Health Benefits of Flax Seeds

It is one of the richest plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids and a whole lot of other essential nutrients. 

Flax seeds contain just the right amount of fibre, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, and are excellent for your skin, hair and overall health examples are:       

1. High in Fiber, but Low in Carbs: flax seeds are high in both soluble and insoluble fibre which can support colon detoxification, fat loss and reduce sugar cravings.       
2.  Helps in Weight loss: flaxseeds are full of healthy fats and fibre, it will help you feel satisfied longer so you will eat fewer calories overall which may lead to weight loss. ALA fats may also help reduce inflammation.      
3. Improves digestion: The high amounts of fibre aid the digestive process by improving the absorption of nutrients, and also keep the stomach full for longer.       
4. Encourages healthy bowel movement:If the inside of your body is performing perfectly, the result will show on your skin. A healthy, proper bowel movement prevents skin diseases and encourages newer healthier skin cells.        
5. Flaxseeds Improve Brain Health: Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, it’s high in a type of omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which has been strongly linked to brain health.     
6. Keeps skin healthy: The omega-3 fatty acids in flax seeds minimise skin rashes, irritation and redness, and also help wounds heal faster.        
7. Stops hair breakage: Eating flax seeds makes your hair elastic and strong, and prevents hair breakage.
8. Lowering cholesterol and improving heart health: The fibre, phytosterols, and omega-3 content of flax seed may help boost heart health. 

In powdered form flax seeds, there are many ways you can add them to your diet like: oats, cereals, sprinkle on salads, etc.   

15 Habbits to Become a Better Person

1. Compliment Yourself
Every morning before you go on with your daily routine, take a couple of minutes to give yourself a compliment. Whether you compliment your outfit, haircut, or how you recently completed a task using your unique skill sets, giving yourself a little emotional boost will make you happy. And, when you're happy with yourself, that emotion can be contagious to those around you. Inspirational speaker Tony Robbins has a mantra he says aloud to himself most days to put him in a peak performance state.

2. Don't Make Excuses
Blaming your spouse, boss, or clients is fruitless and won't get you very far. Instead of pointing fingers and making excuses about why you aren't happy or successful in your personal or professional life, own your mistakes and learn from them. When you do this, you will become a better person. When I personally started living up to my mistakes and downfalls, my life turned itself around. I became happier and healthier, and my relationship with my wife improved. We are happier than ever.

3. Let Go of Anger
Letting go of anger is easier said than done. While anger is a perfectly normal emotion, you can't let it fester. When this happens, you may make unwise decisions, and more important, it may affect your health. Research suggests pent up anger can cause digestive problems, difficulty sleeping, and even heart disease.

4. Practice Forgiveness
Joyce Marter, LCPC, suggests you forgive and let go of resentment. She notes, "If for no other reason than for yourself, forgive to untether yourself from the negative experiences of the past. Take time to meditate, and give thanks for the wisdom and knowledge gained from your suffering. Practice the mantra, 'I forgive you and I release you.'"

5. Be Honest and Direct
How would you feel if a loved one or business partner lied to you? Chances are you would see that as a violation of your trust. If you want to be a better person in either your personal or professional life, you should always tell the truth and state as clearly as possible what you are trying to convey. Learn to articulate your thoughts, feelings, and ideas in an open and honest manner.

6. Be Helpful
Whether giving up your seat to an elderly person on the subway, assisting a co-worker on a project, or carrying in the groceries when your spouse comes back from the store, being helpful is one of the easiest and most effective ways to practice becoming a better person. I find that the more I help others, the better I feel about myself and everyone around me.

7. Listen to Others
As Jeet Banerjee notes on Lifehack, "listening to people and giving everyone a voice is one of the greatest things you can do." He adds that he "got to meet some of the most amazing people, close some of the biggest deals, and develop connections that will last me a lifetime all because I took time to listen to people. Being a good listener can change your life in a positive manner."

8. Act Locally
It may not seem like a big deal, but supporting a local cause, donating clothes, or buying from local farmers' markets or businesses are simple ways you can help your specific region. You may not be able to save the world, but you very well could make a difference in your neck of the woods. Get to know and care about your community.

