This 20-Minute Workout Beats an Hour on the Treadmill
Photo Courtesy of Lululemon
Lazy? No way. There’s a new reason to spend less time at the gym, and it’s a good one: New research shows that you can get just as effective of a workout in 20 minutes as you can in over an hour.
According to my new favorite book, The First 20 Minutes by “Phys Ed” columnist for The New York Times Gretchen Reynolds, working out for four to six four-and-a-half and a half minutes at an intense pace is equivalent to a steady pace of 90 to 120 minutes of exercise. Crazy, right?!
The Workout
A group of college students rode a stationary bike for 90 to 120 minutes at a steady pace while another group performed short intervals of 20 to 30 seconds and then rested for four minutes. They repeated this cycle four to six times for a total of two to three minutes of intense exercise.
The Results
After two weeks of repeating these exercises, both groups saw similar results; they increased their endurance and physical fitness. But surprisingly, working out for a longer period of time didn’t increase their results at a greater level.
Now It’s Your Turn
Sticking to just cardio may not be the best bang for your time. “When you have limited time, choosing between cardio and resistance training is a mistake,” Travis Steffen, a Strength and Condition Specialist and founder of Workoutbox.com, told us. “Instead, combine the two. With an intense manual resistance circuit with very little rest between exercises, you can get both resistance training and cardio done in one shot.” Check out a 20-minute workout he provided that will get you results…and fast. All you need is a pair of dumbbells!
Dumbbell Saigon Squat
Three to Five Reps
Twisting Pushup
10 Reps
Prisoner Pause Squats
20 Reps
Speed Squats
10 Reps
Vertical Jumps
8 Reps
Celeb Nutritionist Keri Glassman Answers Your Diet Questions
Nationally acclaimed RD Keri Glassman, is a great resource for all things nutrition and is offering a new destination for those burning health and diet questions! She is now sharing her expertise on Access Hollywood Live every other week and will be answering questions on Access Hollywood Live’s Facebook page! Each week, Keri will answer one great question in Thursday’s Access Hollywood’s Healthy Hollywood blog and may even answer yours on one of her TV segments. Tune in and ask away for your chance to nab a celebrity physique and spot on Access! xx Melissa
Happy National Nutrition Month! Half of the battle when it comes to healthy eating and nutrition is simply knowing which questions to ask in finding solutions that fit your personal needs and lifestyle. Have you ever found yourself standing in an aisle at the grocery store, facing countless choices and wondering where to start? Where’s a handy FAQ Section when you need one? With so much information (and misinformation) out there, doing your health homework means sifting through all of it to find the most informed and reliable sources of advice.
How do I really know how many calories to eat?
Is there a danger in consuming too many Omega 3s?
What’s the best thing to eat after my hard workout?
Does drinking out of a straw really make me bloated?
Everyone will have an answer to these questions– your personal trainer, the nutrition-related infomercial you saw on TV, your fitness-magazine-reading best friend. Remember that nutrition is a health science, which requires years of study and experience to achieve true expertise. And despite the information you receive from its many sources (chefs, writers, food bloggers, doctors, nutritionists) sometimes what you really need is to go straight to a nutrition expert, a Registered Dietitian. Registered Dietitians (RD) are nutritionists, but not all professionals operating under the title nutritionist are RDs, who meet the gold-standard in professional nutrition.
Submit your question for me at the Access Hollywood Live facebook page and check out their blog updates every Thursday!
 Nationally recognized nutrition expert and published author Keri Glassman is the founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City. For years, Keri has been a leader in advancing a “whole person” approach to health and wellness.She has dedicated her career to creating services and promoting education through her Nutritious Life brand. She has authored two books; the most recent is The O2 Diet. The Cutting Edge, Antioxidant-Based Program That Will Make You Healthy, Thin and Beautiful. (Rodale, December 2009.) This book translates complex scientific research on antioxidants and the ORAC scale into useful and usable tools that everyone can benefit from. It empowers people to live a more Nutritious Life by combining a nutrient dense, high antioxidant diet with the other components of a Nutritious Life. The O2 Diet follows the Snack Factor Diet, (Crown, 2007.)Keri is a contributing editor and advisory board member for Women’s Health Magazine, and was the first registered dietitian to create a real food based snack bar, KeriBar.Additionally, Keri is the Nutrition and Health contributor for NBC’s New York Live, and is regularly featured on national television programs including NBC’s The Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, Access Hollywood Live, The View, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, The Wendy Williams Show, MSNBC and The Fox News Channel. Keri resides in New York City with her children, Rex and Maizy. |
Eating Well When On Vacation
It’s very challenging for most people to stay on the healthy eating track when vacationing. As the author of Clean Plates Manhattan 2011, a healthy and sustainable eating restaurant guide, I often encounter the question, “What should I do if I am not at a ‘Clean Plates-approved’ restaurant?”
