Say no to gum
“It causes you to swallow air,” Dr. Coyle explains. Sugar­less gum has sorbitol, a sugar substitute that your gut bacteria turns into gas, giving you a pooch.

Drink tea
Peppermint tea (warm or iced) may ease the upset stomach that makes you look bloated.

Skip salty foods
They cause you to retain water, so you look bigger than you actually are.

Bring in good bugs
Take a probiotic (such as acidophilus) or eat yogurt with live cultures to boost the good bacteria in your digestive tract that keep you regular—and keep a puffy stomach at bay.

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Each part of this 40-minute toning and calorie-blasting circuit workout from popular The Sports Club/LA instructor and personal trainer Maeve McCaffrey contains a quick cardio blast followed by a body-toning strength move. Do this workout three times a week, and you’ll cover both your cardio and strength needs. Each time, do the workout straight through as described, then repeat twice.

Part 1. Cardio Blast Squat Reach
With your feet about hip-width apart, squat down and touch the fronts of your shins. Return to standing and raise your hands overhead. Do 12–15 quick reps

Stability Ball Chest Press
for core, chest, arms, legs, butt
Sit on a stability ball, holding a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in each hand. Slowly walk forward, and roll the ball under your body until only your head and shoulders are supported. (Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your knees.) Press both weights upward; then, keeping your right arm straight, bend your left arm and lower the dumbbell until your elbow forms a 90-degree angle. Extend your left arm, then repeat with your right to complete 1 rep. Do 12–15 reps, then put down the dumbbells and do 12–15 crunches on the ball. Move directly to Part 2.

Part 2.

Cardio Blast! Squat Jumps
With your feet about hip-width apart, squat down slightly and extend your arms behind you. Swing them above your head and jump a few inches off the ground. (If you have knee or hip problems, just rise up on the balls of your feet instead of jumping.) Land softly and return to squat position. Do 12–15 quick reps.

Wide Squat and Power Press
for legs, butt, arms, shoulders, core
Start with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart and hold a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell down in front of your body with your right hand. Squat slightly, and let your arm drop down between your legs. Stand up, and lift dumbbell straight up in front of you (as if zipping a jacket) to shoulder level. Rotate right arm until palm is facing forward, then extend right hand overhead. Low–er hand to shoulder, then return to start–ing position. Do 12–15 reps with right hand; switch sides and repeat. Put down dumbbell and do 12–15 push-ups, then move directly to Part 3.

Part 3.

Cardio Blast! Modified Side Lunge
Stand with feet together and arms down by your sides. Keeping left foot facing forward, turn your body and lunge to the right with your right foot. Return to starting position, then repeat move on the left side; that’s 1 rep. Do 12–15 quick reps.

Single Leg Lift and Row
for hamstrings, back, butt, arms, core
Stand with left foot in front of right foot, holding a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in right hand and keeping arms by your sides. Lean forward, and raise right foot off the ground. Extend weight toward the ground, then raise it to your hip.
Do 12–15 reps with right arm, then switch arms and legs and repeat on left side. Afterward, return to starting position and do 12–15 front lunges
with each leg. Move directly to Part 4.

Part 4.

Cardio Blast! Mountain Climbers
Starting in push-up position, step your right foot in toward your hands. In one motion, extend your right leg back to the starting position and bring your
left foot in toward your hands to complete 1 rep. Do 12–15 quick reps.

Stability Ball Roll Outs
for abs, back, shoulders
Kneel with a stability ball about 2 feet in front of you. Place your forearms on the ball, and bend your elbows to 90-degree angles. Keeping your abs tight, lean into the ball and allow it to roll forward about 1 foot. Using your ab muscles, pull the ball back toward you. Do 12–15 reps, then stand up and do 12–15 side lunges with each leg.Four weeks to your healthy beach body!

exercise, Fitness, health magazine june 2008, workout,diet 

1. It’s great for the heart
In a recent study conducted at Duke University Medical Center, researchers found that walking briskly for 30 minutes every day lowers your odds of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors linked to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Roughly 24 million women in the United States have metabolic syndrome. Don’t have time for a daily half-hour walk? Try multitasking: A British study found that active commuting (incorporating walking and cycling into your sedentary commute) is associated with an 11 percent reduction in heart-disease risk, especially among women. (For sneaky ways to work more walking into your life, see No Time to Walk? Try This.)

