Super Bowl A Question of Life or Cardiovascular Death! ✰ Are Super BOWLs to Blame For the US Obesity Epidemic ✰ By BMI Standards the Average NFL Player is Obese

Conundrum of the day: Is it really any wonder, that the average American has weight problems if their football stars are obese?

After reading the "Cultural Guide to the Super Bowl for People Who Dont Watch Football" (read it yourself) on Wire.com, I realized that I cannot simply ignore Super Bowl XLVIII and since I have absolutely no idea of how American Football works and how it came about that you, my dear US friends, are going crazy about people carrying a ball thats called FOOT-ball (I mean, its not "carry-ball") around in your arms, I decided to do what I usually do, when I dont understand things: Look for answers on the science databases on the Internet.

I have to admit, I did not really find the answer to my initial question and I still dont know the rules of the game, but I found a couple of "related" stories, you may be interested in:

• Super-BOWLs to blame for the obesity epidemic (van Kleef. 2012) -- I guess this would be an appropriate headline for a press release based on a study that was published in 2012 in the peer-reviewed scientific Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
  
  According to the data Ellen van Kleef and Mitsuru Shimizu and Brian Wansink present in this paper, "super bowls" with a capacity of 6.9-l betray people into overeating (in this case on pasta).

  

  Figure 1: Super BOWL Wargning - When pasta is served in large vs. medium sized bowls people have difficulties controlling their pasta intakes (van Kleef. 2012)

  If you take a closer look at the data in Figure 1 you will realize that ladies are much more prone to the "bowl trick" than guys. If you think about the different eating habits between men (eat until youre satieted) and women (eat until you feel guilty / think you had enough), it is yet not really surprising that the women stopped eating earlier, when they got their pasta in the medium-sized 3.8L bowls.
  
  Whats particularly amusing is that Wansing et al. showed in a very similar experiment with ice-cream that even "experts", i.e. nutritionists, are not immune against the "big bowl, big appetite" phenomenon and served themselves ~30% of extra ice-cream when the latter was served in bigger bowls (Wansink. 2006).
• Super Bowl outcomes association with cardiovascular death (Schwartz. 2013) -- If you take a look at the messages on Twitter, Facebook and Co. its quite clear that the Super Bowl is a matter of life or death for many Americans. That this is true in both the figurative and literal sense, is not immediately obvious, though - and still, according to a group of scientists from the Good Samaritan Hospital in LA, this is yet actually the case.

German soccer fans at greater risk than US football fanatics: If the scientists assumption that the increased risk in cardiovascular death is proportional to the "strength of the support" for the home team, us Germans are must be really supportive of our soccer team. According to a 2008 study by Ute Wilbert-Lampen et al. the risk of dying from any sort of cardiovascular complication more than doubled during our home-worldcup in 2006 (Wilbert-Lampen. 2008).

• The scientists analyzed the number of cardiovascular incidences during two "high drama and intense Super Bowls" (NYC beat New England (Massachusetts) in 2008 and Pittsburgh defeated Arizona in 2009) and found
  
  • a +20% increase in circulatory and a +24% increase in ischemic heart disease deaths after Massachusetts defeat, and
  • a -25% decrease in circulartory, -31% decrease in ischemic heart disease, and a -46% reduction in myocardial infarction deaths in Pittsburg
  Whats somewhat astonishing, though is that the cardiovascular death rates did not change in Arizona (all p > 0.19)... well, Schwartz et al. obviously have an answer: "Massachusetts and Pittsburgh show stronger support for their home teams compared with Arizona." (Schwartz. 2013 ;-)
• Fat or fit? By BMI standards he is obese, but what about the actual anthropometric data of the "average NFL player"? (Luke. 2014) -- Very timely, I should say... what? Ah, yes. I meant the ahead-of-print publication of a study by Pryor, Huggins, Casa, et al. in the online version of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: "A Profile of a National Football League Team", that sounds promising, right?
  
  Well, if you look at the data the scientists from the Human Performance Laboratory of the University of Connecticut gathered, you will realize that this "profile" is a simple analysis of the anthropometric data of all players of the 2011 New York Giants team.

