Nutrition and Exercise Tips
Read these 15 Nutrition and Exercise Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Nutrition tips and hundreds of other topics.
Burn, baby, burn!
You don't have to be a jock or go to the gym three times a day to stay fit. You just have to stay active. There are hundreds of everyday ways to burn calories, lower your weight and improve your overall fitness. So don't just sit there, do something.
Shoosh, shoosh, shoosh
Once considered the world's best aerobic exercise. Shushing at a 5mph clip across hill and dale could burn off as much as 700 calories per hour. Cross-country skiing is also a great way to stay warm when you're out in the cold.
Go nuts!
As every good squirrel knows, nuts are good eating. They are an excellent source of protein and thiamin, which is essential for maintaining normal digestion and appetite, and normal nervous tissue function. Nuts are also likely to cause blood sugar and insulin to rise at a slower rate. Note: Burying nuts in your backyard does not always improve their nutritional value.
The A-list
While they don't really improve your eyesight, carrots are a significant source of vitamin A, which is necessary for maintaining skin and mucous membranes, bone growth, resistance to infections, and prevention of night blindness. A half cup of carrot juice contains as much vitamin A as eight Devil's food cakes. And that's what's up, doc.
Take your breath away...please
Besides being the natural companion to steak, the onion has long been hailed as having near magical therpeutic powers. George Washington, it is said, used to eat a roasted onion every day to ward off colds -- and pesky politicians. Modern studies seem to indicate that the onion has some power to fight bacteria and prevent blood from clotting.
This corn is no joke
Corn is one of the foods highest in fiber (the high-tech word for roughage). Besides tasting great in succotash, one cup of corn has as much fiber as 14 slices of white bread, although it doesn't go as well with peanut butter and jelly.
What's a love apple got to do with it?
Once known as “love apples,” tomatoes were long thought to be poison, which goes to show you how much our attitudes have changed toward fruit -- and love. Tomatoes are high in vitamin K, which helps blood to clot. Anyway you slice it, the tomato is a healthy favorite.
Strawberry fields, forever
Back in the day, strawberries were used as a cure for gout and as a skin medication. A cut berry rubbed on the skin was said to remove a light sunburn. Today we have a much happier use for strawberries: We eat them. Strawberries are long on sweetness and short on calories. They are also high in pectins, which have been linked to lower blood cholesterol levels in both animals and humans.
It's really nutritious eating green
Did you know that deep green vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, and spinach are good sources of riboflavin (Vitamin B2)? A single cup of these green gems has as much B2 as a cup of milk, though we don't recommend pouring them on your morning cereal.
Nutrition for the rest of us
Your mom always made you eat your vegetables, but maybe you weren't sure why. This little overview of the nutritional value of common fruits and vegetables may help you see why mother knew best.
The protein pea
Black-eyed peas were legendary heavyweight champion Joe Louis' favorite pre-fight meal for a very good reason. They are packed with protein and complex carbohydrates which means they are an outstanding source of energy and strength, even if you are not planning to knock someone out.
Get outta the cart!
A round of golf can keep you feeling up to par, lower your handicap, and burn 150-250 calories per hour. If you are bad enough at it, you can also burn calories hiking in the woods, wading and swearing (not recommended).
Get in the swim of things
A great way to exercise without putting undue strain on joints and burn about 300-700 calories per hour. Contrary to popular belief, skinny-dipping does not burn more calories, though it can be a lot more fun.
Potassium pear
One type of avocado bears the ominous appellation of “alligator pear”, but that's no reason to shy away from this nutritious fruit. (Yes, a fruit.) The avocado is high in potassium, a mineral important in maintaining a healthy heartbeat. One avocado contains as much potassium as four bananas.
All-around good guy
Garlic has been used for over 5,000 years as an antiseptic, diuretic, sedative, poultice, vermifuge, hair restorer, and aphrodisiac. (Probably on the theory that anything that smells so bad has got to be good for something.) There is evidence that garlic is effective in lowering blood cholesterol and as an anti-coagulant. It should not, however, be used as a breath mint.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Joe Wallace |
