by Christy Maskeroni, MS RD
As Summer approaches, many of us are frantically trying to get ready for Beach Season. Whether you are a self-motivated health nut, or a newly-motivated convert, now is a great time to kick-start your health. You may be thinking you are in need of those no-real-food juice cleanses or the say-no-to-carbohdyrate diet to get you back on track or detoxify your body of all that excess it tends to store. What if I told you that just eating from a variety of real foods and food groups could have you on your way to achieving your fitness goals. Sounds too good to be true?
After the mindless eating and drinking that many of us engage in, your body may be in need of a detox. What exactly is a detox? It is the removal of harmful substances such as poison or toxins from the body.
Every one of our bodies detoxifies on its own. Whether you are working, running after the kids, or meeting friends for dinner, your body is taking care of you. However, as you are moving through your busy routine, you are also surrounded by many harmful toxic materials.
Toxic substances can be in the water we drink, the air we breath, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the alcohol we sip, the cleaning supplies we use, the deoderant or make-up we use…you get the picture. Your body absorbs these harmful substances, but this is partly why you have those wonderful organs in your abdominal region. Your liver, kidneys, colon, gallbladder, blood, and skin all play a part to help get rid of these toxins. Some of the materials will easily be excreted and cause no harm. However, others can accumulate in your cell membranes and fat cells and create a build-up which can cause mild reactions (headaches, fatigue, allergies, rashes, muscle pain, mental confusion) to more severe problems (autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, cancer). Basically, the longer you expose yourselves to these toxins, the greater the damage. So what can you do?
Quality food is one solution. You can assist your body in its own detoxification processes by eating a varied, nutrient-dense, fiber rich, balanced diet. We may be feeling the effects of our over indulgence due to a poor-quality or restricted diet that lacks the essential vitamins and minerals. However, you can easily change that pattern by following these easy 10 steps:
10 steps to assist your body in its own natural detoxification process.
1. Increase fiber consumption. This helps move toxins through the body by adding bulk to your stool for elimination. This includes fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and whole grains (brown/black/wild rice, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat breads, etc.)
2. Drink more water. This too assists in the movement of material through the digestive system as well as through the kidneys for elimination.
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. These offer fiber and several vitamins and minerals that assist in the detoxification process and removal of free radicals from the body. Choose organic as often as possible and avoid those that have been waxed, sprayed, dyed, or fumigated.
4. Get more sleep. Your body does most it’s rest, repair and recovery at night. Lack of sleep has been shown to cause hormonal imbalance leading to numerous problems including diabetes and obesity. More sleep can help control hunger levels, cravings, mood and anxiety.
5. Decrease additives and preservatives. Examples of this include MSG, nitrates, nitrites, BHA, and BHT. These are toxins that can begin to build in the cell membrane and lead to problems.
6. Eat less refined carbohydrates/sugars. This includes white breads, cookies, cakes, candies, sugar, white pasta, etc. Refined carbohydrates lack the necessary nutrients that your body needs to assist in the detoxification process.
7. Reduce the fat in your diet, especially saturated fat. A high fat diet has been known to increase your risk for disease.
8. Reduce your stress levels. The accumulation of stress in the body can throw the body’s natural function off. This can eventually cause an imbalance and lead to a multitude of problems. Yoga, meditation, journaling, and exercise are a few effective ways to reduce stress levels.
9. Drink less caffeine. Too much caffeine can disrupt liver and endocrine function as well as many other functions in the body.
10. Reduce your alcohol consumption. Alcohol is high in calories and has little nutritional value. Drinking alcohol produces a toxin as it is metabolized in the liver and can deplete several vitamins and minerals in the body.
Many of these ideas might seem obvious but the truth is, they work! Food is your fuel. If you know your car runs most efficiently on premium gas, then that is what you put it in the tank. It is the same thing with food. When you feed your body the food it needs, you will be amazed at how much better you run and feel.
Where should you start? Here are a few foods that are very beneficial in helping you reach your body’s full potential.