9. Always Be Polite
How much effort does it take to say, "Thank you," or to hold the elevator door open for someone? Not much at all. However, these acts of kindness can make someone's day. I decided a few years ago that it doesn't matter if someone is ultra rude, condescending, or worse. The way someone else behaves is not going to determine my behavior.

10. Be Yourself
Tiffany Mason has five excellent reasons on Lifehack why you should be yourself. These include being able to align yourself with your values and beliefs, establish your identity, build courage, create boundaries, and find focus and direction.

11. Be Open to Change
Whether trying a new restaurant, traveling to an unknown part of the world, or doing something that has always scared you, you should always be open to change. This allows you to grow because you experience something new. It helps you be high functioning and self-confident if you are not wary of change.
12. Be Respectful
How would you feel if you had just cleaned your home and someone came in and tracked mud everywhere? You'd probably be a little ticked that they hadn't taken off their shoes. Take this mentality and apply it to everyday life. For example, don't toss your trash or cigarette butts on the floor of public restrooms or sidewalks just because someone else will clean it up. Be respectful of others' time, thoughts, ideas, lifestyles, feelings, work, and everything else. You don't have to agree with any of it, but people have a right to their opinions and yours is not necessarily correct.

13. Don't Show Up Empty-handed
Going to a party this weekend at your friend's apartment? Make sure you don't arrive empty-handed. Even if you've been assured that there will be plenty of food and drink, bring along a little something to show you appreciate being invited.

14. Educate Yourself
If you don't understand why one country is invading another, take the time to educate yourself on the current event. Ask a person intimately connected with the event for his or her thoughts. Remember, we're all interconnected, and being aware of different cultures, different people, and what their lives are like can make you a more well-rounded individual. This will also help you understand points of view different from your own.

15. Surprise People
How good does it feel to make someone smile? It feels pretty good, right? Surprise your loved ones or co-workers now and then, with a gift, a night out on the town, or by offering help when you know they could use it.

Becoming a better person doesn't happen overnight, but it is possible. Believe in yourself and know that it is possible!

Weight Loss: Science-Backed Tips You Must Follow To Lose Weight

"Eat less and exercise more," if you are someone who is trying to lose weight - you may have heard this advice before. While doing both correctly may help you get certain results, there are other strategies that one must apply to lose weight effectively. There are no shortcuts to lose weight; eating a healthy diet, engaging in exercises and making healthy changes in your lifestyle are the key to shed those kilos. If you have been trying to lose weight, we have jot down some science-backed tips to cut the flab.

Tips To Lose Weight

Here Are Some Tips by Dr. Debjani Benarjee, Head of Dietetics, PSRI Hospital To Lose Weight:

It is claimed that drinking a glassful of water before eating your meal can help you lose weight. According to National Center For Biotechnology Information (NCBI), drinking lots water is commonly espoused in weight loss regimen and is regarded as healthy. A study showed that drinking half-litre water about a half an hour before meals helps dieters eat fewer calories and lose at least 44 percent more weight.

Cut back on added sugar. Added sugar is the worst ingredient in the modern diet and we all consume it in various forms. Its consumption is strongly associated with the risk of obesity along with other health conditions.

Eat whole fruits rather than drinking fruit juice. Whole fruits contain lots of fibre content, which is said to keep you fuller for longer, moreover, prevent you from overeating.

According to Harvard Health Publishing by Harvard Medical School, eating small frequent meals may help lose weight. Eat at least five to six small healthy meals every day to lose weight.

Do not consume too much sodium, as it tends to retain water, which further bloats you up. After eating salty foods or drinks, your body tends to remove water from your cells into your bloodstream. Your blood volume increases, cells become dehydrated, and you start to feel thirsty.

Drink green tea to lose weight; it comes packed with antioxidants that help combat cell damaging free-radicals in the body and boost immunity system. It has active ingredients known as catechins that help in boosting metabolism, which further help in losing weight.

Include more protein in your diet as it helps you stay fuller for longer. Moreover, as per the NCBI, it helps boost metabolism, which further helps you lose weight.

Do not diet, rather eat healthy. As per the NCBI, dieting is a consistent predictor of future weight gain. Instead of going on a diet, make it your goal to become a healthier and fitter person naturally. Focus on nourishing your body, instead of depriving it.

