In a report published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine researchers outlined two techniques that can help you avoid overeating when at a buffet- using a smaller plate and walking around the buffet prior to selecting what to eat.

A Glut of Options

Buffets offer two things that make nutritionists cringe, an overwhelming number of choices and unlimited portions. Combined, these two features offer a surefire way to ratchet up the calorie count of any meal.

Unlike more traditional meals where a diner consumes a single plate of food, studies have shown that when faced with a variety of food options during one meal, people tend to consume more. For most people, buffets make it more difficult to limit how much they eat because of the psychologically temptation to try the variety of foods available. However, there are those who can successfully navigate the temptations a buffet has to offer without destroying their diets.

To determine how some people restrain themselves at buffets, researchers from Cornell University deployed over 30 trained observers to collect detailed information about the eating habits of over 300 diners who ate at 22 different Chinese buffets in six states.

Often sitting unnoticed in the corner, researchers took meticulous notes covering 103 different topics that related to how diners behaved when standing in front of the buffet. Among the variety of details recorded, researchers noted such information as who each diner was with, where they sat in relation to the buffet line- far away or close by, table or booth, and even which direction they faced-, which type of utensil each diner used- chopstick or fork- if they used a napkin and where it was placed, and even how many times each person chewed their food before swallowing.

While using their best judgment, researchers also made informed guesses about each person’s BMI or body-mass index, a tool that indexes an individual’s height to their weight which doctors use to determine if a patient is overweight.

The data collected by researchers showed a number of key differences about how heavier and thinner people approached the buffet.

Understanding Your Options

The most dramatic difference researchers noted in how the two weight classes determined what to eat was the way each judged what to put on their plate. Thinner diners showed a willingness to completely circle a buffet, weighing each of their options before deciding what they wanted to eat. Heavier diners tended to get in line and make an item-by-item decision on what to eat. While this might seem like a slight difference, it can have a profound effect on what a person decides to eat.

To keep from overeating, thinner diners planned out in advance which options they were going to select from the buffet, allowing them to mentally weigh what items could stay and what needed to go. By making a decision each time they were faced with a new food item, heavier diners found themselves without any plan of attack and were more likely to choose any item that looked tempting. This would eventually lead to a plate loaded with food.

Additionally, researchers also noted that thinner diners were roughly seven times more likely to select a smaller plate when given an option versus heavier diners. When combined, individuals who scouted the buffet beforehand and used a smaller plate made fewer trips back to the buffet line regardless of their weight than those who didn’t use either technique.

Other key differences researchers noticed included: thinner diners sat, on average, 16 feet further away from the buffet than heavier diners, and they also chewed their food slightly longer- about 15 times a mouthful for those of a normal weight versus 12 times for those judged overweight. Other studies have shown that those who chew for longer tend to eat less on average in general.

Researchers speculated that while these techniques could provide a good start for those looking to limit what they eat when visiting buffets, the biggest helping anyone who dines at an all-you-can-eat buffet needs is willpower.

Timothy Lemke is a freelance health writer. To read more of his work visit the website of Dr. David Matthews, a Eugene, OR dentist.

It is common over the winter period for more people slip out of their exercise routine and start to eat the wrong foods. Our bodies want warming, hearty meals that usually consist of lots of carbohydrates and going to the gym simply isn’t feasible. However, the time has come for us to get back into our routine, get in the gym and eat the foods that are good for us, with the sunshine being the motivation to get that perfect summer body.

Exercising is not only good for our personal fitness and stamina; it is great for our brains and is one of the healthiest ways to relieve stress. Although going to the gym after work may take a lot of motivation, it will soon sink in as your daily routine and you will start to feel so much better. Organise your week and come up with a personal training plan, this will ensure you are working your entire body in order to achieve your toned bikini body without doing too much at once.

If obtaining a gym membership isn’t practical, there are plenty of things you can do instead. For example, going for a fast walk or jog in the county will work your legs, especially with the steep inclines. Exercises aren’t necessarily just for the gym and you can work out in the comfort of your living room. 20 crunches followed by step-ups or lunges will allow you to feel your body moving, giving you the sign that you are on your way to a healthier you. Keep in mind that there is no excuse for avoiding exercise and ask yourself what you would be doing otherwise.

