Foods that melt abdominal fat

Find out how to trim down your stomach fat by making some small changes to your diet.

Top 5 belly busting foods

"A lean belly starts in the kitchen, not in the gym," Dr. Travis Stork says. Go grocery shopping with Dr. Travis and discover his top five belly busting foods.

Are you sick of that extra layer of "muffin top" fat peeking over your pants? Do you always turn to the side when looking in the mirror to see if your stomach is bulging? If these scenarios sound familiar, you are among the millions of Canadian seeking a flatter tummy for bikini season. The good news is there are specific foods loaded with quality calories that can be the perfect answer to melting fat away from your mid-section permanently.

Eating right at every age

A guide to the nutrients you and every member of your family need right now.

There's never a time in your life when you don't need to eat well. That said, there are periods when your diet -- and certain elements of it -- demands particular vigilance. Follow this helpful eating guide so that you and each member of your family can be certain you're getting the right nutrients you need -- now.

Age 5

Iron 

Iron deficiency, one of the most common nutritional deficiencies among North American children, can make your child feel tired, thereby affecting her learning skills. Iron is necessary for producing hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. The best food sources are red meat, organ meat, enriched grains and cereals, dried fruits and green leafy vegetables. If your child isn't a meat eater, look for iron-fortified cereal and pasta, dried fruits such as raisins or apricots and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli or kale. Serving these foods with a vitamin C-rich food (e.g., cereal with orange juice) will aid absorption.

How to get beautiful skin at any age

How to get (and keep) beautiful skin in your 20s, 30s and 40s.

It seems there's always something. In our 20s we battle the dark circles that are our reward for last night's pub crawl. In our 30s, we lament the first signs of fine lines and wrinkles and the dimming of our youthful glow. In our 40s, those wrinkles are firmly entrenched and we notice age spots in places we never thought possible. But the news is not all bad. It is possible to look great, no matter what our skin says.

We asked celebrity beauty and skin-care experts to share their tricks of the trade for glowing good looks at every age.

20-something

If skin has a heyday, this is it. You've dealt with the worst of adolescent acne and your skin has yet to bear the marks of aging. But with hormones still stabilizing, oily skin may still be a problem, so limit your play to oil-free, hypoallergenic cleansers, moisturizers and makeup.

10 ways to curb dry winter skin

Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Julia Carroll shares her tips for banishing the dry-skin blues.

There are ideal climates in which skin can flourish—and Canada’s dry, blustery winters don’t make the grade. But that doesn’t mean that we all need to walk around coated in Vaseline. Instead, follow Dr. Julia Carroll’s tips for preventing and treating dry skin.

1. Stick with warm—not hot—showers 

Yes, a toasty shower or bath on a winter evening can be comforting, but it will also strip the moisture from your skin. Opt for lukewarm or cool showers. They don’t have to be icy, but avoid turning the tap so far left that your skin looks red afterwards.

The top 10 anti-aging superfoods

Rejuvenate your diet with these healthy choices.

From skin care to workouts, many of us will do whatever it takes to look and feel our best at any age.

Research shows that certain foods can help to dramatically reduce free radical damage (cellular damage) and slow the aging process. These "superfoods" pack a powerful nutritional punch and have a high anti-oxidant capacity.

In general, superfoods are whole foods that have not been refined, processed or preserved. Here are the top 10 anti-aging superfoods that can boost your health and reduce the impacts of aging.

Look and feel 10 years younger Part two

Part two: Exercise and stress management

If you want to look and feel younger, consider investing in a new pair of running shoes. "Exercise is the natural fountain of youth," says Sherri McMillan, one of North America's most respected fitness leaders and author of Fit Over Forty (Raincoast, 2001). "People who work out and take care of themselves look and feel so much more energized than their peers who don't," she adds. In fact, as much as half of the decline we experience between the ages of 30 and 70 can be attributed not to aging itself but to a sedentary lifestyle, according to the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute.

Ready to look younger? Here's how to get started.

Look and feel 10 years younger Part one

Part one: Eat to be 10 years younger

Our two-part plan can help you reduce the signs of aging. Enjoy healthier skin, improved bone density, fewer wrinkles and brighter teeth with a few simple lifestyle changes.

Marjorie Silcoff stares thoughtfully at the ceiling of her Montreal home. The 37-year-old has been trying to think of a downside to looking 10 years younger than her age and, apparently, she's just found it. "Last year, I was carded," she says with a giggle. "I was in California and we went to a lounge. The guy wouldn't let me in without ID. I couldn't believe it."