This Ultimate Snack: Is Rich In Fibre, Protein And Low In Fat And Carbs

Healthy snacking is important in order to prevent it from interrupting with your weight loss goals. Health coach Luke Coutinho says that roasted chanas are a healthy snack which you can munch on, at any time of the day!

Story Highlights

Roasted chanas are cheap and easily available
They are high in fibre and protein

They are low in carbs and fat
Snacking is very much needed in our day-to-day routine. It not only helps in curbing cravings, it also helps in making up for the times when we don't want a complete meal but are looking for something to eat on the go. But the very nature of snacking is such that it makes you crave for food in an instant. And anything junk or sugary will seem tempting when a person is in the mood for snacking. Snacking is also one of the common culprits of interrupting with our diet plans and targeted weight goals.

Most cheat meals take place when we want to munch on a delicious snack. And this is the reason why we must snack healthy. Health coach Luke Coutinho recently went live on Facebook to share concerns about unhealthy snacking an how you can make it healthy.According to Luke, roasted chanas or roasted chickpeas are a good option for healthy snacking. Not only will they satiate your hunger, they will also help in providing essential nutrients to the body.
Evening is the time when a person craves for a snack the most. This is because energy levels at this time of the day begin to come down. That is why we are looking for an energy booster or stimulants like caffeine in the form of tea or coffee.
Speaking of roasted chanas, they are a fantastic low carb, high fibre, low fat and high protein snack. All of this however, is with the fact that you don't add salt to it. Salted roasted chana are not so healthy, and may even cause water retention.
Apart from such benefits, chanas are easily available and are super cheap. Unlike numerous superfoods which are super heavy on the pocket, roasted chanas provide you with optimum nutrition in the best possible way.
Eating roasted chanas is good for people with diabetes and keeps you full for longer. Fibre in roasted chanas is good for your gut health and promotes the healthy gut ecology. People with cholesterol problems can also resort to roasted chanas as a healthy snack option.
You can have it early in the morning, late in the night before bed time, and in the evening.
So give up on those high-salted junk food and switch to roasted chanas for healthy snacking today!

The Best Way to Gain Muscle Without Getting Fat

Building muscle without getting fat isn't complicated, but many lifters search endlessly for the best new method or secret. The truth is, there's no secret. The right method or tip can help, but the real way to get bigger, stronger, and leaner lies in sound principles performed with ruthless consistency.

1 – Set Realistic Expectations


Far too many young lifters step into the gym and expect one 4-week training cycle to transform them from a prepubescent boy to The Rock. Naturally, they don't achieve their goal and they either begin searching "how to" articles on the internet or they throw in the towel.


The muscle building process is a journey. You need patience and a sensible idea of what you can achieve on what timeline. It’s  a clear-cut breakdown of the maximum rate of muscle gain:
Beginner: 1 to 1.5% total body weight per month
Intermediate: .5 to 1% total body weight per month
Advanced: .25 to .5% total body weight per month


Let's put these numbers to work. Let's say sonu is a busy dude who hasn't lifted much. He's 155 pounds, 19 years old, and he has the hormone profile of a raging bull. If sonu trains hard 3-5 times per week, nails his diet, and recovers adequately, here's what he can expect:
Year One


sonu weighs 155 pounds at 14% body fat.
155 x .01 = 1.55 pounds per month x 12 months = 18.6 pounds per year.
155 pounds x .015% = 2.325 pounds of muscle per month x 12 months = 28 pounds per year.


If sonu is completely dialed in, he could be anywhere from 173-183 pounds after one year. We'll pick 178 pounds, splitting the difference.
Year Two


Sonu weighs 178 pounds.
178 pounds x .0075% = 1.31 pounds per month or 15 pounds of muscle in a year.


Ben is still gaining at an impressive rate and now weighs about 193 pounds.
Year Three


sonu weighs 193 pounds.
193 pounds x 0.0025 = .48 pounds of muscle per month, or 5 pounds in year three.

This puts sonu at 198 pounds at 15% body fat after three years of dedicated training. Now, this sounds great for three years, but young lifters seldom have the foresight to see three years down the road.