- Yellow, red, green vegetables like peppers, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard & kale
- Lean proteins like chicken, seafood, eggs
- Fruits like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, tomatoes, bananas, grapefruits, lemons
- Beans and legumes like peas, lentils, and soybeans (edamame)
- Nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, black currant seeds, brazil nuts, walnuts, and almonds
- Avocados
- Whole grains like brown/black rice and quinoa
- Sea vegetables like hijiki, arame, seaweed
- Cabbage and brussel sprouts
- Wheat grass, spirulina, chlorella
- Oils like flaxseed, primrose, fish oil, and olive oil
- Milk thistle
- Sweet potatoes and potatoes
- Burdock root
- Garlic and onions
Christy Maskeroni is the Director of Nutrition at CLAY Health Club & Spa as well as a Master Trainer and Yoga Instructor (RYT-200). She holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and Applied Physiology from Columbia University, Teachers College and is a Certified Personal Trainer through NASM. For more information on Christy and her nutrition services visit www.insideclay.com/nutrition or follow her fun tips on Twitter @cmaskeroni
So, they say that oatmeal is like, the only great breakfast out there, huh?
I’m hearing that a daily of a bowl of oatmeal may:
- lower blood cholesterol
- reduce the risk of heart disease
- assist with weight loss
BUT, is all oatmeal the same?
Where is the best oatmeal in the city?
What if I want a quick and low-sugar oatmeal to grab on the go?
To clarify: we hear that the daily consumption of a bowl of oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet. It may also assist with weight loss because a high-fiber diet tends to make a meal feel larger and longer, so you stay full for a greater amount of time.
And, all oatmeal is not the same. It’s good to know exactly what you’re getting into. For example, according to Mark Bittman, McDonald’s oatmeal has as much sugar as a Snicker’s bar and more calories than a McDonald’s hamburger. Likewise, Pret A Manger’s oatmeal has 590 calories.
So, where can you find the low calorie, affordable and tasty oatmeal in NYC? Cosi’s (222 calories, $3.26), Fresh & Co (214 calories, $3.25 plus toppings), Dig Inn ($3.67) and Europa Café ($2.65, 390 calories) are all good options, but our favorite is Whole Foods whose oatmeal has 150 calories according to LiveStrong, costs $1.99 and includes unlimited toppings.
Another tasty, convenient, healthy alternative (and a big fave in our office) is Vigilant Eats, an organic, superfood, gluten-free and vegan oat-based breakfast cereal. Each cup comes with a spoon tucked inside the lid (how cool is that?) and you just add water or milk, stir and eat. It’s that easy and super yummy. It’s a perfect healthy breakfast for people on the go who don’t have time for a sit-down meal. You can purchase this cereal at Westerly Market, Organic Avenue, Foodtrainers and the NY Open Center.
So, what’s your favorite oatmeal?
Stereotypes of Danish cuisine inevitably feature visions of streaky bacon and swirly pastries. But trail-blazing restaurants like the two Michelin-starred "Noma" have ushered in a fashion for so-called "New Nordic Cuisine" that has seen bon vivants straining their vocal chords in songs of praise.
Copenhagen, the stylish Danish capital, is leading the way in this North European culinary revolution. Indeed, the latest edition of the Michelin Guide awarded the city's restaurants an impressive 14 stars – more than any other of its Scandinavian counterparts.
But the city is also dotted with eateries for all occasions and tastes, offering more than just Michelin starred fine dining. Here is CNN's at-a-glance guide to Europe's new culinary capital.
Noma – For a foraged feast
Noma is hidden inside an 18th-century storage building that was once used to keep salt. Facing out onto the quiet waterways of Copenhagen Harbor, it's an unassuming location for a two Michelin star restaurant, regularly touted by industry experts as the best in the world today.
René Redzepi, founder and head chef, has been wowing foodies ever since Noma's relatively recent emergence, with his extraordinary emphasis on local and foraged food, showcasing the cuisine of the cold North Atlantic.
"Vegetables in soil" offers perhaps the most illustrative and notorious example of Redzepi's agrarian-focused philosophy. Locally sourced baby carrots, radishes, leeks and celeriac are served on a bed of "soil", which is in fact a combination of malt flour, hazelnut flour, melted butter and beer.
Noma's interior echoes this earthy outlook. Rustic wooden beams extend between the white-washed walls, and food is served on bare dark oak tables.
Those with time on their hands should opt for the 12-course "Noma Nassaaq" taster menu. The four-hour degustation begins with a platter of sea-buckthorn with pickled rose-hip petal, and culminates in a Jerusalem artichoke sorbet with apple, shortbread and chocolate discs, taking in a cosmic array of Nordic delights in between.
Read – Eat your way around Copenhagen, Europe's new culinary capital
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.