Tough break. Then again, she brought it upon herself.

Five years ago, she radically changed her diet and within weeks, her acne-prone skin had cleared up and smoothed out, and she had more energy to boot.

How to look years younger

Take years off your appearance without painful injections or surgery.

Think you need a battalion of Hollywood cosmetic surgeons to help you look years younger? Not so. You can soften time's toll yourself, with our expert tips for hair, skin and makeup.

5 steps to thick, glossy, richly coloured hair

1. If you have fine, limp hair, ask your stylist for a cut and colour that makes hair look full. Thickening or volumizing shampoo, conditioner and styling products are must-haves. Colouring your hair will also help because colour coats the hair shaft, which thickens it a bit.

Look young and beautiful with these skin-care tips

Read on for great advice on how to get radiant, young-looking skin.

The face is the front line of the aging-skin war as we do close combat with droopy eyelids, age spots, lines, and wrinkles. Signs of aging also make themselves known in other areas, most notably the neck, chest, and hands. The neck can sag with age, creating bands of wrinkled skin or neck wattles. Skin on the chest is extremely thin and often exposed, and it's not uncommon to see older women who've spent a lot of time in the sun with crepey, blotchy, wrinkled skin in their décolletage. The hands are exposed not only to the sun but also to chemicals such as those in dish-washing soap and bleach, often resulting in wrinkles and visible blood vessels.

Tested anti-aging tips from the experts

Expert advice on keeping the years off your face.

The buzz from the beauty editor

I've been obsessed with the fight against aging since the tender age of 21. My mother, on the other hand, considers each birthday a blessing, and subsequently, her skin-care routine is of the soap-and-water variety. Somewhere in the middle is a happy medium. Combine the courage to grow old gracefully with some simple, skin-saving anti-aging strategies, and you'll age happily and beautifully.

Insider information from the beauty bunch

10 ways to slow the aging process

Learn how to slow down the aging process and find everyday tips to help you look and feel younger.

You can do a variety of simple things – from eating protein at every meal to taking a regular whiff of lavender – to help slow the aging process and maintain health and vitality as long as possible, says Penny Kendall-Reed, a naturopath and director of natural therapies at the Urban Wellness Clinic in Toronto.

Kendall-Reed believes that being happy and as stress-free as possible are the keys to living a longer, healthier life. And feeling healthy, energetic and stress-free translates into a more youthful appearance.

10 tips to start slowing the hands of time

1. At every meal, eat foods high in protein, such as fish, turkey, egg whites or tofu. A gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight is a good rule of thumb. (That's 22 grams/0.8 ounce of protein per meal for a woman weighing 65 kilograms/145 pounds. That's equal to about 150 millilitres/two-thirds of a cup of cottage cheese, an average protein shake, three egg whites, a medium chicken or turkey breast or 125 grams/four ounces of low-fat tofu.)

Slowing Aging

5 Secrets to Slowing Aging

We get lots of wake-up calls that we're getting older. Suddenly we can't make it up the hill without stopping for breath, or we misplace the keys -- or acquaintances' names -- more often. But no whining; there's also lots we can do to slow the aging process.

"We have way more control than most people think over the factors that affect aging," says Kelly Traver, a physician and professor at Stanford University and author of The Program: A Brain-Smart Approach to the Healthiest You (Atria, 2009). "A few simple lifestyle changes and you can look ten years younger, feel better, and get your energy back." Let's get started!

Stay Active

Add a sport or physical activity to your regimen. When you engage in a physical activity that requires coordination, you stimulate the connections between neurons, essentially juicing the brain's circuitry, experts say. So get out the golf clubs, take a dance class, try tai chi, get that old bike out of the shed, or join a local sports team.

Stress Ages Your Skin—Tips to Keep that Youthful Glow

We all know that too much stress is bad for our health. A 2012 study, for example, found that stress increases risk of depression, heart disease and infectious diseases, and increases inflammation throughout the body—which, by the way, increases skin aging, as well.

When we’re stressed, we’re also less likely to eat right, get enough sleep, or stick with our exercise routines. That affects our overall health, but also our appearance. The skin fails to get the nutrients it needs to repair itself. You can tell by that inconvenient acne eruption or psoriasis flare up.

It’s hard to escape stress completely, however, so the best approach is to take steps that will help your skin to resist the negative effects of stress.

5 Tips To Help Slow Down The Aging Process

Getting older is a given, but our diet and lifestyle play a huge role in how we look and feel along the way! Aging doesn’t necessarily mean getting sick or feeling less than our best — if we pay attention to a few key factors and make a few important shifts, we can age healthfully and feel as optimal as possible.

Here are some of the ways to keep yourself feeling healthy and energetic – while reducing your risk of chronic disease – at any age:

Drink a Lot of Water

Hydrating is one of the most important things you can do to keep your skin looking young, bright and glowing — as well as keep every system in the body functioning optimally. Dry, dehydrated skin looks older and more dull, and because our skin is a reflection for what’s going on internally, the more water we drink the more hydrated our skin will look. To keep your body healthy and hydrated, try drinking 2-3 liters of water per day and go easy on caffeinated beverages and alcohol, which dry your skin out even more.

The Secrets to Weight Loss: Keep a Food Journal, Don’t Skip Meals

A new yearlong study of weight loss in overweight or obese women identified three key strategies for taking off unwanted pounds. The No. 1 tip for success? Writing down everything you eat or drink in a food journal.

Also: don’t skip meals and avoid eating out at restaurants too often. Underlying all three strategies is a sense of mindfulness, the authors say — being acutely aware and accountable for every morsel you eat. “It is difficult to make changes to your diet when you are not paying close attention to what you are eating,” said study author Dr. Anne McTiernan, director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in a statement.

Five Things You’re Getting Wrong About Weight and Weight Loss

If I’m thin then I’m healthy, right? Wrong. There are several misconceptions people have about weight, losing it and what’s healthy. Here’s the low-down on some myths we’re better off busting.

Kids have to lose weight to shed obesity: As children grow, they put on weight, but how much is normal, and how much is excessive and potentially a hazard to their health? In the latest study, published in the journal Lancet, researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health developed a mathematical model to differentiate between healthy weight gain and the extra pounds that contribute to obesity. The model takes advantage of more accurate assessments of how many calories heavier children take in, as well as how quickly and efficiently they burn off those calories, and the ratio of fat to muscle in their bodies. The resulting model shows some kids can outgrow their obesity around puberty even if they don’t lose weight. That’s because obesity is a measure of not just weight but the ratio of height to weight known as the body mass index (BMI), and as children grow, they transform fat into muscle, which can weigh as much, if not more than fat tissue. So kids with a high BMI that might suggest obesity may not actually be overweight.

Could extreme exercise help slow down the ageing process?

Every morning at 6am, 72-year-old grandmother Dr Betty Holsden-Smith enjoys the same exercise routine. She does a few crunches, lifts some weights, stretches and heads to the local track to run - for 12 hours straight.

Barely stopping to eat, drink or sleep, her longest "ultra-run" covered more than 100 miles and took three days and three nights to complete. Now this US supergran from Maryland is hoping to double her personal best by running a blistering six-day race in Arizona next month.

Although born athletic, slim and tall, the veteran of more than 70 marathons doubled her weight after getting married and having a child. Frightened for her future health and determined to change her lifestyle for the sake of her daughter, she adopted a more nutritious diet and, slowly, began to increase the amount of exercise she did, first walking, then running. She ran her first marathon in 1988 and hasn't looked back since.

Slow down the ageing process and feel like a 20-something in your 70s ... by jogging

• Study looked at amount of energy expended by people who stayed fit in their 60s and 70s

• It found those aged 69 or older who ran regularly used the same amount of energy as a typical 20-year-old

Jogging in your sixties and seventies could help slow down the ageing process, a study has found.

US researchers looked at the amount of energy expended by men and women who had stayed fit and active into their late sixties and early seventies.

Half of them went for regular runs while the other half walked for at least half an hour three times a week or more.

Those aged 69 or older who ran for exercise use about the same amount of energy when walking as a typical 20-year-old.

Health Risks Linked to Obesity

Obesity is a term that means you weigh at least 20% more than what is considered a normal weight for your height. It makes you more likely to have conditions including:

• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Some cancers
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma

8 Ways Exercise Makes You Gorgeous

Working out isn’t all about dropping pounds or prepping for your next triathlon. Regular exercise also gives you a healthy, glowing look and an unmistakable va-va-voom that you just can’t get any other way.

Anyone who makes a habit of going to the gym, unfurling a yoga mat or hiking in the woods is privy to a secret known only to the physically active: The rewards of exercise extend far beyond slimming down or adding muscle tone. Dozens of subtle changes visibly revamp the body and the psyche in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.

Maybe your skin looks brighter, your step is springier or you’re more confident at work. Such small victories may go unnoticed by unobservant exercisers, but those on the lookout for these benefits will find them every bit as valid as gains measured by scales and calipers.