2. It cuts breast-cancer risks
Walking, even for a few hours a week, significantly reduces breast-cancer risk, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The thinking is that walking helps reduce levels of body fat, a source of estrogen. The research looked at 74,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 79. Those at a normal weight lowered their risk by 30 percent; those who were overweight, by 10 to 20 percent. Younger women may also gain similar benefits.

3. It helps you sleep
A brisk walk in the afternoon will help you get a better night’s sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Experts say that walking may boost levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, which relaxes you. Or, the rise in body temperature brought on by walking may signal the brain to lower your temperature later, which promotes sleep. (Avoid a walk two hours before bed—that’s too late to cool down.)

4. It cuts down on aches and pains
Walk the “chi” (pronounced chee) way and you could have fewer achy days. Nine years ago, Danny Dreyer, an ultra-marathoner then living near San Francisco, invented ChiWalking, which incorporates ideas from tai chi, yoga, and Pilates. It looks like regular walking but, because you consciously relax, improve the alignment of your body, and involve arm movements, puts less stress on the legs while you walk. That means fewer aches. “ChiWalking can cut down any risk of injury,” says Alice Peters Diffely, a ChiWalking instructor in Portland, Oregon. “Your whole body will feel better.”

5. It makes you happy
Walking can relieve depression, anxiety, and stress. Just one 30-minute walk may make you feel better when you’re down, University of Texas researchers found. Head out for 90 minutes five times a week and you’ll get the biggest boost, according to a new study from Temple University. One possible explanation: Walking helps the body produce endorphins, the mood-boosting chemicals linked to “runner’s high.”

6. It keeps you slimmer
Walking for 30 minutes a day can pre-vent weight gain in most people who are physically inactive, according to another Duke study. And researchers from Brown University and the University of Pittsburgh showed that women who walked for an hour five days a week and consumed 1,500 calories a day lost and kept off 25 pounds over the course of a year. The reason walking helps control your weight: It’s easy! “The harder the exercise is, the less people will do it,” says Johnny Benjamin, MD, chairman of the department of orthopedics at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla.

7. It staves off senior moments
Several studies in older people suggest that walking—even for as little as 45 minutes a week—helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Regular strolls are also linked to mental sharpness in seniors. But regardless of your age, walking is likely to help keep your mind active, Dr. Benjamin says—particularly if you stroll with friends; walking while talking is a surefire brain booster.

8. It protects your bones
Just 30 minutes of walking three times a week does wonders to prevent and treat thinning bones. This kind of exercise, which uses 95 percent of your muscles, actually pushes your bones to get stronger so they can handle the load. “Walking,” Look says, “is not just for cardio.”

By Lambeth Hochwald

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You’ve been on the plan for a month, now it’s time to step up your exercise. Try these two ramp-it-up moves—from Feel Great Weight dream team member Geralyn Coopersmith.

Add in Superwoman
Superwoman works the back (pictured above).

This move will balance the back muscles that work with the ab muscles targeted by the Diagonal Crunches, further strengthening your core.

Here’s how to do it: Lie face down on a mat with your arms straight overhead. Exhale and lift your right leg and left arm several inches off the floor. Pause for a second, inhale, then lower down. Repeat using your left leg and right arm; continue alternating for a total of 20 reps (10 per side). Do 2-3 sets.

Replace Step-Up with Crane Lunge
This move works the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.

Now that you have mastered the Step-Up, you’re ready to advance to the Crane Lunge. Not only does it challenge your balance, but it also provides a great workout for the same muscle groups with absolutely no equipment needed, since your body provides the resistance.

