THE BEST AND WORST ABDOMINAL EXERCISES

Researchers from the American Council on Exercise recruited 30 men and women of different fitness levels and tested the effectiveness of many different abdominal exercises and machines, using electromyography equipment to measure muscle activity .
The three best:
- Bicycles
- Captain’s Chair (Knee Raises)
- Crunches on a Stability Ball
Although crunches on a ball generated less activity in the obliques and rectus abdominus (6 pack muscle) than the top two exercises, the exercise also generated significantly less activity in the rectus femoris (a quadricep/hip flexor) – making it, arguably, the best overall exercise of the lot, the report says. The Ab Roller was proven to be virtually no more effective than the traditional crunch while the AB Rocker was shown to be up to 80 percent less effective. To read the whole report, click here.

SNACKING: WHICH FOODS ARE HEALTHY, WHICH ARE NOT

The Truth About Rice Cakes, Bagels & Snack Bars . . .
Many of the snacks we believe are good for us contain ingredients that are actually unhealthy, experts caution. Marketing is often to blame, explains Rick Hall, who teaches nutrition at Arizona State University. “They’re packaged to look healthy, sometimes almost in a devious way, but it comes down to the consumer’s lack of knowledge, too,” Hall says. To help raise your awareness, this article reveals nine snacks we often misconstrue, along with some truly healthy alternatives, click here to read it.

TOOLS FOR A HEALTHIER DIET

Here are some planning resources from the US Government

STEP 1 - Click here to Determine Your Daily Caloric Needs To take off one pound per week, you'll need to reduce calories by 500 per day. (One pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories.) Try eating 250 calories less per day and exercising enough to burn 250 calories— like walking about 2.5 miles each day. The easiest way to cut back on calories is to watch your portion sizes.
STEP 2 - Click here to see a sample menu that provides 2000 calories a day . It gives one example of how all of the recommendations for food group and nutrient intake can be integrated into a weekly menu.

7 SLIM DOWN SECRETS

from the Fit by Friday area of iVillage.com
Here are some simple rules and lots of good free weight control information from Liz Neporent, a fitness writer who had written for the New York Times as well as other leading publications:
1. Give both eating habits and exercise top billing
2. Portion control is key
3. Walking works
4. Keep a Journal
5. Drink Up
6. Graze, don't Gorge
7. Lose the quick-fix mentality.
Read the whole article here.