Anti-Ageing Secrets: Exercise Could Prevent Wrinkles And Maintain Younger-Looking Skin

Getting wrinkles are an inevitable part of ageing, but scientists have revealed that you may be able to maintain your skin's youth - and without pumping it full of chemicals (hurrah!).

New research from McMaster University in Ontario has found that exercise could not only keep skin younger, but may also even reverse skin ageing in people become more active late in life.

Earlier studies at McMaster examined the affect of exercise on mice. Researchers examined mice that were bred to age prematurely - they split the mice into two groups and provided on group with exercise wheels.

The mice that remained sedentary rapidly grew frail, ill and greying or bald. But the mice that were given access to running wheels maintained healthy brains, hearts, muscles and reproductive organs. Their fur remained far longer than their sedentary labmates and didn't even turn grey.

Does Exercise Slow the Aging Process?

Almost any amount and type of physical activity may slow aging deep within our cells, a new study finds. And middle age may be a critical time to get the process rolling, at least by one common measure of cell aging.

Dating a cell’s age is tricky, because its biological and chronological ages rarely match. A cell could be relatively young in terms of how long it has existed but function slowly or erratically, as if elderly.

Today, many scientists have begun determining a cell’s biological age — meaning how well it functions and not how old it literally is — by measuring the length of its telomeres.

For those of us who don’t know every portion of our cells’ interiors, telomeres are tiny caps found on the end of DNA strands, like plastic aglets on shoelaces. They are believed to protect the DNA from damage during cell division and replication.

Is Powerlifting Necessary To Be "Built For Life"?

In the short, fun read below, Steve talks about the two different meanings behind the motto and how proper weight training can help you achieve both physical and mental toughness.  He also chimes in on the topic of "mega weights" and whether they are needed to create an impressive bodybuilder-type physique.

Built For Life: Motto For A New You

"Built for Life".  Kind of an interesting title, if you think about it, because it has two meanings.

The first is staying in attention-grabbing muscular shape for as long as you’re alive and able to exercise—you will remain “built” your entire life, never embarrassed to peel off your shirt at the beach, lake or pool.  And as my colleague 60-plus-year-old bodybuilder Tony DiCosta so aptly put it, “You’ll usually be the best built guy in the room.” (Talk about a conversation piece!)

Feeling Sore? Is It Muscle Growth Or Something Else?

In today's article, Steve Holman from Old School New Body discusses soreness and what it really means during a workout.

Most of us tend to associate soreness with "muscle growth", but Steve points out that is not always the case.  In fact, he argues there is an even better reason to strive for some soreness during your workouts.

I'll let him explain...

Revving Your Lean Machine: The Truth About Soreness

When you first started working out, you probably hated it.  Soreness hurts!  But as you progressed, you no doubt embraced it—most of us consider it a signal that we’ve done our diligence and stimulated plenty of muscle growth.  But is that true?

The fact is, there are no studies connecting muscle soreness to hypertrophy.  Okay, don’t stop reading yet; you will get some good stuff from being a bit sore–and you’ll probably even want to strive for it.  But first you need to know what causes muscle soreness.

It’s believed that the pain is caused by microtrauma in muscle fibers—and it’s primarily triggered by the negative, or eccentric, stroke of an exercise—like when you lower a bench press, squat or curl rep.

Old School New Body: A Different Approach To Fat Burning

Today I have an article written by Steve Holman from Old School New Body that looks at how F4X training helps you burn more fat with less cardio.  F4X utilizes moderate-weight, high-fatigue training with short, limited rests between sets that is different and much more effective than interval cardio.

In the article, Steve explains 3 different pathways by which this type of training helps you burn more fat.  It all has to do with muscle burn, lactic acid pooling, growth hormone output, myofibrillar trauma, X-centrics, and some other really cool stuff.

Fat Burning: A Different Approach

No more cardio?  Well, not quite—but if you train with weights correctly, you won’t need to visit that boring treadmill quite as often to keep your abs sharp.

Study shows weight loss at any age is beneficial for heart health

(NaturalNews) In a study published in The Lancet: Diabetes and Endocrinology, findings suggest that "losing weight at any age can result in long-term cardiovascular health benefits, and support public health strategies and lifestyle modifications that help individuals who are overweight or obese to lose weight at all ages." (1)

This study reinforces that shedding extra pounds is linked to improved health, and that, cliche as it may sound, it's never too late to start.