Eating healthy meals can actually be harder than we think. With marketing being at the forefront of every food manufacturers mind, it is important to read the back of the food packaging and seek advice. No one wants to live off chicken and vegetables and reading the nutrient content of the foods you are consuming will allow you to eat the food that is good for you and your family. Try to avoid snacking, especially crisps, chocolate or sweets, as these don’t provide many nutrients. Nuts are perfect for a small snack and a n apple will mean you are on your way to eating your 5 a day.

The meals you eat should have a healthy mix of all nutrients, including carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and protein. Although it may seem like a story just told by your mother, breakfast is in fact the most important meal of the day and a glass of orange juice with scrambled egg and toast is the perfect way to start your morning. There are plenty of diets out there claiming that if you eat less you will lose weight fast. This may be true for the short term but just doesn’t work when it comes to being healthy. You can’t starve yourself forever and starting to eat the right foods and exercising will soon mean you are on the way to a healthier lifestyle and just as importantly, the perfect summer body.

1. Prepare It In Advance

Many breakfast ideas can be fully prepared in advance with just a little work. Waffle and pancake batter can be mixed the night before, and is even often easier to manage when it’s still chilled from the fridge. For more complex meals such as breakfast sandwiches the ingredients can be placed together and prepped as much as possible, and foods such as breakfast bowls with potatoes, eggs, or sausages can actually be made in advance and microwaved in the morning.

2. Try A Blended Meal

A good smoothie is a fast and delicious way to get breakfast on the go. Smoothies can involve a variety of fruits, vegetables, and even protein powder. Chocolate and other flavorings are also available. By just throwing all their ingredients in a blender in the morning, a person can be ready to go within a few minutes. Some blenders even come with cup-sized attachments, so that people can put their smoothie ingredients in the cup in advance, blend it with some ice in the morning, and then take it to go or consume it during their morning routine. To take your smoothies to the next level in size and quality, try a commercial smoothie blender. Smoothies are easily the fastest and most convenient breakfast option.

3. Prepackaged But Healthy Breakfasts

There are many organic and healthy companies that sell prepackaged breakfasts with time-saving in mind. These breakfasts usually take only two or three minutes to microwave, and usually comprise a balanced meal. There are also mixable breakfasts that include hot breakfast cereals, though when these are used it’s far preferable to get whole grain, healthy breakfast cereals rather than processed ones. When eating prepackaged breakfasts it’s a good idea to combine them with fresh fruit for additional vitamins and fiber. Oranges, bananas, and apples, are all convenient and can be eaten on the go or at the office.

4. Take Turns With Breakfast

For those with families or roommates, it can be rewarding to take turns preparing breakfast in the morning before the others get up. This means that not everyone has to get up early every day, and that everyone will get to have a wholesome breakfast every morning. It also means that there will be more variety because everyone can get creative with the dishes that they’re preparing. For families with teenagers it can be a good way to teach them responsibility and also about a balanced diet, though younger children should be restricted to making meals that don’t involve hot implements such as stoves and waffle irons.

Eye Opening Results

According to the results of a recent study, researchers at the University of Colorado have determined that people tend to eat more and gain more weight when sleep deprived.

Considering that approximately one-third of all American workers claim they operate on fewer than six hours of sleep a night, perhaps it should then come as little surprise that nearly 70 percent of adults in the U.S. qualify as either overweight or obese, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

To determine the extent that sleep deprivation plays on gaining weight, researchers placed study participants individually into a calorimeter room. Once inside the room, researchers were able to accurately measure the amount of energy a participant burned performing an activity. When participants were allowed to sleep for only five hours a night, researchers recorded that they actually burned more energy off while sleeping when compared to nights they were allowed to get nine hours of rest.

The amount of energy study participants burned while sleeping for five hours was roughly the equivalent of 25 minutes of water aerobics.

While burning more calories might seem like a benefit of sleep deprivation, researchers say there’s actually a downside to this behavior. Even though getting too little sleep a night actually causes the body to burn more calories, the exhaustion you feel the next day causes you to make poor decisions when it comes to what you eat.

When presented with three large meal and daily snack options, study participants were more likely to make poor decisions and exhibit less self-control when selecting what to eat. Conversely, when well rest female participants were better able to control what they ate in comparison to when sleep deprived. However, the males in the study proved less able to control their appetite, and tended to eat more and gain weight regardless of how much sleep they had the night before.

After receiving five hours of less sleep a night for five straight days, the average study participant ended up gaining nearly two pounds.