Here’s how to do it: Begin in lunge position with your left foot in front and right foot in back (don’t let your left knee go over your toes). Exhale, straighten your left leg, and bring your right knee forward and up as high as you can while maintaining a straight back. Inhale and return to the starting position. Do 10-12 reps, then switch sides and repeat. Do 1-2 sets.

Snack bar

Weil by Nature’s Path Goji Moji Pure Fruit & Nut Bar
Goji berries are the new “it” fruit this year, showing up in lots of health foods. These tart Tibetan berries are superhigh in antioxidants and add a touch of chewiness to this organic bar. Dried fruit, cashews, and other natural flavors add up to a tasty snack with 5 grams of fiber and just 170 calories. ($1.99)

Chips

Popchips Original Potato Chips
These totally natural, preservative-free chips are the ideal treat for salty snackers. The chips are air-popped instead of fried and seasoned with a bit of sea salt for a great clean flavor. Each single-serving bag has just 120 calories and 4.5 grams of fat (no saturated or trans). ($2.99)

  Nuts

Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds, Vanilla Bean
Loaded with heart-healthy fat and fiber, almonds are the perfect treat. Problem is, we tend to snack mindlessly on them, racking up calories. The brilliance of this new product is its flip-top canister, which shows you exactly what a serving is so you don’t go overboard. The subtle vanilla flavor is a hit with our judge, who also appreciates the absence of high fructose corn syrup. ($3.99)

Yogurt

Rachel’s Refresh Pink Grapefruit Lychee Yogurt
This new brand’s flavors make you feel like you’re eating yogurt for the first time. The pink grapefruit–lychee flavor is just tart enough, and judge Keegan Gerhard loves that it’s made with evaporated cane juice instead of high fructose corn syrup. The added DHA omega-3s (important for brain health) only sweeten the deal. (99 cents)

  Fruity snack

Peeled Snacks, FigSated
Fruit-and-nut mixes are often lacking in flavor because the nuts tend to get soggy while the fruit gets dried out. Not so with this wondrous little 150-calorie-per-serving snack. The nuts are packed separately, so they’re perfectly crunchy when you mix them with the plump dried figs, apricots, and dates. Drop it in your gym bag and go. ($2.99 per bag)

Meal-replacement bar

ProBar Superfood Slam
Most bars in this category list about 100 different ingredients and feature a wide array of preservatives. The ProBar is the first that truly tastes like real food, probably because it’s made with wholesome ingredients like organic oats, peanut butter, and sunflower seeds. Plus, it features açaí for extra antioxidants and flaxseed for omega-3s. This 350-calorie bar is a meal—it’ll keep you full for hours. ($3.29)

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1. Grab-and-go breakfast item: Planters Daybreak Blend, Berry Almond Trail Mix. Dashing off to work without time for a real breakfast? Instead of getting sucked in by that jumbo coffee-shop muffin, grab this satisfying blend of almonds, raisins, cranberries, and granola clusters. (It’s also good stirred into vanilla yogurt.) Watching your hips? Each portable pouch has 180 calories and 3 grams each of fiber and protein. ($3.49)

2. Frozen breakfast item: Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties. Most of us steer clear of traditional breakfast sausage, but no one wants to eat vegetarian versions—until now. These low-fat 80-calorie patties actually taste like the old-fashioned meat kind. Plus, they only take a minute-and-a-half to zap in the microwave and give you 10 grams of protein per patty. ($3.99)

  3. Hot cereal: Quaker Simple Harvest Multigrain Hot Cereal, Maple Brown Sugar with Pecans. Oats are great for your heart, but a lot of instant oatmeal is packed with sugar and sodium. That’s why we love this new natural option from Quaker Oats. Not only is it a whole-grain bonanza (it has oats, whole wheat, and barley), but it also packs half as much sugar and sodium as most instants. And it only has 160 calories. ($3.89)