Genetic outliers and steroid use notwithstanding, you can expect to gain 2-3 pounds of muscle per month as a true beginner, 1-2 pounds of muscle per month as an intermediate, and 0-.5 of a pound per month as you get more advanced. Water weight and fat will add a few more pounds, but it takes a lot of time to build lean muscle, even if you're doing everything right.


Tailor your expectations and buckle down for the long haul. Building muscle without getting fat isn't a one-night stand; it's a committed relationship.
2 – Get Lean and Bulk Clean


The biggest mistake lifters make? Trying to bulk up before they're lean enough to make the best use of the extra calories they'll be taking in. As a gross generality, men should aim to be about 12% body fat while women should be between 17-21% body fat. A good indicator you're on the right track is having some abdominal definition before trying to bulk.


If you follow a "dirty bulk" or attempt to bulk up when you're too fat, you'll face a plethora of issues:
Fat Hyperplasia – Your body will increase the number of fat cells as a result of overeating. This makes it easier to store fat in the future and harder to lose fat in the here and now.
Decreased insulin sensitivity – You're making it harder for your body to break down food into energy. You'll add fat more easily and struggle to build lean muscle.
Poor habit formation – Sure, it's fun to occasionally eat junk. But bulking isn't an excuse to eat like a slob with the self-control of a 14-year-old boy visiting his first porn site. These habits are harder to break than you'd anticipate.


3 – Eat a Moderate Caloric Surplus


In a perfect world, eating more food would directly correlate to more lean muscle mass. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Except for those on anabolic steroids who are able to elevate protein synthesis around the clock, natural lifters need a moderate surplus to avoid gaining too much body fat.


What you need to do is calculate your calories and shoot for 300-500 calories above maintenance. Now, there are dozens of equations out there to help you do this and they're all fairly similar. Here's a simple one:
Body weight (pounds) x 15 =maintenance
160 pounds x 15 = 2,400 calories per day.


So, to build muscle, this hypothetical person would need to consume 2,700 to 2,900 calories.


If you gain fat easily, shoot for the lower end of this range. If you have a crazy metabolism, shoot for 2,900 or a bit over. You'll have to experiment and see what's best for you, but this will get you in the neighborhood.


This sensible increase equates to one or two protein shakes and a banana or two per day above maintenance calories. Alternatively, this is an extra sweet potato and a chicken breast each day, not a 1200-calorie burger from a fast food joint.


4 – Set Your Macros


Calories are king when it comes to building muscle, but the macronutrient breakdown is also important.
Protein


Keep it simple. Shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. There appears to be no major benefit to consuming more protein if you're a drug-free lifter. Still, if you're having trouble getting your calories, feel free to get more protein. Just realize it may not be beneficial, at least for muscle gains.
Carbs


If you've followed rule two and are lean enough to begin with, carbs are your best friend for building lean muscle. Carbohydrates are protein-sparing, meaning they'll prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue. Similar to banking, a penny saved is a penny earned. Consider carbs the key to saving the muscle you already have while promoting further growth.


Men who are 7-12% body fat and women who are 17-19% body fat should aim for 2-2.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.


Men who are 12-15% body fat and women who are 19-21% should try 1.5-2 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. If you have a higher body fat percentage, get lean first.
Fat


The remainder of your calories should be from fat. Yes, there are exceptions. Some folks do better on a higher fat diet. But overall, far too many lifters suffer from carb-phobia. As a result, they stay smaller and weaker than they need to.


5 – Sleep 7-9 Hours Per Night


Your body needs rest, especially if you want to build muscle and stay lean. A 2010 study showed even a 14-day span of 5.5 hours of sleep versus 8.5 hours of sleep decreased the amount of fat loss by 55% and increased the loss of fat-free mass (muscle) by 60%. And this all happened in just two weeks.


And chronic sleep deprivation? It's been shown in numerous studies that it causes cortisol to increase while testosterone, IGF-1, and growth hormone secretion decrease. Together, it appears a lack of sleep favors the loss of muscle mass, decreases your recoverability, and increases fat mass.


Make sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep if you're serious about building muscle. Put down your phone and turn off Netflix. This is the lowest hanging fruit and easiest way for most lifters to get bigger, stronger, leaner, and healthier.