The Physiology of Sleep Loss

Studies have shown that in addition to leading people to make poor decisions about what they eat, sleep deprivation also causes the body to produce less of the hormone leptin. A powerful hormone, leptin causes you to feel full after eating. The less leptin the body produces, the more likely you are to overeat before eventually feeling full.

Research has also determined that individuals who feel sleep deprived are more likely to skip breakfast in the morning instead of talking the time to eat. Skipping breakfast causes the digestive system to slow down throughout the rest of the day, making it harder for the body to burn off calories eaten later in the day than earlier. This idea of a slowed digestive system has been reinforced by recent studies that have shown eating late in the day makes gaining weight more likely.

While the obvious solution to dealing with weight gain related to sleep deprivation is to get more sleep, that’s easier said than done for many. However, even if you can’t get eight or nine hours a night, you can go a long way towards decreasing weight gain by eating breakfast in the morning and making better decisions about what you eat throughout the day.

The results of the study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Timothy Lemke is a freelance writer. To read more of his work, visit the website of Dr. Jeromy Dixon, a dentist in Longview, WA. 

When we think about the people who run, we usually get the image of lean hotties in tights or fancy sports clothes. But, is that all there is to running? Sure, you get a great body – thin and agile – to carry you wherever you want to go. Actually, there are many controversies, believe it or not, when it comes to running, and many questions to which the answers not only vary, but vary to such an extent that only a Shakespearean question may be appropriate – to run or not to run?

Yes! It is the simplest thing you can do to stay healthy while doing a very complicated job!

Running is not just another or even the best way to lose the extra weight, although it is great both for your legs and the abs, but it is a way to improve your overall health. Many studies have shown that running – jogging, that is – has positive effects not only on the physical level, which has obvious results such as weight loss and weigh maintaining, muscle toning, increased stamina and endurance and even increased strength if one uses weights to add to the existing body resistance, but that it also has beneficial effects on the individual’s mental and psychological being. Namely, as running is an activity that requires the whole body to be coordinated properly so that there is not excessive energy loss where it is not targeted or necessary – hand waving, head tilting, etc. – it takes a lot of concentration and attention not only to economize on energy or focus on a particular pace so that a certain part of the body is targeted, but also to avoid injuries of various sorts. Keeping your eyes fixed on an object 100 or more meters away or imagining that there is a rope attached to your belly, dragging you forward and not paying attention to the other runners, crying babies, the elderly slowly sailing down the path, etc. keeps you focused at all times. Learning how your body reacts to different terrains and learning different steps in order to relieve the pressure that is often put on the knees is another way in which a runner reconnects with his body. It is truly a mental challenge to block out all the interferences and focus solely on one’s own body, the correctness of movements, the pace and the rhythm, the terrain and the other conditions, and perhaps most importantly, the clarity of thoughts.

Yes! You are not expected to win any race, but you are free to enjoy walking very fast and breathing accordingly!

Running is one of the best aerobic exercises and it will significantly improve the state of your heart and your lungs. As it helps improve the blood circulation on the whole and the blood flow especially when it comes to these to organs, the physical conditioning is a highly beneficial side-effect! Many people feel that running is useless if one is not trying to lose weight or improve their physical appearance, but these are probably not runners or joggers. Those who have tried running or jogging have probably experienced what is popularly called the ‘runners’ high’ – a state of slight euphoria and overall calmness that comes after running. It is not simply an effect of a strenuous physical activity, but in fact a very positive side of this outdoor exercise – it is a natural cure for depression and the body enjoys the effort you invest immensely. Although the lifestyle of the average person nowadays does not have the care of joints and sinews as one of the priorities on the daily list, running is a kind of activity that can be incorporated into any lifestyle easily for the very reason that it requires very little – the will to begin and the tenacity to keep going. The results, which are immediately felt, are a powerful motivator and an incredible incitement to continue the practice and increase the distances or the pace gradually. It is an activity, rather than an exercise, where every individual gets to dose its stress-reliever in the atmosphere of their own neighborhood – a local park, a runners’ track, a treadmill in a gym downtown, etc. – wherever there is enough of fresh air to expand the lungs and as few distractions to clear the mind. On another plus side, one is always free to use the time they feel is best for them and there are no membership cards for this exclusive club, no entrance fees, no monthly membership fees, no restrictions or restraints – it is just you, your running shoes and, when it comes to women, preferably a good sports bra.

Yes! It is the several hours a week you can use not only to stay in shape, but relax and meditate while doing something quite strenuous!

