Most snack foods pack hundreds of calories into very small portions. Potato chips, carbonated drinks, and candy bars are all examples of "energy-dense" foods. And while they are convenient, they provide excess calories in a small volume of food that will not satiate hunger. That's part of the reason they can lead to weight gain.

Instead of snacking on energy-dense foods, add low-calorie foods that can be eaten in high volume to fuel your fat-loss nutrition plan. These "nutrient-dense" foods include most soups, fiber-rich vegetables, and lean sources of protein.

Researchers at Penn State University tested the ability of nutrient-dense foods to help weight loss. The study followed 200 men and women for a year. All subjects were instructed to follow a calorie-restricted diet. One group had two servings of nutrient-dense soup every day. Another group ate an equivalent number of calories in energy-dense snack foods. While both groups lost weight, the subjects who ate the soup lost twice as much. Why? Because their appetites were satisfied and that made them less inclined to "cheat" on the diet.

It should go without saying ... if you want to lose weight, focus on nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean sources of protein, and calorie-free beverages (like water and green tea). These foods will fill you up, but they won't make you fat.

Do you have good walking shoes? I recently spent a good seven hours walking in downtown San Francisco (hills, hills, and more hills!) in the Stuart Weitzmann 2.5-inch-heel vanDyke boots that I’d worn each day during my conferences.

The remarkable thing is that my very tender and prone to blisters ankles didn’t rub or blister. Remarkable! If we hadn’t had a plane to catch, I would have kept on being a tourist. Those boots were that easy to walk in.

Not only can I walk for great lengths in these boots, I can also run — as I discovered when they were put to a full-tilt test from one end of the San Francisco airport terminal to another.

One of the things that I desire most for my life and those that I love is good health. Walking is certainly one of the most important things that anybody can do for their health and overall fitness. However, I am not interested in paying ridiculous amounts of money for shoes which explains why I own these and 5 more pairs of Stuart Weitzmann’s fabulous boots including the Empire, Waterproof, Bonsoir and Bootiful models.

If you have never heard of, or shopped online, at Zappos.com please take the time to treat yourself to a shoe shopping extravaganza right there at your own desk. They even have a “wish list” feature so that you can add shoes to your “I want that!” list. Best of all… FREE shipping and FREE returns. It doesn’t get better than that!

You can also win free shoes. Have fun!

Get Fit For Life!

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder in which a person briefly and repeatedly stops breathing during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea are more likely to develop high blood pressure, heart attack, congestive heart failure, and stroke. Women are more likely to develop sleep apnea after menopause.

Other factors that increase risk are overweight, smoking, use of alcohol or sleeping pills, and a family history of sleep apnea. Symptoms include heavy snoring and gasping or choking during sleep, along with extreme daytime sleepiness. If you think you may have sleep apnea, ask your doctor for a test called polysomnography, which is usually performed overnight in a sleep center.

If you are overweight, even a small weight loss — 10 percent of your current weight — can relieve mild cases of sleep apnea. Other self-help treatments include quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills. Sleeping on your side, rather than on your back, also may help.

It is spring! This is a perfect time to be outdoors walking, biking, or puttering in the garden. Take advantage of the gorgeous weather and get serious about getting yourself healthy, lean and toned.

Get Fit For Life!

If you have trouble finding blocks of time to dedicate to exercise you will be interested to know that several research studies show that two or three short bouts of vigorous exercise per day will stimulate your metabolism more than one long bout of exercise. Some of these studies also show that exercising in short bursts (interval training) is just as effective at decreasing body fat and lowering triglycerides. If you can’t dedicate a half hour each day to exercise, take 3 or more 10 minutes exercise breaks on your rebounder through out the day and early evening. You will find that you will achieve, quite easily and enjoyably, the health benefits of a longer workout.

Get Fit For Life!

www.reboundtohealth.com

Lowering your salt intake could lower your blood pressure, and maintaining a healthy blood pressure is an important defense against heart disease and stroke. Since salt is a popular additive, you should carefully monitor the amount of sodium you are eating to avoid overdoing it.

Here are some tips to help eliminate excess salt from your diet:

• Use reduced sodium or no-salt-added products. For example, choose low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods and condiments when available.
• Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned with "no-salt-added" vegetables.
• Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned, smoked, or processed types.
• Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium.
• Limit cured foods (such as bacon and ham), foods packed in brine (such as pickles, pickled vegetables, olives, and sauerkraut), and condiments (such as MSG, mustard, horseradish, ketchup, and barbecue sauce). Limit even lower sodium versions of soy sauce and teriyaki sauce — treat these condiments as you do table salt. Remove the salt shaker from the dining table!
• Use spices instead of salt. In cooking and at the table, flavor foods with herbs, spices, lemon, lime, vinegar, or salt-free seasoning blends. Start by cutting salt in half.
• Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
• Choose "convenience" foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, mixed dishes such as pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings — these often have a lot of sodium.
• Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, green beans, corn, etc. to remove some sodium.

Get Fit For Life!

www.reboundtohealth.com