In the study, led by a team of British researchers, men and women's weight changes and cardiovascular health were monitored over the course of 60 years, starting from their birth in 1946 (2). The study noted that the longer a person was overweight in adulthood, the more their chances of having cardiovascular health problems like increased blood pressure and diabetes rose later in life. However, it also showed that individuals who lost weight, even if they regained it and lost it again, were able to lessen those risks.

10 Natural Ways to Prevent Aging

Everyone wants to conserve their youth and look young forever. Before you consider the extremes of botox and other plastic surgery methods - research the natural methods and things you can do to look great. There are several natural ways to prevent aging that anyone can do that are relatively easy. Here are ten ways to keep looking young.

Eat Nuts

Nuts are the perfect snack food and are filled with anti-aging fats, vitamins and minerals. They are also great for suppressing appetite.

Trade Coffee for Cocoa

In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found cocoa containing high levels of two dietary flavanols (epicatchin and catechin) protected from sun damage, improved circulation to skin cells, affected hydration and made the skin look and feel smoother.

30 Ways To Slow and Prevent Aging

30 Healthstyle Tips To Keep You Young

1. Be happy The physical damage caused to your body by stress has only recently become appreciated by the scientific community. Fill your life with things you love and get rid of almost everything else. Practice stress relieving activities like meditation and exercise, and learn to appreciate joy when you find it. Happiness does a body good.

2. Eat vegetables There is good evidence that oxidative damage caused by toxins and metabolism contributes to the aging process at a cellular level. Foods (but not supplements) high in antioxidants seem to protect us from oxidative stress.

5 steps reveal the things you absolutely MUST AVOID if you want to slow the aging process, reclaim health.

What you need is a splash of cold water, a touch of Old School, and the honest truth. Sound good? Let's dive in!

Step 1: Forget Low-Fat Diets

Low fat everything has been the craze now for decades and look around. What has that wonderful bit of advice done for the bodies you see? We're fatter, sicker, and more addicted to sugar and carbs than any other time in history. And, we're passing these habits to our kids.

Fats are not to be feared – they're to be embraced. They do not make you fat; rather, they help your body regenerate your power hormones. Testosterone, the 'strength' hormone, for example, is the direct result of cholesterol and dietary fat intake. That's right: "Cholesterol" isn't a dirty word! Your body needs dietary fat and cholesterol in order to produce ANY AND ALL vital hormones.

5 Steps To Looking 10 Years Younger

By Steve & Becky Holman

Did you know that once you hit 40 years of age, whether you're a man or a woman, your body starts aging FASTER than normal? Studies have shown that without the proper nutrients and exercise, your body will age about 6 months EXTRA for every year that passes. Think about that! If you are 40, that means by the time you hit 44 you will LOOK and FEEL 48. And by the time you reach 60, you will LOOK and FEEL 70 YEARS OLD! We see this every day... just look around you.

Did you know that 90% of people over the age of 35 lose enough muscle every year to burn off an additional 4 pounds of body fat? That means you not only lose the only thing on your body that creates shape, tone, and strength—you also gain more fat every year, even if your calories stay the same.

Did you know that all of this is reversible at any age? That there are specific ways to move, eat, and think that tell your brain to STOP this rapid aging process... and even SLOW IT DOWN to the point where you're aging less than a year for every year? That means you can look younger at 40 than you do at 35... or if you're like Becky and I, younger at 50+ than we did at 40!

Read more: CLICK HERE

This is not fantasy talk. This does not require a boatload of anti-aging drugs, supplements, or gimmicks. And, this works for anyone, male or female, and works at any age. 35, 45, 55, 65, 75... you name it. The biology is exactly the same.

My years as editor-in-chief at Iron Man Magazine have allowed me to peer into the secret routines of the anti-aging experts. Over the years, both Becky and I have picked up SO many tips, tricks, and strategies that have allowed us to literally reverse the aging process, at least from a cellular level. That means our body's look, feel, and MOVE younger than our chronological age.

We've taught this System to countless men and women over the years, and it always begins with these 5 key principles you must apply in order to STOP the rapid onset of aging that's going on right now, reverse it, and begin "aging backwards" by restoring your body's natural youth hormones.

That said, we have to warn you: What you are about to hear may go against all the conventional diet and exercise advice you've been hearing. That's because the world has, to be utterly frank, gone soft! "Core training", hot yoga, spin classes, tai chí all of these are just fine, but they won't slow your aging, and they certainly will never shape your muscles or burn off stubborn body fat. No way!

Read in the following article: 5 Steps reveal things that you absolutely must avoid if you want to slow the aging process!

Read more: CLICK HERE