  

  Figure 2: NFL player comparison of pooled and weighted body fat (%), - mass (kg), and - height (cm); data based on anthropometric measurement of the 2011 New York Giants team (Pryor. 2014)

  So! Now you tell me, who do you wanna be, the ripped, wide receiver or the massive offensive lineman? What? You wanna be the quarter back? How did I know that!?
  
  "Interesting, but are there any practical implications to this?" In case thats what you are just thinking a brief quote from the paragraph on "practical applications" of this study may give you a leg up:
  

  "[Our] study adds new players data to prototypical position-specific databases that may be used as templates for comparison of players for draft selection or physical training." (Pryor. 2014)

  In view of the fact that the anthropometric profiles did not dramatically differ over the past 13 years, we may also assume that aside from a trend toward improved body composition in some positions the "prototypical" and maybe even ideal football player is already out there, so that physical characteristics have little impact on the successful outcomes in the NFL.

I know you still have to fill the bowls with popcorn, so I am not going to keep you from fulfilling this important duty... just remember: you may turn from "wide receiver ripped" to "offensive lineman"... well, lets say "massive" in no time, if you keep choosing the SUPER (large) BOWL too often ;-)

References:

• Pryor, J. Luke, et al. "A Profile of a National Football League Team." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 28.1 (2014): 7-13.
• Schwartz, Bryan G., Scott Andrew McDonald, and Robert A. Kloner. "Super Bowl outcome’s association with cardiovascular death." Clinical Research in Cardiology 102.11 (2013): 807-811.
• van Kleef, Ellen, Mitsuru Shimizu, and Brian Wansink. "Serving bowl selection biases the amount of food served." Journal of nutrition education and behavior 44.1 (2012): 66-70.
• Wansink, Brian, Koert Van Ittersum, and James E. Painter. "Ice cream illusions: bowls, spoons, and self-served portion sizes." American journal of preventive medicine 31.3 (2006): 240-243.

Sweet And Spicy Vegetarian Baked Beans With Green Chilies And Jalapenos

One of my favorite brands of ready-made vegetarian baked beans.

Very Easy Vegetarian Baked Beans for a Crowd

When throwing a summer party, baked beans are always a favorite. They obviously arent as healthy as having plain beans because of the added sugar, but once in a while its worth the indulgence. Beans are high in fiber which helps you lower your cholesterol and stabilize your blood sugar levels.

This is one of the dishes on my Summer Solstice Party menu that we served at our family gathering last week. When you are feeding a crowd, its nice to have a dish that goes together quickly. Ive made baked beans from scratch but its a lot of work and Ive never been able to duplicate the taste of using Bushs beans in this recipe. After adding just a few additional ingredients I generally let the beans simmer in a crock pot all day but you can also make them on the stove. If you are feeding fewer people, cut the recipe in half. If you are feeding a larger crowd, double the recipe. Baked beans make great leftovers. My daughter loves to eat them along side scrambled eggs.

Are Canned Vegetarian Baked Beans Considered Vegan?

Some products, like Amys organic vegetarian beans, state that they are vegan on the label. Although Bushs does not, they replied to this question by stating that they are "free of meat and meat by-products" and that all of their products are "dairy and casein free". Their ingredients do however include "sugar" (although most of the sweetness is from brown sugar) and they do not specify whether its cane or beet. Some cane sugar refineries use bone char in the filtering process which discourages many vegans from using cane sugar but many refineries do not. Brown and beet sugar does not go through this process.

***

Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans with Green Chilies and Jalapenos

[makes 12 servings]

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

Two 28 ounce cans of vegetarian or vegan baked beans

2 ounces mild diced green chilies (1/2 of a 4 oz. can)

1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno (fresh or canned, more or less to taste)

2 tablespoons unpacked brown sugar

Crock pot recipe:

Sauté the onion in oil for 5 minutes. Drain most of the juice from one can of beans and use all of the juice from the other. Put the onion, the beans and the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot and simmer on low all day or on high for 4 hours or more. Get a big slotted spoon and serve your guests from the crock pot.

Stove top recipe:

Using a 5 quart Dutch oven, sauté the onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until the beans are thick and bubbly. Serve.

Per serving: 151.3 calories, 1.2 g fat, 0.2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.1 g protein, 31.8 g carbohydrates and 5.3 g of fiber.