The meaty madness of springtime grilling comes to a crescendo on Friday, April 27, with National Prime Rib Day – and really, is there any cut of meat more decadent and rich than a well-marbled prime beef rib?
Though the prospect of preparing the indulgent cut can be daunting, advice from experts like Steve Byrne of Tavistock Restaurant Group will have you firing up a perfectly cooked steak every time.
Five Tips for Prime Rib Supremacy: Steve Byrne
1. Prime rib grill master
"First thing to keep in mind is that prime rib, either the full piece or cut into steaks, needs to be at room temperature before it is given any heat. To get the grilling underway, heat your charcoal or gas grill to a minimum of 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, brush your rib steaks with olive oil on both sides and season heavily with a mixture of 30% white peppercorns, 30% black peppercorns, 30% green peppercorns and 10% sea salt (rub the seasoning into the meat).
Place the steaks on the grill and sear for two minutes on each side, then place onto a rack six inches above the heat. Allow to sit for two minutes, then remove from the grill. Serve medium-rare."
2. Pan-blackened perfection
"Though many folks stick with the familiarity of the grill, pan-blackened prime rib is similarly delicious and surprisingly simple.
To begin, heat a cast iron skillet over a gas flame until it is almost red hot. Brush the rib steaks with olive oil. Rub two tablespoons of blackening spice and one teaspoon of ground habanero onto each side of the steak. Leave for 10 minutes.
Place the steak into the hot skillet for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, then place onto a plate and cover with a bowl. Leave for four minutes. Slice into 3/4-inch slices and serve with caramelized onions and crusty French bread (great for sopping up the juices!)."
3. Bring on the bone
"For the ultimate prime rib experience, leave the steak on the bone – the flavor-enhancing bones give you more of the full, mellow taste that makes prime rib such a favorite.
Take a four-bone piece of prime rib, brush with olive oil and rub with the same mixture of white peppercorns, black peppercorns, green peppercorns and sea salt used above (rub the seasoning into the meat and allow to sit at room temperature for one hour).
Heat a cast iron skillet over a gas flame until it is almost red hot. Sear the meat on all sides in the hot skillet until dark brown and caramelized. Heat your charcoal or gas grill to 250 degrees and place the seared rib onto the shelf of the grill so that it is not in direct contact with the grill.
Close the lid and cook for six hours. Place a roasting pan with one cup of water under the meat to catch the drippings. Turn the meat over every two hours. Remove from the grill and place on a platter, bones down, for 30 minutes to rest."
4. Super sauces and sides
"Hearty, flavorful sauces and sides work best to accentuate the meat. Keep it rustic with sauces like homemade red wine gravy or au jus, and sides such as oven-roasted celeriac and Yukon gold potatoes (crispiness is key here) or braised savoy cabbage."
5. And, don’t forget the wine
"The brilliant garnet color of Gauthier 2009 Pinot Noir offers a visual testament to the depths of its flavors. Full of roses and allspice, smoked cherry and baked cranberry, the robust wine stands up perfectly to prime rib.
A relatively recent addition to the wine world, Pinotage is grown in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa and offers another excellent pairing with prime rib. Expect flavors of mulberry, blackberry, and tobacco, often with rich spiciness and gamy nuances."
Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.
Hi there. I'm Kat. You may know me from Daily Show writer Miles Kahn's popular screenshot above, or its subsequent appearance in countless blog posts such as Jim Romenesko's "Thank you, CNN!" or Videogum's "Tips for Solo Dining" or Jezebel's "We Just Really Want to Make Sure You’re Cool on the ‘Eating Alone’ Front." Oh, and now The Soup's "My Dinner With Entrée."
I'm sorry about ruining TV journalism for everyone while not looking anything like the world's most beautiful human, Beyonce, but I really do dig eating alone sometimes. On purpose, even. Not just because of my hideous deformities and "man face" (thank you, internet commenters!).
Not everyone enjoys solo dining, though, and that's such a shame to me. Plenty of people don't think twice about sitting alone in a restaurant, out of necessity or preference. Armed with a book, a phone, people watching or their own quiet thoughts, they're good to go.
For others, it's a source of intense embarrassment or anxiety, and that's what I went on CNN Newsroom to discuss in my weekly segment (previous installments of which addressed slavery in Ivory Coast cacao fields, antibiotics in beef and the impact of growing your own food). Earlier this week, my colleagues at CNN Travel had run a much-commented-upon piece about a site that pairs female business travelers with other women so they would not have to bear the discomfort of eating alone in a strange city. This story, frankly, depressed me – the politics and angst of the high school cafeteria writ large and a decade (or two or three) later.