Clean Plates guidelines are a great set of tools to aid in choosing a restaurant, but as we all know, it’s not always possible to dine in an ideal setting. Your best tool is to be prepared: prior to leaving for your destination become familiar with restaurants in the area that serve high quality and delicious food. Travel guides and the internet are great resources for finding such establishments.
However, life isn’t perfect, and the best-laid plans occasionally fail. No matter how prepared and mindful you are, you may sometimes end up at a restaurant that doesn’t offer the best food options in terms of health and sustainability. So what do you do when the situation arises?
Try to avoid meat if you can. If you eat animal products, choose grass-fed, pasture-raised animals over ones conventionally raised with antibiotics and growth hormones. If you are unsure about how the restaurant’s meats were raised, ask your server — restaurants that serve organic meat products are often happy to tell you about their sources (if your server is unsure or vague, it’s a safe bet that the meats are conventionally raised and should be avoided). If you do decide to order the conventional steak or chicken, balance it with lots of veggies, especially delicious green leafy ones like kale and spinach that are packed with antioxidants to help counteract some of the potential harmful effects of farm-raised meat. Your body – and the planet – will thank you.
Be Creative. Many restaurants will gladly accommodate special requests and guests with dietary restrictions – no need to be shy or feel uncomfortable. Look for dishes that feature beans (your protein), a whole grain (think brown rice or quinoa) and/or veggies. You can even ask if they would add any of these components to another existing dish to create an appropriate entrée. Many delicious appetizers, salads, or side dishes can also be made into entrée-sized portions or even combined to make up a meal with tasty variety.
A cozy pasta dish (preferably cooked al dente to limit the spike in blood sugar levels) with a salad and side of veggies often makes for a great and satisfying meal. Since most restaurants use a lot of refined salt and sugar in their sauces (not to mention poor quality oils), it is always wise to ask the chef to go light on the sauce – you could even ask for it on the side so you control how much of it you use.
Most importantly, don’t stress. Follow the 80/20 rule. Simply put, if you eat well a significant majority of the time (think high quality whole foods), your body will be better equipped to process less healthy foods once in a while. And most importantly, whatever you do decide to eat, enjoy it and then forget about it. Stress and guilt about what you eat is a lot more detrimental to your health than an occasional piece of pie.
 |
Jared Koch, Founder of Clean Plates, graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition with certification by Columbia University, Teachers College in 2005 and graduated from the Global Institute for Alternative Medicine in 2004. He is a health coach, nutritional consultant, and certified yoga instructor with expertise in meditation, and he speaks frequently on the topic of nutrition and has spoken at such organizations as Google, Sony, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, MTV, and Time Warner.
Jared graduated from the University of Michigan where he completed a pre-medical program while majoring in economics. With an entrepreneurial spirit, he delayed enrollment in Albert Einstein Medical School to launch an entertainment company with his brother. The company grossed $10 million in annual sales within ten years. Despite corporate success, Jared still felt a strong need to attend to the wellness of others. Upon selling his stake in the entertainment business, he began ten years of wellness study with the likes of Dr. Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, raw food guru David Wolfe, and Walter Willett, Chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition. |
Image Credit: myworkoutspay.com
Buy Calcium bites Chocolate Covered Caramels, $16.39
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Buy Calcium bites Chocolate Covered Caramels, $16.39
Shop the Full Story: Ask Melissa: Healthy Snacks |
Buy TCHO Nibs, $9
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Buy TCHO Nibs, $9
Shop the Full Story: Ask Melissa: Healthy Snacks |
Buy Calbee’s Snapea Crisps, $15.39
 |
Buy Calbee’s Snapea Crisps, $15.39
Shop the Full Story: Ask Melissa: Healthy Snacks |
Buy Marcona Almonds, $11.95
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Buy Marcona Almonds, $11.95
Shop the Full Story: Ask Melissa: Healthy Snacks |
Ask Melissa: No or Lo-Cal Refreshing Drinks
I know how important it is for both my skin and body to stay hydrated during the summer, but I don’t like the taste of plain water. Any tips on easy-to-drink beverages that won’t pack on the pounds?
It is certainly very important, especially in the summertime, to drink lots of water. I am not a huge fan of plain water as well, so I need to get creative to make sure I get the recommended daily amount (.5 oz multiplied by your body weight in pounds). Below are several options for refreshing, healthy, and great-tasting drinks that won’t increase your waistline!
My go-to drink is a cranberry and club soda. You can vary how sweet you want it by adjusting the amount of club soda (I like it with half of each). Try using Ocean Spray Light Cran-Rasberry Juice, which is lower in calories and tastes delicious. Cranberry juice is known to have various health benefits – it can help prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, and urinary tract infections.
Buy Now, White Rock Club Soda (Pack of 12), $16.89
Buy Now, Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Rasberry Juice Drink (Pack of 8), $53.52
A new favorite of mine is Skinny Water. The Raspberry Pomegranate Crave Control flavor is zero calories and contains electrolytes and Super CitriMax, which is known to curb your appetite. It reminds me of the days when my mom used to make raspberry Jell-O in the liquid form… only this is cold and tastes better!
Buy Now, Skinny Water Crave Control Raspberry Pomegranate (Pack of 12), $18.75
Vitamin Water has been very popular for a while now, however, I prefer the newer zero calorie version. Naturally sweetened and packed with antioxidants from acai berries, blueberries, and pomegranates, Vitamin Water Zero’s “XXX” is my favorite. It’s super refreshing and energizing with vitamins A, B, C, and electrolytes.
Buy Now, Vitamin Water Zero XXX (Pack of 24), $37.32
Coconut water is extremely hydrating and tastes delicious! It’s perfect to drink after a workout because it has more muscle-soothing potassium than a banana, plus electrolytes. I prefer it fresh from the coconut, but they can be difficult to find, and you need a machete to cut off the tops. An easier option is to drink ZICO Coconut Water. I always keep several bottles in my fridge – It’s 60 calories for one 14 fl oz bottle, and fat-free, too!
Buy Now, ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water (Pack of 12), $25.31
Tasty and full of antioxidants, Honest Tea’s Passion Fruit Green Tea with Maqui Berry is zero calories and naturally sweetened. This drink is sweeter than most of the other Honest Tea drinks, so it’s great if you have a sweet tooth.
Buy Now, Honest Tea Passion Fruit Green Tea with Maqui Berry, $15.99
My best-kept secret of all is SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia in Vanilla Crème flavor. Just add three-five drops of this all-natural sweetener to 12 oz of water. The concentrated drops are available in a variety of flavors, but my personal favorite is the vanilla. Try adding it to club soda and you will make yourself a healthy crème soda!
Buy Now, SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia, $8.16
10 Healthier Candies
It’s summer and everyone’s talking about beach bodies and bathing suits (yep, guilty as charged!). But every now and then you have to treat yourself to some sweet, sticky, melt-in-your-mouth candy. So, in celebration of National Candy Month (happening now!) and our 10th birthday (also happening now with great deals and more), we’re bringing you 10 delicious and healthier substitutes to your favorite candies!
After all, it’s kind of…mean that National Candy Month is in the middle of prime bikini season.
-Elana Lott
Try: Florida’s Natural Organic Pocket Fruit Sticks ($4.89/pack of 12)
If You Love: Fruit Roll-ups, Gushers
A great on-the-go snack for the whole family, Florida’s Natural Organic Pocket Fruit Sticks are just 40 calories with 0 grams of fat.
If you really like fruit roll-ups or are prone to indulging in your kids’ sweets, these organic fruit rolls are perfect to toss into everyone’s lunch bags—they provide the sweetness of dried fruit, plus they’re gluten free! Choose from Orange, Blueberry or Strawberry.
Try: Almond M&M’s (M&Ms.com, $2.95)
If You Love: Plain M &Ms, Chocolate-Covered Nuts
Sometimes you just have to have the real thing (and there’s no true way to replace an M&M). So, you’re allowed to indulge with Almond M&M’s. Almonds are well-known for their healthy benefits: lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and diabetes. And although this snack has a pretty high calorie count (220/serving), sometimes the good fats (and the good tastes) are worth it.
Really a peanut girl? Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M’s have the same calorie count per serving, and dark chocolate does have antioxidants!
Try: Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops ($3.99/.5lb on NaturalCandyStore.com)
If You Love: Lollipops, Sucking candies
There is nothing like a lollipop. Lucky for you, Yummy Earth’s Organic Lollipops are a healthier alternative to the traditional high-fructose, bubble-gum infused lollipops of yore.
Yep, just 70 calories for three lollipops and 0 grams of fat, these gluten-free, vegan treats are simply delick-ious! And in flavors like pomegranate, blood orange, watermelon or (a more sophisticated) chili lime, you’re sure to please everyone’s palettes. Purchase individual flavors or a variety pack (see above).
Try: Detour Whey Protein Bar in Caramel Peanut ($3.29)
If You Love: Snickers, Twix, anything with nougat
Candy bars, a.k.a. a staple of our youth, are nearly impossible to pass up—Halloween has been a downfall of many a diet (mmm, how many fun-size Snickers equal a full-size again?!). If you are craving a classic candy bar, try Detour’s Whey Protein Bar in Caramel Peanut.
Aside from great taste, get the benefits of whey protein (it’s an appetite suppressant, stabilizes glucose levels, and contains very little fat or carbs)—it’ll also save you from the sugar crashes and cravings that normal candy bars cause. Available in a variety of flavors, these are great for active ladies who are looking to build muscle/reduce fat but don’t eat meat or have time to make a protein shake after a workout.
Try: Hershey’s Sugar Free Jolly Ranchers (Kmart, $1.90)
If You Love: Jolly Ranchers, Hard Candy
Sometimes sugar-free candy is an absolute necessity, especially with juvenile diabetes on the rise. And aside from being sans sugar, Hershey’s sugar-free products also boast about 20% less calories and come in great bite-sized packages.
So go ahead and enjoy a few Jolly Ranchers—four pieces come in at a mere 35 calories! Hershey’s also offers sugar-free varieties in Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, York Peppermint Patties, Jolly Ranchers, Twizzlers, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate and Hershey’s Caramel-Filled Chocolates!
Try: Bissinger’s Lemon Ginger Yuzu Gummy Pandas ($5)
If You Love: Gummy Bears
Bissinger’s Lemon Ginger Yuzu Gummy Pandas with natural sweeteners are a healthier alternative to traditional gummy bears. With 0 grams of fat and 130 Calories per 16 pieces, these chewy treats make for an awesome, flavorful snack.
The lemon ginger option offers a grown-up tang along with a good ol’ dose of Vitamin C. There are several different flavors to choose from, including Blueberry Acai and Apricot Green Tea!
Try: Figamajigs ($23.85/ Box of 15)
If You Love: Chocolate-Covered Cherries/Fruit
For ladies who are looking to eat healthier, Figamajigs are the perfect snack. Not only are they 100% fat free, but they contain a fruity, good-for-ya fig covered in luscious dark chocolate.
Providing all the antioxidant power of figs, including regulating the digestive system, dark Figmajigs are more than a reduced calorie treat.
Try: Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans ($1.79 on LuckyVitamin.com)
If You Love: Jelly Beans
The mere thought of the JellyBelly Factory is mouth-watering. …But eating a pound of jelly beans isn’t the healthiest decision. Opt for an organic jelly bean instead, made with fruit juice and organic sweeteners.
Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans also provide 100% of your daily recommended Vitamin C. With flavors like cherry, grapefruit, grape, lemon, strawberry and orange at 130 calories per serving, how can you go wrong?
Try: Gayle’s Miracles Chocolate Truffle Snack Pack ($9.99)
If You Love: Truffles, Milk Chocolate
Craving the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate goodness that is a truffle? Coming in at only 30 calories per truffle, Gayle’s Miracles Chocolate Truffle Snack Pack means you can definitely afford to treat your sweet tooth with a little dessert.
Try: Labrada Nutrition Rockin’ Roll Nut Roll, Nutty Peanut 12 ea ($23.49 on drugstore.com)
If You Love: Pay Days
Nuts about chocolate? No worries, Labrada’s Rockin’ Roll Nut Roll is a great way to enjoy the classic candy bar without the classic guilt that usually accompanies it. This better-for-you bar features tons of protein, good fats and only 2 grams of sugar in one chewy, chocolaty disguise.
Image Credit: Sheckys.com
 Sheckys.com lets you share your man’s mystifying moments, get easy tips for the healthiest, happiest and most fashionable you, discover our Girls Night Out events and more, all while earning OMG Points toward free goodies! |
Ask Melissa: Healthy Snacks
I’m always out on the run and sometimes I’m tempted to pick up a candy bar or a bag of chips. What are your suggestions for healthy snacks while on the run?
There’s no need to ignore your sweet and salty cravings if you know your (healthy) options! I’m loving Marcona Almonds
If you’re looking for a chocolate fix, I like TCHO Nibs (cacao beans drenched in dark chocolate) for their bite-sized accessibility and richness. Another great way to satisfy your sweet tooth is with Calcium bites Chocolate Covered Caramels. Celebrity nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot turned me on to them, and I promise they taste like Rolos. Each piece is 30 calories, contains 500 mg of calcium, and has 6 grams of fiber. I eat one after lunch and dinner every day!
Buy Now, Marcona Almonds, $11.95
