-serving bag of M&M's has 240 calories.

#5. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Two Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have 230 calories.

#4. Milk Duds

A box of Milk Duds contains 170 calories.

#3. York Peppermint Pattie

A York Peppermint Pattie has 140 calories.

#2. Dum Dum Pop Lollipops

A Dum Dum Pop has 25 calories.

#1. Tootsie Rolls

A bite-size Tootsie Roll Midgee comes in at 23 calories. These individually wrapped treats are great for portion control because you can easily keep track of the calories when you're popping them in your mouth.





http://www.neversaydiet.com/slideshow/what-popular-candy-has-most-calories

How Many Calories Is Your Dance Workout Worth? By Hilary Walke

5 Dances That Tone

In light of Oxygen’s new dance reality TV series Dance Your Ass Off, we've covered 5 different dance styles that help you tone certain parts of the body. Tune in every Monday at 10 on Oxygen for Dance Your Ass Off.

Salsa for Legs

Salsa gives you rhythm, flexibility and most importantly, toned legs. With pivots, slides and swivels, salsa is one of the best types of dancing for working your legs due to its fast-paced focus on the lower half of your body. You’ll burn over 420 calories from a 60 minutes session.

Jazz For Your Bum

Because jazz generally stays low to the ground, it's one of the best dance workouts for your butt. It helps keeps your body aligned and the dance moves accurate. When moving to this sassy dance style, you can burn up to 400 calories in 60 minutes.

Belly Dance For Your Core

Isolating your tummy is harder than it looks. From belly rolls to shakes and shimmies, you'll feel your core burning and building. With belly dancing, since the focus is mainly on your abs and core, you can get hardcore abs and burn 380 calories per hour with this sexy dance style.

Indian For Arms

Masala Bhangra, the new hot Indian dance style hitting the nation is all about arms, arms, arms. Most of the celebratory-inspired dance moves have your arms and hands waving in the air, without taking them down. Talk about a bicep burn. You'll say goodbye to around 500 calories per hour with this dance style.

Hip-Hop for Cardio

Because there's so much movement involved including all different areas of your body, this is a great cardio workout. From break dancing to jumping up high, you can burn anywhere from 300-700 calories when dancing to this beat for an hour.

Dance For a Toned Bod

You can still get a toned body without going to the gym—dance your way fit.

* Sweat with Slumdog—what's your dance DVD workout?
* Burn more calories at the dance club
* Twist & shout your way to a cleaner home



http://www.neversaydiet.com/slideshow/5-dances-tone

Two killer moves for a FLAT TUMYY

"A toned stomach is like an amazing Chanel Bag." - Yahoo!



Killer Move 1
Killer Move #1
The Plank
Goal: To condition your entire core
Frequency: Four times a week
Directions:
- Get into a push-up position with your forearms on the floor.
- Lift your legs and torso up off the ground so that only your toes and the flats of your forearms remain on the floor.
- Keeping your back neutral and your belly button pulled in, hold this position for 20-60 seconds.
- Repeat for 3-5 sets.



Killer Move 2
Killer Move #2
Butterfly Abs
Goal: To work your deep abs while getting a flat, sexy stomach
Frequency: Four times a week
Directions:
- Sit comfortably on a gym mat or carpet with your legs crossed. Using your arms to support you, slowly lie back until your body is flat, keeping your legs crossed.
- Place your hands under the nape of your neck for support. Inhale through your nose, and raise your chest a few inches off the floor while exhaling through your mouth. Your chest should be moving up toward the ceiling, not bending forward to your knees. This should be a smooth, controlled motion.
- Repeat 25 times, and as you progress, move up to 50 times.
- Tip: Do not push your head with your hands as this puts you at risk of injuring your neck. The purpose of your hands is to keep your head in alignment with your back and shoulders. You don't want to curve your back.

Enjoy your abs!! :)

source: YAHOO.com

Wii Fit for Nintendo - An alternative method to staying fit

The Entertainment Group offers an innovative extension for its console the Nintendo "Wii". The Nintendo game "Wii Fit" is consistently continuing its strategies to create an upgraded image of video games: In addition to families, young men and women are the target and instead of bloody battles, sports and fun are the main content.

"Wii Fit" consists of a Balance Board, high-tech scales, wireless internet with the "Wii" connected, and training software. The concept is ambitious: Wii Fit acts as a personal coach. The user has a guide for regular training and support to aid in the improvement of physical conditioning which can be monitored through the console. At the start of the game, there is a personal assistant that works alongside the user with an animated Balance Board. To start, increase the board and wait for a few seconds, and the software will tell the current weight, body mass index and the shift of the body. It will then calculate your fitness age based on all these factors.

There are four forms of exercise that help to improve body balance and where weight optimization can be achieved: yoga, muscle exercises, aerobics and balance games. The first two are quite serious training programs, in which a virtual coach - depending on the male or female version - with a soft voice aids you through the various exercises. The movements of the exercises are fully displayed on the screen, so that yoga exercises such as the "sunshine greeting" or "the tree" can be easily imitated. The Balance Board covers only the weight distribution on the feet of the user. The exercises are usually moderately strenuous, allowing most individuals to be able to perfect them.

The balance of the games and aerobics are clearly the fun part. This is where all Wii fans already know, "Mii" avatars which are used to master various tasks. You can Hula Hoop or do step aerobics in time with the board. The games are easy to learn, are extremely entertaining, motivational, and you can choose your level of difficulty to gain high score ranking. Unfortunately, by the low level of difficulty the highest level can be achieved quickly and the games get boring fairly fast, therefore experienced gamers will become easily frustrated.

The program strives to keep the user involved and as well to supply proper feedback on any progress. It calls for regular testing on the body for weight, balance, and age of fitness. Somewhat annoying is the well-intentioned health tips of the animated Helferleins, which recommends, among other things, to chew your food.

The Wii Fit "- system certainly cannot replace personal or professional training. Especially for an effective cardiovascular training, the intensity of the exercises is not enough.

Especially for people who might otherwise spend their time in front of the television, "Wii Fit" is the first step towards a better body awareness and a healthier body balance. This target group is certainly not too small, making the "Wii Fit" an economic success.


Source: http://www.fitness.com/articles/434/wii_fit_for_nintendo_-_an_alternative_method_to_staying_fit.php