6 – Track and Assess Progressive Overload


If you're not assessing, you're guessing. Most lifters spin their wheels for years, benching 185 for 5x5 and then immediately hopping onto barbell curls. Rinse, repeat. The same weight. The same volume. And the same paltry progress... for years.


To build muscle you must stress your body beyond what it's currently doing. The simplest solution is to bring a notebook and write down your workouts. Aim to get a bit better each time you set foot in the gym.


7 – Reinforce Your Strength Base


If you're a newbie, getting stronger is the most important thing you can do. Training purely for strength while eating a muscle-building diet will lead to slabs of lean mass simply because your body isn't used to the high-stress environment of proper training.


Strength is important for those who've been around the block, but the mechanisms for hypertrophy are a bit different. Once you've built a sufficiently strong base, heavy strength work helps you build muscle through two mechanisms.


First, building more strength allows you to lift progressively more weight for more volume. For example, you might go from bench-pressing 80 pound dumbbells for 3 sets of 10 to 100 pound dumbbells for 3 sets of 10. This gradual improvement leads to a much greater overload stimulus.


Second, heavy strength work improves muscle fiber recruitment. Using hypothetical numbers, you could go from recruiting 40% of the muscle fibers in your chest to 70%. The more muscle fibers you recruit the more you can train.


So, strength is still important even for the advanced lifter. But instead of being the primary muscle builder, heavy lifting allows you to improve muscle fiber recruitment to engage more muscle fibers and improve work capacity to fatigue more muscle.


Sonu need to lift heavy to build muscle. Veterans need to lift heavy to make all subsequent training more effective.


8 – Chase the Pump


Chasing the pump simply because Arnold said it feels like an orgasm is no longer bro-science, it's science-science.


Muscle researcher Brad Schoenfeld found three major components to building muscle: mechanical tension (heavy strength work), metabolic damage (the pump), and muscular damage (soreness).


Mechanical tension is covered with heavy strength work and limited muscular damage should be a byproduct (and not the focus) of a slight progressive overload. In many cases, the best results come from hitting a heavy lift and then creating metabolic stress – the pump.


When you lift with moderate-high reps and short rests, the prolonged muscular contractions create an occlusion effect and short rests contribute to it because they don't allow enough time for blood to escape the muscles. This leaves the byproducts of muscular contractions "stuck" in your muscles, which can activate mTOR (a central regulator of cell growth) while also increasing activation of satellite cells (precursors to muscle cells).


In short, it means hit the weights hard in the beginning. Then do 2-3 exercises with 8-15 reps per set, longer eccentrics (negatives), and incomplete rest to get a good pump.


9 – Train to Failure... Occasionally


Training to failure can provide a quick boost when done correctly. By blasting every possible muscle fiber and taking sets to mechanical failure, you create insane amounts of metabolic stress and muscular damage to further muscle growth.


But how can you train to failure safely? Lift light weights, around the neighborhood of 30% of your max. Pick your exercises carefully, too. Use cables, machines, and some bodyweight exercises. Please, no deadlifts or snatches.


Aim for muscular failure without "excess" cheating. Some body english is okay. Twerking off the machine chest press is not. Aim to attack one muscle to end a workout with a 2 x 50, 3 x 30, or 3 x 20 rep scheme.


Here are a few exercises that you can effectively go to failure on:
Chest: Machine bench press
Lats: Chest-supported row 

Biceps/Forearms: Machine curl

Quads: Single-leg leg press, leg extension, goblet squat

Triceps: Close-grip push-ups to failure
Hamstrings: Stability ball leg curl
Glutes: Single-leg hip thrust
Traps: 2-minute farmers walks


10 – Settle In For the Long Haul


You can follow an aggressive fat-loss diet and transform your appearance rather quickly, but building muscle is another story altogether. It takes months and years of hard work, not days and weeks.


Most lifters don't fail in their efforts due to a lack of knowledge. They fail due to a lack of grit, perseverance, and consistency. You can't bulk for a month, see your abs get blurry, and then flip to a cutting phase. If you're dead serious about building muscle, then go all-in for six months.


Remember, the muscle building process is slow, no more than 2-3 pounds of muscle max per month when you're eating, training, and getting plenty of rest.
Keep the Goal the Goal

Stick to your muscle-building diet, leave inconsistent training behind, and be as diligent about recovery as you are about hitting the gym. Above all else, keep the goal the goal. If you're willing to pay the price, you'll be rewarded with a stronger, leaner, and more muscular body

Cocoa Extract For Fat Burn

Cocoa Extract For Fat Burn:  Anil kumar  advises adding two tablespoons of cocoa extract to your pre-workout protein shake. This is because cocoa is rich antioxidants and has been known to be a fat burner and something that boosts physical performance in athletes. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Sports Nutrition concluded that eating a little dark chocolate every day before cycling, significantly improved oxygen uptake by the body's cells, improving their performance. So the next time you feel like munching on some chocolate, do so right before your workout, or simply add some cocoa extract to your protein shake, like Anil suggests. However, mind those calories by making sure your chocolate brand contains more cocoa and less sugar.

3 Reasons You Always Feel Hungry

3 Reasons You Always Feel Hungry

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If your stomach starts yelling at you as soon as you finish a meal, you may be making one or more of these common nutrition mistakes!

-You clicked on this article because you're hungry. All. The. Time. No sooner do you finish a meal than your stomach starts gurgling and growling, letting you know in no uncertain terms that you need pound back more food. It may make you wonder whether you have some sort of superhero metabolism, or if you're just not eating enough of the right foods at mealtime.

When was the last time you ate? If it was three or more hours ago, you're probably just due for your next meal. But if you ate an hour ago and your stomach is already starting to complain, it's probably time to look at what you're eating. Try these three tips to keep your belly feeling full and happy!

1. You Don't Drink Enough Fluids

Our bodies need a lot of fluids every day to optimize cognitive and physical performance. The average woman should drink a minimum of 96 ounces of fluid a day (about 12 cups), while the average man needs at least 125 ounces (about 16 cups or 1 gallon). That's a lot of liquid for your average busy person to consume every day. And if you're training, you need to drink even more.

For every 15 minutes you work out, you should drink another 5-8 ounces of fluid. That means if your workout lasts 60 minutes, you need to get another 20-32 ounces. One of the easiest ways to drink enough water is to carry around a water bottle. Not one of those tiny 8-ouncers, either; invest in a container that will hold one-fourth to one-half of your daily goal.The mother of all fluids, water, can do a lot to help you deal with hunger pangs. First of all, it helps create a feeling of fullness. When you consume water (or any fluid), your stomach expands, which sends a signal to your brain that you are full.

Then there are those times when our bodies get confused. For example, we don't usually feel thirst until we're already slightly dehydrated. And our brains can confuse thirst with being hungry. Our brains tell us we need to eat, when all we really need to do is drink! Keep filling up on fluids—preferably calorie-free fluids—and you can keep that relentless appetite of yours in line

How to get more liquids !??: Keep a water bottle attached to your hip. Bring it with you in the car and into meetings. Put one at your desk during the day and on your nightstand overnight. Take a gulp every time you look at it, and keep replenishing it with a variety of fluids. Fill it with sports drinks when you're working out and with low-calorie juices and water when you're not. If your hunger really gets out of hand, try drinking 12-16 ounces of water immediately before and after each meal to make sure your brain gets the signal that you are full! Then, just keep taking in those fluids until your next meal.

2. You Don't Eat Enough Fiber

Fiber is often one of the most overlooked parts of our diets. We think a lot about getting our macros—our carbs, fats, and protein. But our bodies need fiber too. In fact, the recommended daily intake for fiber is 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women. But how much fiber people actually consume tends to be a lot less than that: 18 grams for men and 15 grams for women,considering the powerful appetite-suppressing punch fiber packs, you might want to make sure you're getting at least the daily recommended amount—and it's not that hard to do.

How to get more fiber !??: Just by swapping white carbs (white bread and pasta, white rice, and white potatoes) for brown carbs (whole-grain breads and pastas, brown rice, and oats) you can increase your fiber by 4-5 grams per meal. Another great source of fiber is flaxseed. At 3 grams per tablespoon, flaxseed can give a big fiber boost to your morning oats, post-workout smoothie, or nightly Greek yogurt!