The women interviewed admitted to skipping meals, hiding at dark tables in the back, or faking cell phone calls to avoid the scrutiny of other diners, who they felt perceived them as "sad, lonely spinster(s)" clearly out to ensnare unsuspecting gentlemen by sexily eating salad alone at the bar. The discomfort isn't gender-limited though; the Newsroom guest before me, a whip-smart, take no prisoners political analyst, flinched when I told him the topic. Though he travels the country extensively and alone for his job, he might brave a diner at lunchtime, but never a higher-end restaurant at night. The notion simply cowed him.
I'm lucky enough to have no qualms about walking into a restaurant anywhere on the shmanciness spectrum at any time of day and taking great pleasure in my meals. When I was 19 years old and trying to stitch myself back together after an excruciating breakup, a friend told me he thought that there was nothing in the world more intriguing than a woman eating on her own. Twenty years later, I still take that to heart . While I don't put a great deal of thought into how my fellow patrons are perceiving me, I do attribute other solo diners with a sense of self confidence, calm, and delight.
I have plenty of people I love in my life, but they may or may not share my food obsessions. That's okay; I don't need them to. My husband isn't keen on offal or intense spice, so I won't subject him to it. I could be working in a city where I don't know a soul. I may just wish to chill out with a nice Manhattan, a plate of oysters (that I don't have to share) and the comfort of my own company. I might just be hungry. I figured I could help empower someone who needed it.
My tips (in a less reductive form than one might guess from the screenshot):
Sit at the bar
This one is a slam dunk. You're not taking up a whole table and drawing a server's potential disdain with a lowered check total. A bartender can be a companion and ally if you'd like one, or a protective force if you're in need of such a thing. It's also a great way to chat with other patrons, or stare dreamily at the liquor collection, lost in your own thoughts.
Ask questions about the menu
Curious diners get great service. Per almost every front-of-house staffer I've known professionally or as a friend, they'll pay special attention to a person who seems genuinely curious about the food and drinks, and often bring them extra things to try. Bartenders and servers are humans, too – some of the best ones, even – and appreciate a friendly patron who actually values their opinion. If you do return to the place (and have tipped humanely), you'll be on the fast track to "regular" status.
Bring a book
As my friend Steven, a pro-level solo diner, says, a book is the universal symbol for "Please don't talk to me." If a woman is indeed concerned with being seen as a Dockers-chasing harlot, a book is a smashing defense (just no "Fifty Shades of Grey," please) – or an excellent distraction that can be easily be tucked aside if something entertaining arises. Or, if you are perhaps in search of a comely fellow Proust fan, that's a big ol' flag you can fly.
Use Twitter
This may not be for everyone, but as I wrote about a few months back after traveling for an uncle's funeral, if you're eating solo out of duty and not desire, there are worse things than having a social network in your pocket. While I'd sooner swallow a lobster pick than tweet at the table when there's company present or post pictures of my meal, if I'm alone, on occasion I'd like company. Because I write about food for a living, my online circles tend to be pretty dining-centric. I like to make the most of any meal opportunity I have while I'm in a new city, and chances are that one of my over 22,000 followers has a few recommendations that shouldn't be missed.
While it's not been exceptionally pleasant having my worth as a journalist, appearance or potential social appeal assessed by strangers and other media professionals on the internet, it's all part of the cycle, and it's helped at least one person.
A good friend and fellow journalist, Adam Robb, has recently become the caregiver of his very ill grandmother, and it's taken a toll. As he told me yesterday, he opened his Facebook to write me a note and vent a little bit. The first thing in his newsfeed was that screen grab. "I'm taking it as a sign from God I should take myself out to dinner tonight," he told me.
He went to Daniel Humm and Will Guidara's NoMad – one of the hottest new restaurants in New York City. He thoroughly enjoyed his meal. He ate alone.
Previously – How to eat alone at the bar, Grazing the bar and Dining solo on the road
Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.
Beer lovers, rejoice. Whiskey drinkers, celebrate. Pork fat fans, this is your moment. All the things you thought were unhealthy can actually help you lose a ton of weight.