4. Cold cereal: Barbara’s Bakery Cinnamon Crunch Shredded Oats. A quick bowl of cold cereal for breakfast just got healthier: These tasty cinnamony squares scored a thumbs-up from judge Nancy Rodriguez for delivering more than 80 percent of your daily whole grains. Plus, it boasts 4 grams of filling fiber per serving. ($4.99) 

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1. Frozen lunch: Helen’s Kitchen Thai Yellow Curry with Tofu Steaks & Vegetables over Rice. Another lunch at your desk? Go gourmet with this vegetarian meal that judge Phil Lempert calls “fabulous.” This vegan dish is a tasty mix of organic broccoli, red peppers, tofu, and basmati rice. It’s satisfying, too, thanks to 12 grams of protein per serving. All this for 280 calories, less than 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, and 30 percent of your daily calcium needs. ($4.89)

2. Cheese: Kraft LiveActive Cheddar Cheese Sticks. Get more bang from your Cheddar: These on-the-go snack sticks—with 120 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 20 percent of your daily calcium needs—have live, active probiotic cultures that help promote digestive health. We’re fans of the Cheddar flavor, but they’re also available in mozzarella and colby-Jack. ($3.99)

  3. Sandwich bread: The Baker Organic Pomegranate & Blueberry. This fruit-laced bread can do it all. Top it with almond butter to get your day going, use it to spiff up your turkey sandwich, or serve it with your spinach salad at dinner. We love that each slice has 15 grams of whole grains, 3 grams of fiber, and only 100 calories. ($4.99)

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1. Pasta sauce: Bertolli, Sun Ripened Tomato & Olive Pasta Sauce. Pasta with a jar of sauce is the ultimate no-stress dinner, but you do have to drag out an extra pan to heat the sauce. Not anymore: This one comes in an innovative microwave pouch, so you just heat the whole thing up for 90 seconds. Plus, the yummy (preservative-free!) sauce gets its hint of sweetness from a natural source: carrot juice. ($2.89 for a 13.5-ounce pouch)

2. Quick-and-easy side dish: Marrakesh Express Mango Salsa Couscous. Couscous is a bit of a wallflower in the flavor department. But this all-natural mix (less than 200 calories per serving) brings on the tangy-sweet flavor of mango salsa. Serve it with chicken, seafood, or pork tenderloin for a sensational dinner. ($2.79)

  3. Frozen entrée: Weight Watchers Smart Ones Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein. Unlike most frozen dinners, this one actually tastes fresh. You’d think that the shrimp and noodles were just sautéed, and the crisp sugar snap peas and carrots came from the produce aisle. This skinny entrée racks up only 240 calories and 4 grams of fat, so we suggest pairing it with a side salad and even a small dessert. ($3.19)

4. Frozen pizza: Kashi All Natural Five Cheese Tomato Pizza. Kashi took its legendary seven-whole-grain mix and created a fabulous pizza crust with it. Covered with a mouthwatering and supercheesy blend of Asiago, Parmesan, mozzarella, and two types of Cheddar, this doesn’t taste like a healthy pizza. The crust cooks up nice and crisp, and one-third of the pie is less than 300 calories and 10 grams of fat. ($5.99)

  5. Meal kit: Annie Chun’s Peanut Sesame Organic Noodles & Sauce. Judge Phil Lempert was wowed by this organic, MSG-free noodle mix. Once your water is boiling, this meal comes together in about six minutes and serves three. It has just 280 calories with 9 grams of protein and a reasonable amount of sodium (390 milligrams) for something so flavorful. Toss in cooked chicken strips or cubed tofu for a protein boost. ($3.99)

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1. Dairy beverage: Springfield Creamery, Nancy’s Lowfat Organic Raspberry Kefir. If milk has lost its excitement (or if you’re lactose intolerant), this smooth, yogurtlike drink might win you back. Judge Robin Miller loves the great raspberry flavor—brought to you by organic berries and organic agave nectar. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, too, with 7 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 25 percent of your daily calcium needs. ($1.49 for 8 ounces)

2. Enhanced water: Kellogg’s Special K2O Protein Water Mix Iced Tea. Didn’t think your water could pack a punch? Add a packet of this mix to your 16.9-ounce bottle, and you’ll get 5 grams of protein and fiber for only 30 calories. It’s a great way to banish those hunger pangs between work and dinner, so stock your desk drawer with them. Bonus: You get 20 percent of three B vitamins for a nutrient boost. ($3.99 for a box of 7)

  3. Bottled tea: Honest Tea, Pomegranate White Tea with Açaí. Antioxidant alert! This refreshing organic brew is full of antioxidants from white tea and Brazilian açaí. It’s light, too, at just 40 calories per serving, or 85 if you gulp the whole bottle (like we do). Plus, it has about one-eighth of the caffeine in a cup of coffee—a little pick-me-up without the jitters. ($1.59)

4. Juice: Kagome 100% Juice Blend Yellow Mango Orchard. Like most of us, you’re probably not eating enough fruits and veggies. No problem, just drink them! This refreshing blend of four fruits and eight veggies—including mango, banana, carrot, and even asparagus—has no added sugar and tons of sight-saving antioxidants. Eight ounces nets you a full serving each of fruits and vegetables for only 120 calories. ($2.29 for 11.5 ounces)

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1. Blemish treatment: DERMAdoctor Ain’t Misbehavin’ Medicated Acne Control Serum. Finally, an acne product made for you, not your teenager. This oil-free serum has a multiprong attack for battling breakouts: It exfoliates, provides oil-control, and combats bacteria and inflammation. Best of all, it doesn’t leave skin feeling scaly. ($45)

2. Eye product: L’Oréal Paris Skin Genesis Daily Treatment Eye Serum. We’re happy to report that our judges’ top anti-aging eye cream will only set you back $20. This lightweight serum mixes Pro-Xylane, an all-natural hydrating derivative of the beech tree, and moisture-drawing hyaluronic acid to lessen puffiness, smooth lines, and diminish discoloration. ($19.99)

  3. Facial sunscreen: SkinCeuticals Active UV Defense SPF 15. Pack this in your gym bag (and your glove compartment, and your handbag …). This water-resistant formula is one of only a handful of brands that contain Mexoryl SX—the most effective short-wave UVA blocker on the market, explains judge Lisa M. Donofrio, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. Add in the sunscreens avobenzone and octocrylene, which protect against long-wave UVA rays and the full UVB range, and you’ve scored the perfect skin-saving trifecta. ($29)

4. Anti-aging facial moisturizer: Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Night Cream. Skimping on sleep makes you look worn out and prevents skin from repairing the day’s damage. But this hydrating night cream, “evens the score,” says judge Sandra S. Tsao, MD, an associate program director for procedural dermatology at Harvard Medical School. “Idebenone, a proven topical antioxidant, softens lines while shea and cocoa butter moisturize,” she says. ($125)

  5. Lip treatment: Aveda Nourish-Mint Renewing Lip Treatment. All too often, lip treatments leave lips sticky, waxy, or smelling like medicine. Not this antioxidant-rich lip treatment. “Botanical emollients like jojoba absorb quickly, forming a smooth barrier on the lips, and this product’s mint aroma is refreshing rather than medicinal,” says judge Grace H. Pak, MD, a dermatologist with a private practice in New York City. ($15)

6. Facial cleanser: St. Ives Elements Protective Cleanser. Not a fan of slathering on sunscreen in the morning? This facial wash, with an SPF of 10, lets you cleanse and protect in one step. Sunscreen is encapsulated in positively charged silica shells, which bind to negatively charged skin, preventing the vital sun protection from rinsing away. ($6.99)

  7. Toner: Boscia Clear Complexion Tonic with Botanical Blast. Packed with sasa kurilensis water, which sterilizes acne-causing bacteria, this toner brightens your complexion by reducing redness, soothing blemishes, and cleansing pores. ($19) 

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