3. You Don't Eat Enough Vegetables

I'm talking about a minimum of three servings (one handful is a serving) of leafy greens and bright orange, red, or yellow veggies such as carrots, beets, and peppers each day. Vegetables suppress those feeling of hunger, because they're about 90 percent water—and loaded with fiber. Daily-double special! Veggies also contain very few calories per bite, so you can eat just about all of them you want without breaking the calorie bank.

How to get more vegetables !??: Consider sneaking in vegetables throughout your day by hiding them in smoothies, omelets and scrambles, and sandwiches. Or just have them straight up; they're pretty tasty fresh or slightly undercooked.

How to Stretch Properly : The do's and don'ts of Stretching

Let's be honest: Stretching isn't sexy, and most of us don't do it. We'd rather do the fun exercises that make us sweat or burn a ton of calories, and stretching doesn't do either.

However, failing to keep your body flexible enough can actually set back your progress, cause unnecessary pain and tightness, and even lead to injuries.

This is why working on full-body flexibility every single week is so important, especially if you work out a lot.

Fortunately, stretching doesn't have to be a time suck. Just 10-15 minutes of stretching a few times a week will make a big difference in your flexibility level and get your body moving like it should.

Adding these five stretches to your post-workout routine will help your feel more open, mobile, and flexible in no time. Just make sure you're always slightly warm before doing passive stretches. A short, dynamic warm-up will do the trick.

Hold each stretch for 30-45 seconds, one or two rounds. Don't push to the point of pain, and don't bounce in the stretch. And don't forget to breathe!

• The Do's

  "Even doing a few static stretches at the end of a single workout will help with next-day muscle soreness so you won't be moving like a corpse."
  DO use static stretching to maintain flexibility, but do it after your workout, not before. Even doing a few static stretches at the end of a single workout will help with next-day muscle soreness so you won't be moving like a corpse.
  DO stretch tight muscles when training a favorite or strong body part. For instance, if your chest is strong and your calves are tight—a common scenario—stretch your calves between sets of bench presses. In order to truly increase your flexibility with stretching, you must do it often. This is one way to increase the frequency of stretching without making it a boring chore.
  DO use traction when stretching to increase range of motion and reduce compression or impingement of a joint. This can be done in the gym by pulling on a resistance band attached to an immovable object like a power cage or chin-up bar. Either grab on to the band with your hand for various upper-body stretches, or hook it on to your foot or ankle for a number of lower-body options.
  DO control which area of the muscle is being stretched. To stretch the hamstrings, for example, you target the muscle belly when bending the knee, rounding the back, or plantar-flexing the ankle (i.e., pointing the foot away). If you lock your knee, keep your back straight, or dorsi-flex the ankle (i.e., flex the foot toward the shin), the target instead is the fascia, the sheath that covers the muscle.
  DO stretch if you have poor posture. Muscles shorten over time and can contribute to poor posture, which can also be caused by consistently training over a limited range of motion (not doing full-range reps). For example:
  • Wearing high heels causes shortening of the calves because the calves are
    
    
    constantly in a state of nearly full contraction.
  • Look at your fingers: They're always in flexion from typing, writing, eating, driving, training, etc., and tend to curl.
  • Your hip flexors are considered the tightest muscle in the human body. Let's face it: The average person spends up to 40 percent of his or her life in a seated position!
    
  DO stretch the spinal column between sets of compressive exercises such as squats and overhead presses. It's not unusual for someone to lose 20-40 millimeters of height following a weight-training session! Hanging from a chin-up bar can help a great deal with spinal decompression.
  DO scan your body for tight muscles, then attack the target area by stretching. Always stretch tight muscles first as they can inhibit your ability to do full-range exercises. (Note: This is a case when dynamic stretching is done before your actual training.) During your warm-up, use general movement of all body parts to scan for tightness. Once found, use the appropriate stretching techniques to release it.
  DO favor closed-chain over open-chain stretches. Most people stretch their hamstrings by throwing their heel on a bench and reaching forward to their toes, which is an open-chain stretch. Research shows closed-chain stretching results in a 5-degree increase in flexibility. Any form of stretching that exerts pressure on the soles of the feet or the palms of the hands (which closes the chain) will produce strong reflex extension, and greater range. Toe-touching stretches done in standing versus seated positions are actually different procedures to your nervous system.
  DO use gentle motion for rehabilitation, but don't push the end range. For instance, the popular "mad cat" and "camel" stretches that you see people do on their hands and knees are useful for neural flossing of the spine (by getting nerves to move, they can create their own space). If you experience back pain, 5-6 cycles of these stretches prior to training may help.
  DO stretch surrounding muscles to liberate greater range of motion (ROM). For instance, the iliotibial (IT) band is a dense, fibrous band of connective tissue that runs along the outside of your thighs and is very resistant to stretch. To really get at this tissue, you need to address the muscles on either side of the IT band, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings. Rolling on a foam roller can help.

  The Don'ts

  DON'T hold an intense stretch for longer than 15 seconds because of muscle hypoxia. Lack of oxygen to the muscles develops under a high degree of force/tension and can increase the development of connective tissue, which decreases strength and may actually promote inflexibility. It's better to use multiple angles for a short duration with static stretching rather than holding one angle for a long period of time. The rule is that the more intensive the stretching, the shorter its application.
  DON'T skip strength-training exercises that promote passive stretching. These movements will result in an increase in flexibility, assuming you train using a full range of motion. Here's a list of the best choices, by body part:
  

  
  • Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlift or good morning
  • Pectorals: Flat bench dumbbell fly
  • Triceps: Seated overhead triceps extension
  • Biceps: Incline bench dumbbell curl
  • Latissimus dorsi: Lying dumbbell pull-over
  • Mid-back: Seated cable row
  • Abdominals: Stability ball crunch
  • Deltoids: One-arm cable lateral raise
  • Gastrocnemius: Standing calf raise
  • Soleus: Seated calf raise
  DON'T stretch first thing in the morning, especially if you have a low back injury. Wait at least one hour after awakening. While you sleep, your spine swells with fluid, and the risk of injury is heightened if you stretch right after you wake up.
  DON'T negate a stretch by contracting that muscle immediately afterward. For instance, if you grab on to an overhead bar in a power cage with one hand and sink down as far as you can by bending your knees, you'll experience a great lat stretch. But if you pull yourself back up using the same muscles you just stretched, you'll defeat the purpose. Use your legs instead to come back out of the stretch.
  DON'T use static stretching on the muscles you're about to train. As I discuss in my "Warm-Up to Strength Training" DVD, this practice tends to sedate the muscles, and research shows it will decrease strength and power. Also, static stretching prior to activity may actually cause injuries, not prevent them. Although some exceptions apply for very tight muscles, for the most part you should perform static stretching after activity or exercise.
  
  DON'T hold your breath during a stretch, as this will tense your muscles. Instead, you need to relax by exhaling longer than inhaling. Keep in mind that the opposite&mdash (hyperventilation) will excite the system. That may help before a heavy set of deadlifts, but not while you're stretching!
  "Weightlifters can often squat deeper than other athletes, dispelling the myth that strength training and large muscles decrease flexibility!"
  DON'T believe the myth that weight training will make you inflexible! John Grimek, a weightlifter and world-champion bodybuilder in the 1930s and 1940s, would perform back flips and splits during his posing routines. Tom Platz, a world champion bodybuilder from the 1970s and 1980s, also displayed extraordinary flexibility, considering he had arguably the best-built legs in all of bodybuilding. Platz would perform full, deep squats in training, and he was notorious for being able to not only touch his toes, but kiss his knees! That's how flexible his hamstrings were, so don't believe the hype!
  Weight training will improve flexibility if you balance agonists and antagonists, and train through full range of motion. In fact, full ROM exercise tends to increase both active and passive flexibility. Flexibility is at least average or above in strength athletes such as throwers, weightlifters, gymnasts and wrestlers, which refutes the concept of being muscle-bound.
  Furthermore, weightlifters can often squat deeper than other athletes, dispelling the myth that strength training and large muscles decrease flexibility! There's plenty of research to back this up.
  DON'T stretch if you're already very flexible! There's really no point. If you want to relax, try a warm bath and some classical music. There's actually an inverse relationship between mobility and stability. Being extremely stiff is one thing, but going too far to the other extreme can promote joint laxity and isn't desirable. Optimal—not maximal—static and dynamic flexibility is required for each joint.

  Stretch Your Growth

  There's a time and place for everything, and stretching is no exception. If you follow these basic rules, you'll get the most out of your stretching effort!