Well, not exactly. This isn’t an ad in the back pages of a sketchy magazine. All these things are still not good for you when you eat and drink them in large quantities. And don’t stop eating your blueberries and strawberries if you want to boost your brainpower.
Still, there’s some surprising good health news for anyone who wants to wash down their lard-topped popcorn with a beer and a shot of whiskey.
Beer: The Problem-Solver
Question: Who’s better at solving brainteasers, men who are sober or men who have drunk two pints of beer? According to research from the University of Illinois, the drinkers are the winners. (That sound you hear is every guy I know cracking open a beer right now in self-righteous satisfaction.) Not only did the drinkers solve 40 percent more problems than the nondrinkers, they solved their problems faster: 12 seconds compared to the nondrinking 15.5 seconds.
Pork Fat: The Bad Cholesterol Fighter
"Pork fat is not only useful, but it is also good for us," says my new hero, Jennifer McLagan. She’s the author of the James Beard Award–winning "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient". To back up her claim, McLagan's book includes a chart showing that 45 percent of pork fat is monounsaturated, which can help raise your HDL, or good cholesterol, and also can help lower your LDL, or bad cholesterol.
She also extols the benefits of frying in lard, because food absorbs less fat than if you fry it in oil. Lagan piles on the good news, arguing that "Diets low in fat, it turns out, leave people hungry, depressed and prone to weight gain and illness." To ensure readers' happiness, she includes recipes in "Fat", including one for euphoria-inducing bacon fat mayonnaise.
Whiskey: The Good Cholesterol Booster
If you’re looking for other celebratory ways to increase your good cholesterol levels and potentially decrease your risk of a stroke, grab a bottle of your favorite booze. And then drink in moderation. According to the Mayo Clinic, studies suggest that if you consume one alcoholic drink per day if you're a woman, or two drinks a day if you're a guy, you can increase your HDL cholesterol levels and also potentially decrease your risk of a stroke. But, cautions the Mayo Clinic, "If you don't drink alcohol, don't start just to try raising your HDL levels."
Popcorn: The Antioxidant Hero
You don’t need me to tell you that popcorn is popular with the high fiber crowd. Here’s more good news for anyone who’s trying to justify their next big bucket of (nonbuttered, non-oversalted) popcorn: New research from the University of Scranton suggests that a serving of popcorn is higher in antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables. Those antioxidants, known as polyphenols, are associated with helping to prevent cancer. They’re concentrated in popcorn’s husk, which is something to consider the next time it gets stuck in your teeth and you consider spitting it out.
More from Food & Wine:
This weekend on "Sanjay Gupta MD," Dr. Gupta takes a critical look at sugar and the impact it has on our bodies. Don't miss the in-depth investigation Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET, and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on CNN.
Pushing her meal cart into the hospital room, a research assistant hands out tall glasses of reddish-pink liquid, along with a gentle warning: "Remember, you guys have to finish all your Kool-Aid."
One by one, young volunteers chug down their drinks, each carefully calibrated to contain a mix of water, flavoring and a precisely calibrated solution of high fructose corn syrup: 55% fructose, 45% glucose.
The participants are part of an ongoing study run by Kimber Stanhope, a nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis. Volunteers agree to spend several weeks as lab rats: their food carefully measured, their bodies subjected to a steady dose of scans and blood tests. At first, each volunteer receives meals with no added sugars. But then, the sweetened drinks start showing up.
Read – Soft drinks: Public enemy No.1 in obesity fight? and How I kicked my Coke habit
In cooking, the process of clarification entails straining out extraneous muck from liquids so that they might be pure, clear and ideal for consumption. With this series on food terminology and trends we're attempting to do the same.
As food writers and reporters, we toss out a lot of terms – sustainable, pescetarian, free-range – and just assume that everyone's on the same page. If they're not, the conversation suffers, and we can't have that, now can we?
Here's a round-up of concepts and words we've explained thus far.
- Much a goo about 'pink slime'
- How sprouts get salmonells
- What does farm to table mean?
- What's the deal with gluten?
- What is high fructose corn syrup?
- How is GMO food labeled?
- What is “genetically modified” salmon?
- What is “sustainable” seafood?
- What does “pasteurized” mean?
- What do “free-range,” “cage-free” and “organic” mean in terms of eggs?
- What is a CSA?
- What is a vegan, pescetarian, vegetarian – and what do they eat?