Exercising should bring pleasure along with the much desired results. In fact, the best and the most effective exercise is that which though breathless and exhausted, leaves you serene, calm and positive. Therefore, a good running three or four times a week can improve both your mood, general outlook and furthermore improve the quality of your sleep. Regardless of whether you are a morning runner or whether you prefer the afternoons or the evenings, or if you just grab that one hour between making dinner and picking the kids up from school, you will gradually learn to feel your own body change and sense its limits and potential. In addition to that, you will be able to change your pace and time so that running invigorates you or exhausts you – depending on whether you want to work or sleep after you have had that run.

Yes! Because when else will you be able to enjoy your park, the mountain, the lake, the quay…

Some recent studies have shown that the adults who run on a regular basis are generally happier than those who do not or do not do any sort of exercise. People who are happy are also more energetic and more enthusiastic about work and interpersonal relationships as well. It is much easier to cope with stress when your body is used to regular anti-stress activity that not only relieves it, but also teaches the body how to deal with it – the stress hormone secretion is well regulated and instead of acting in a negative way, the body remains stable and the positive patterns of behavior prevail. While running you are not only exercising your body, but also your brain and you should not forget that!

All in all, while taking the time to gather your thoughts, making sure your body is doing what it should and enjoying the good scenery and your favorite music, you will be doing one of the most natural exercising activities there are while at the same time burning calories, teaching your body to behave in a stress-relieving way and keep your resting metabolism at a high rate.

If your goal is to lose weight – running is probably your best cardio exercise. You will not only lose weight in combination with an appropriately reduced diet, but you will build your muscles and speed up your resting metabolism so that even when you are sleeping, your body is actively destroying the toxins and the stored fat deposits.

If you are considering running as a healthy hobby and insurance for a healthy life, just make sure you take the time to dedicate yourself to this beautiful sport. Considering that your goal is not weight loss or anything in particular, remember to start slow and teach your body to breathe. Both your endurance and stamina will grow over time, as well as your strength, but you need not push yourself.

An experienced athlete just like an experienced recreational runner knows that your health depends on rest as much as it does on activity. Make sure you anticipate when you will need rest, how much of it and note what intensity of exercise leads you to invigoration and which to exhaustion. That way you will be able not only to control your exercise routine, but also your rest and that way your body will be more predictable in its reaction and by extension more dependable.

(Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5jTngZqrhI)

Take the Time to Train

Tough Mudder is not a course you want to try unless you are in shape. A couple of months before competing, put on some proper shoes and hit the road. The Tough Rudder course is about the same length as a half-marathon. Do some research about training for that distance and amp up your fitness level.

Get Muscular

Mud run events require extensive muscle strength. The training you need goes beyond just toning up. Focus your strength workouts on multiple muscle group exercises to build mass. Do deadlifts, presses and squats to engage the stabilizing and core muscle groups.

Train in Pairs

The buddy system is a great motivator, especially when training hard for mud run events. Sign up for the course with a friend. This way, you can get in shape together. Evaluate each other’s fitness levels and give advice on areas that still need work.

Talk it Up

Spread the word that you are training for the event. This builds a support system and provides you with powerful motivation. Once everyone you know expects you to run the course, it will be harder to back out.

Create a Strategy

Mud run events, much like warfare, require keen strategies. Map out the course and figure out how you will tackle each obstacle.

Get the Gear Ready

On the evening before game day, pack a bag with everything you will need for the run. Plan on an extra set of clothes, mud run events get messy, water, pain medication and snacks like bananas and protein bars.

Pick the Right Clothes

Consider your clothing field armor and plan accordingly. You want outfits that will dry quickly – that means cotton is out because it retains moisture. If you are running in wet clothing packed with mud, you carry an extra 10 pounds. Instead, look for lightweight workout apparel that wick water instead of absorbing it.

Build up your Energy Level

The day before tackling any mud run events, you want to fuel up. Drink plenty of water and electrolytes. If you don’t get the proper nutrients into your body, your muscles will cramp in the middle of the course. Take sports drinks with you to the game and fill up in the morning, as well.

Be a Good Sport

The only thing you are competing against is the course. Yell out encouragement and give a hand if someone is in trouble.

Enjoy your Success

Give your body what it needs to heal. Now is not the time to back away from a double cheeseburger or tough it out without painkillers. Expect to be sore and stiff with many bruises, but proud of the accomplishment.

Image Credit: Chrispy Photography