What’s Eating Like After Weight Loss Surgery

Like everyone else at the Lubbock, Texas, holiday dinner, Kristy Owens fills up her plate. But halfway through the turkey and trimmings, she’s done. She’s “completely full” and can’t eat another bite. Owens, 40 – who was on the verge of diabetes eight years ago – skips dessert. “If something even looks sweet, I’m completely turned away by it,” she says. Food tastes saltier now, and she doesn’t have much use for the salt shaker anymore. In 2006, Owens had weight-loss surgery, and like others whove had the procedure, she’s found the experience of eating changes in many ways.

Smaller Meals

Your stomach is smaller after weight-loss surgery and simply can’t hold as much food as it used to. So the challenge is maintaining good nutrition while eating less. Shannon Owens, a dietitian (and Kristy’s sister), works with patients at The Advanced Bariatric Surgery Center in Lubbock. Once fully recovered, patients are encouraged to eat every two to three hours as part of their permanent routine. While the exact amount of food depends on the type of surgery, Owens says the range is from one to two cups of food at a time. “They’re eating six times [a day] so they’ll definitely have no problem getting adequate calories and protein with this food,” she says.

Protein First

Protein malnutrition is the big concern, especially during early recovery. Patients are strongly encouraged to eat mostly protein foods, such as lean meats and low-fat dairy or eggs, says Owens, who teaches a course on bariatric surgery and nutrition at Texas Tech University. Protein shakes are helpful, she says, although not mandatory. “Sometimes it can help if people can sprinkle protein powder in their milk or in their yogurt just to get a little bit more protein, right at the beginning.” Down the road, she says, people can eat bigger portions and add more balance to their diet, by incorporating more fruits, vegetables, breads and grains.

Kristy Owens says in addition to protein supplements, she’s also been told to take extra calcium and vitamin B. Different centers may recommend additional supplements, like vitamin D.

Taste Change

Salty, sweet, sour and bitter – taste perception may differ between obese and non-obese people. In a recent study using taste strips, “obese patients had a lower taste perception than the non-obese, and that was pretty much across the board, regardless of type of taste,” says lead author John Morton, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Morton suggests that by learning taste appreciation, instead of getting satisfaction from the sheer volume of food, people could make up for it through taste, or the way food looks and smells. And paradoxically, the longer people take to eat, the less food they consume.

Taste perception can change after weight-loss surgery, the study also found. Patients “became more sensitized to salt – that was the big difference,” says Morton, who is also an associate professor of surgery and director of bariatric surgery in the School of Medicine at Stanford University.

Owens says it’s likely that 80 percent or more of patients experience some type of taste change. Sugars may become “sickeningly sweet,” for example. She’s had several patients who disliked tuna before the surgery but enjoyed it after. “A lot of people crave pickles after,” she says. “So we tell them, put pickle relish in your tuna salad [but] just don’t eat pickles.”

Sugar and Fats: Body Talks Back

Most patients are able to tolerate sugar, Shannon Owens says, with the exception of those who had the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. Gastric bypass involves creating a pouch within the stomach to make it smaller, and bypassing part of the small intestine to reduce the amount of calories absorbed. These patients will be “super sensitive” to sugar, she says. A different procedure, the duodenal switch, leaves patients really sensitive to fats. These foods can lead to nausea and vomiting, or diarrhea – otherwise known as dumping syndrome.

Owens put together a cookbook, “Extraordinary Taste: A Festive Guide For Life After Weight Loss Surgery,” to help patients who once loved chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes come up with new ways to enjoy food. She previously learned that “when you change fat and sugar in recipes, they do not turn out OK.” She says people really enjoy her chili recipe, among others, and all are “lean protein, healthy fats and high fiber.”

Carbonation No-No

Carbonated beverages, Morton says, including beer, Champagne and soft drinks, “are a problem.” Carbonation actually stretches the stomach. To illustrate, he says, “If you’ve ever drank a Coke pretty quickly with a normal-size stomach, you have the sensation that you need to burp. So imagine it’s considerably smaller.” Morton doesn’t advocate any type of soft drink, not even Diet Coke. Not just because it’s carbonated, but “there’s also the sense that your body is not fooled by the ‘diet’ part of it and will try to make up for it in other ways by eating more.”

For her part, Kristy Owens admits to the occasional lapse with a Diet Dr Pepper. However, her sister Shannon says, “Every center is different, but we don’t recommend carbonation, ever.” That’s another tough restriction, she admits. “But I’ve never had a patient go, ‘Man, this surgery was not worth it because I want my soda.’ They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel so much better. I’m no longer diabetic, and it’s definitely worth it.’”

Mindful Eating

Of course, eating isn’t just about bubbles in a soft drink or sugar in a cookie – there’s the emotional side. Owens notes that patients at the Lubbock center see a psychologist to ease the adjustment. Morton says his center, like others, educates patients to help guide their expectations. “Your relationship to food does change, but I think it changes for the better,” he says. “It doesn’t mean saying goodbye to eating; it means saying hello to eating right.”

Kristy Owens says while she can no longer do things like watch TV and snack, she “so much loves being able to wear a size that’s not in the double digits into the 20s.” She says the exchange is well worth it, including exercising more and relating to food in a healthier way.

By Lisa Esposito

Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2014/12/04/whats-eating-like-after-weight-loss-surgery

Harry Potter Star Timothy Spall Debuts Impressive Weight Loss Before and After Photos

Peter Pettigrew, is that you!? British actor Timothy Spall was nearly unrecognizable at the New York Film Critics Awards on Monday, Jan. 5, as he showed off his incredible weight loss on the red carpet.

The 57-year-old star looked slim and fit in a gray and navy three-piece suit, quite different from how Harry Potter film buffs would remember him. Spall — earning raves and Oscar buzz for his work as 19th Century landscape painter James Turner in Mr. Turner — was considerably bulkier when he played Peter Pettigrew (aka Wormtail) in the franchise from 2004 to 2011.

Before shedding the weight, Spall shed some light on the four years he traveled around Britain with his wife Shane. The actor decided to take the trek following his battle with leukemia 15 years ago. His experiences ultimately became the subject of the documentary, Somewhere at Sea.

"I bought the boat after the illness to celebrate being alive, and realize now that the voyage was also a delayed reaction to the leukemia," he told The Telegraph in January 2013. "It was about sticking two fingers up to fate and saying, Right, you tried to kill me once with illness. Now Im going to tempt you again. But this time, Ill do it on my terms."

"It was [Shanes] way of processing what we went through as a couple and as a family," he added, "because we had three young children at the time, and the ripple effect on everyone was tremendous."

The Enchanted star also hinted that going through the scary ordeal made him want to get healthier. "Although I dont advise cancer as a way of understanding suffering, it does give you a greater sympathy for others going through it," he told the British newspaper. "Helping you to lose weight – which Ive put back on – and making you a better actor. I wouldnt recommend cancer as an acting tool, but I think it helped me understand the human condition. And thats what acting is all about."

Source: https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/harry-potter-star-timothy-spall-debuts-impressive-weight-030000725-us-weekly.html

Tripling weight loss surgeries would cut type 2 diabetes treatment bill

Up to two million people could be eligible, though it is not seen as a long-term solution for obesity

The number of obese people having weight loss surgery needs to double or triple in the UK so the soaring bill for treating type 2 diabetes can be cut, according to NHS advisory body Nice.

Up to two million people could be eligible for surgery, said Rachel Batterham, head of obesity and bariatric services at University College London Hospital NHS Trust who helped update guidance for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Only 6,500 people a year had it in 2009/10.

Nice says bariatric surgery can greatly help type 2 diabetics. The most modern operations, the stomach bypass and the gastric sleeve, do more than reduce stomach capacity – “they alter how the body handles glucose”, said Batterham.

Of the 4,000 patients who had surgery because of type 2 diabetes, 65% were not on any diabetes medication within two years, she said. “If you look at the healthcare savings from drugs alone, the surgery pays for itself in two to three years.” That was without taking into account the savings from avoiding the severe side effects of the disease, which can include blindness, amputations, renal failure, heart attacks and stroke.

“The benefits are so great it really needs to be considered as part of their treatment pathway,” she said.

Nice does not back the routine use of very low calorie diets, often 400-800 calories. “The problem is that most people will lose weight but most people will also regain much of that weight that has been lost,” said Prof John Wilding, a diabetes consultant and obesity specialist from the University of Liverpool. We don’t see [diets] as a long-term solution for people with obesity. They could be used in people who need to lose weight quickly because they are going to have a knee replacement operation, for instance.”

One in 20 people have type 2 diabetes and the numbers are growing because of the obesity epidemic. The toll is high. “Every year 24,000 people die prematurely because of type 2 diabetes. There are 100 amputations every week in the NHS and these are all preventable,” said Batterham.

Wilding said the number of NHS operations could realistically rise to about 15,000 a year. There are currently serious delays in many parts of the UK, however, because obese patients need assessment and counselling over several months before embarking on surgery and many hospital trusts do not have the services in place.

The cost of each operation is about £6,000, which includes follow-up care. Nice says it is vital that people should be seen regularly because their diet and exercise habits need to change. But surgery will, over the long-term, reduce the annual £10m bill for care of diabetes and its complications, says Nice.

However Simon Stevens, the NHS England chief executive, has strongly backed efforts to prevent obesity and some experts agree with him.

But Prof Iain Broom, director of the centre for obesity research and education at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said Nice had missed lots of evidence.

“The Nice guidance could send tens of thousands of Britons towards unnecessary surgery, with its known morbidity and mortality, and costing taxpayers many millions of pounds, when all that is required is a different dietary and lifestyle approach including the use of low carbohydrate diets and low calorie diets,” he said.

Nice says obese people (BMI of 35 or over) with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes should be assessed for weight loss surgery. People of Asian family origin and those recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be considered for an assessment even if their BMI is lower than 35.

• This article was amended on 27 November 2014. An earlier version lost a zero from a figure of 100 amputations mentioned in a quote.

By Sarah Boseley

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/27/obesity-weight-loss-surgery-type-2-diabetes-treatment-health

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples

Save money and make your own quick vegetable broth.

This sugar pie yielded 5 cups of chopped pumpkin for my soup.

Peeled pumpkin with seeds removed.

Using your Harvest

We grew quite a few little sugar pie pumpkins and although quite a few of them will make their way into pies, a healthier way to use them is in a soup. Since we still have a few boxes of Sebastopol Gravenstein apples, this recipe will also use some of these. You can also substitute winter squash for the pumpkin and other types of apples for the Gravensteins.

Carotenoids - Strong Antioxidants

Red, yellow and orange vegetables are full of antioxidant rich carotenoids. Although Beta-carotene is the most well known, hundreds of carotenoids have been identified. These antioxidants are believed to enhance our ability to fight cancer and other diseases. The power of these and other plant chemicals is enhanced when they are consumed together so it’s best to get them from food than to buy a vitamin pill that has isolated a single carotenoid, like beta carotene.

Nutrient Content of One Cup of Cubed Raw Pumpkin [source, Nutrition.data.com ]

Calories - 30

Fat and cholesterol - 0 g

Carbohydrates - 8g

Fiber - 1 g

Protein - 1 g

Vitamin A - 8,567 IU (171 % Daily Value)*

Potassium - 394 mg (11%)

Riboflavin - 0.1 mg (8%)

Copper - 0.1 mg (7%)

Manganese - 0.1 mg (7%)

Vitamin E - 1.2 mg (6%)

Folate - 18.6 mcg (5%)

Iron - 0.9mg (5%)

Phosphorus - 51 mg (5%)

Thiamin - 0.1 mg (4%)

Vitamin B6 - 0.1 mg (4%)

* In descending Percent Daily Values (%DV) based on an adult 2,000 calorie diet.

Make your Own Quick Broth

You can substitute ready-made broth in this recipe. But if you want to save a few dollars and use herbs from your garden and on-hand veggies, you can throw together a quick broth while you are preparing the rest of the soup ingredients.

Creamy Soup Without the Cream

Whether you are vegan, lactose intolerant or you just want to save some calories, you can make your soup creamy by blending in potatoes instead of cream.

***

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples [serves 4]

For the broth:

5 cups filtered water

2 carrots, each cut in three pieces

1 large piece celery, cut a few pieces

Skin and ends of a large onion

Sprig of fresh thyme

Handful of fresh parsley

4 peppercorns

2 cloves garlic in skin, each cut in half

For the Soup:

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small pumpkin, peeled and chopped (about 5 cups)

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes

3 cups of broth (from above or ready-made)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

2 cups chopped Gravenstein (or other) apple

1 tablespoon Earth Balance or other vegan no-transfat margarine

1 teaspoon sweet curry

Black pepper to taste (optional)

Bring all broth ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the soup (or at least 30 minutes). In a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven, saute onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of the broth (the above recipe may make a little more than that but only use 3 cups of it), the pumpkin, potato and salt. Bring to boil, then simmer until the pumpkin and potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Put the soup in a blender, blend until just smooth and return to the pot. Adjust salt if necessary. In a small sauce pan, saute apple in margarine and curry powder for 2 minutes, mixing continually. Divide soup in 4 bowls, top each with apples and freshly ground black pepper.

Per serving: 171 calories, 4.1 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 2.8 g protein, 33.9 g carbohydrates and 3.6 g of fiber.

5 Exercises To Look Feel Younger No Matter Your Age

A new study published by Mayo Clinic found that exercising for short-term results — endurance exercise for weight loss, or ultra-heavy weight lifting to beef up — may actually be counterproductive for longevity and health.

We have known this for a long time, which is why we advocate a resistance exercise program that focuses instead on developing the five traits associated with youthfulness: flexibility, speed, strength, good posture, and leanness. When people engage in the right kind of exercise, they dont become haggard, sore, injured, tired, and stiff. Whats more, resistance exercises, when done correctly, help people feel better and live longer.

No matter what your age — even if you start at 80 — its possible to regain the size, flexibility, and medical markers of a much younger person. Three decades of research and experience as trainers and athletes have shown us that just 30 minutes a day of speed-lifting light hand weights, a regular practice of managing stress, and eating healthfully can make your whole body flexible, strong, fast, lean, and properly aligned — all components of youthfulness.

Here are five ways to look and feel younger, regardless of your biological age.

1. Get flexible.

Flexibility is the capacity of the muscles and tendons to elongate or shorten for the purpose of movement — that is, of moving bones in key parts of the body. We lose flexibility because of how we live, not because we age. One way to regain flexibility is to do the same stretches every day until you eventually can stand from a full squat, or bend over and touch your toes, or bring your nose to your knees sitting with your legs outstretched.

2. Be strong.

When we age, our muscles tend to atrophy and our joints tend to wear away. Eventually we become weaker and slower, and we develop chronic pain and are vulnerable to osteoporosis and brittle bones. The best way to get strong is to start lifting weights. Its better for the body to lift light weights quickly than to lift heavy weights slowly. This is how you build up flexible, strong muscles.

3. Speed up.

One of the hallmarks of old age is slowing down. When we age, we walk slower, get out of chairs and cars slower, and react more slowly. Our reflexes are delayed, which can lead to falling. But you can become faster at any age. Getting faster is a function of these other four youthfulness factors. But one way to start getting faster is simply to speed up. Every time you take a walk, push yourself to sprint for 10 seconds or so, and do this intermittently.

4. Get lean.

Leanness is the optimal percentage of fat to muscle. When people age, they lose muscle and gain fat, which can trigger a cascade of health problems. Some simple ways to lose fat, but not muscle, are to eat twice as many fruits and vegetables as any other food at lunch and dinner; eat every three hours, but only the amount that can be burned in two hours; and eat nutritionally complete foods at every snack and meal — foods with protein, sugar, fiber, minerals, and vitamins in the right proportions. Avoid endurance exercising like stationary biking or treadmilling for burning calories. All youre doing is wearing out your joints.

5. Straighten up.

For good posture, all weightlifters end their training sessions by decompressing their spines. To fight the forces of gravity — the stooping and slumping one often sees in elderly people — daily decompression is crucial. We recommend an inversion table — a piece of equipment you lie on with your feet hooked under at the top and your head at the end tilting downward, gently stretching out your spine. Lifting light weights and doing floor exercises also strengthens your back and abdomen, helping you stand and sit erect.

By Jerzy Gregorek

Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17127/5-exercises-to-look-feel-younger-no-matter-your-age.html