- What do and don't Orthodox Jews, Catholics, Muslims and other people of faith eat and why?
On the menu next – more on "organic," what "all-natural" means (or not) and…you tell us. Is there something you'd like to see clarified? Let us know in the comments below, and we'll do our best to define.
from Brooklyn Boot Camp’s Slim and Strong blog
eating. My strategy has been to keep it simple, and hopefully I’m making
some correct choices. The problem is that I keep eating a lot of the same
things, and I worry that I will get tired of them. But I’m not creative
or very knowledgeable in the kitchen, and I’m really learning this as I go. I
don’t know enough yet to expand my options. I will have to spend some
time really looking at the examples you have suggested reading, and seeing if I
can figure out how to make them work for me.
spoon!)
Fructose Corn Syrup)
vinaigrette
with touch butter and sprinkle cinnamon
find new options, but as long as you think of having a protein with a veggie at
every meal, the options are endless. The Zone cookbooks are great (for example this one: Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes
) and you canfind recipes online as well. Or, check out the Clean Eating website and you’ll find
numerous options along those lines.
diet.
sugar from the Wallaby yogurt. Take a look at the nutrition label and you’ll
see that one small cup has 31 grams of carbs and 26 of those come from sugar. That
means you’re eating 5 teaspoons of sugar in each cup! Not only will this
skyrocket your blood sugar and make you hungry for more sugar, but it also
tells your body to store body fat. I see you’re eating 2 yogurts a day, which
adds up to 62 grams of carbs (52 grams of sugar!). That’s half the carbs you
need per day just from yogurt and I’m sure that’s not even filling.
- 5x a day. Skip the sugary yogurt and replace it with Greek yogurt (Fage,
Osikris, Chobani). Skip the sunflower seed butter as it’s not filling enough
and provides too much fat that it can stall your fat loss. You’re having 3 tablespoons
a day, which is 300 calories and 30 grams of fat. That’s more than half of your
fat intake per day that you’re getting from nut butter. Choose a better
breakfast: eat 3 eggs or make an omelet. Or, add a slice of bread as
carbohydrate. You’ll feel full 3x as long as your current breakfast keeps you
full.
enough protein. Double that and you’ll be full much longer.
a week because it’s high in mercury. Your body can’t break down mercury and it gets
stored in your fatty tissue and can even lead to toxicity issues. Try making tuna salad with Greek yogurt
instead of mayo and you’ll save on a lot of fat calories.
few things. If you don’t cook then why not buy some nice prepared salads from
Whole Foods. You can also check out how I made 10 days worth of simple and quick meals from Trader Joe’s for $103.
search for ‘recipes’) and look at other people’s food diaries to get some
ideas. Variety is key so you don’t get bored and keep your brain occupied, but
you also need to get your nutrients in through veggies.
from Brooklyn Boot Camp’s Slim and Strong blog
last week/weekend’s excesses.
“flabby” in the lower front. Are there any exercises I can do
specifically to get rid of that flabby appearance?
flabbiness due to fat loss. When you lose fat, your fat cells under your skin
empty out their fat contents (they’re called free fatty acids) into the blood
stream and then to the muscles. The muscles then use them as energy (that’s
basically fat burning!). When your fat cells empty out their fat contents, the
cell itself doesn’t disappear. It simply shrinks. What remains is the stretched
out skin that held so many full fat cells previously. Now that you’re losing
the fat, the skin has to shrink back together. The problem is that skin doesn’t
shrink as fast as fat cells, so you temporarily feel flabby and soft in the
areas in which you lose fat. You just need to be consistent in your clean eating,
working out, and skin care and soon your skin will be back to its old tight
self. Unless you have hundreds of pounds to lose, your skin is very forgiving
and elastic and can expand and shrink back together – just think of a pregnant
belly going back to normal size after birth.
anything to tighten that area. I suggest you get a skin brush made from real
hair (horse hair) or non-synthetic bristles and brush your skin in circular
motion towards the heart. This stimulates the lymphatic system to move along
toxins, waste products and stimulate the breakdown of fat lost from fat stores.
Skin brushing also helps your cells turn over faster. You want to do this on
dry skin, then shower and then moisturize. Do this regularly and along with
your clean diet, the regular exercise and taking care of your skin in a matter
of a few weeks your skin will have tightened up again and rather than seeing
flabby abs, you’ll be psyched to see that flat toned stomach.
Yoga Local NYC:
