Have you ever gone out to eat with the best of intentions and then end up totally gorging yourself?  Well, it may not be your lack of willpower to blame.  Menus are actually designed to sabotage your diet.  Granted, the restaurant is not trying to make you fat, only push the higher profit items which are usually the ones that are the worst for you. Women’s Health reveals the tactics restaurants use so you never fall for them again.

Trick No. 1: Pictures that look good enough to lick

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that large, vivid images increase the probability that you’ll impulsively order that food. And where the photo is placed also matters: The most profitable items get prime real estate, which in the menu world is the upper corners and the center of the page—hot spots where your eyes naturally travel. “The more attention we can bring to an item, the more likely you are to order it,” says Gregg Rapp, a menu engineer consultant in Palm Springs, Calif.

Trick No. 2: Healthy options next to the fattening ones

You’d think this would help us eat better, but the opposite is true: A study at Duke University found that people are actually more likely to choose a higher-calorie dish when healthy fare is offered right beside it. Crazy as it sounds, “just reading about a salad makes you feel like you’ve satisfied your nutrition goals and are free to go nuts and indulge,” says study author Gavan Fitzsimons, Ph.D., a professor of marketing and psychology at Duke.

Trick No. 3: Lots of produce in plain sight

The presence of veggies—even if they’re carb-coated, deep-fried, and cheese-slathered—convinces you that you’re making the right food choices. Don’t fall for it! “A seemingly healthy addition to a less-than-wholesome dish sounds like a smart compromise,” Yang says. But in reality, these “veggie” delights can often be worse for you than more notorious diet killers like pizza and hamburgers.

Trick No. 4: Sampler platters that seem so innocent

Instead of ordering a few apps, you get the sampler, thinking you’ll try just a wee bit of everything offered. But research from the University of Pennsylvania reveals that when you’re given a wide selection, you’ll eat 10 percent more than you would have if there had been only one option. That’s because having more variety makes you feel as if you’re not eating as much. In other words, when you’re given a couple of mozzarella sticks as opposed to the usual six, you feel entitled to gobble those up and then move on to the chicken wings, the potato skins, the poppers, and so on.

Source: womenshealth.com

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

The key to a great workout is efficiency. I compare those people at the gym who are endlessly on the treadmill to those co-workers who always stay late at the office but never seem to get anything done.  You know the type.  When I am not doing my 20-minute interval workout, because, well, some days I just don’t feel like running, I start pumping up that incline button.  Here’s why:

Cranking the incline helps you burn more calories than if you keep the machine set to a zero grade. After a 30-minute workout at a 10-minute-per-mile pace, you’ll burn 270 calories with no incline, 363 with a five percent incline, 420 with a 10 percent incline, and 482 with a 15 percent incline (crazy steep, I know, but totally possible). Not only will you burn an extra 100 calories or more, but the steep slope also helps tone your butt, thighs, and calves, problem areas for many of us mamas. It’ll also build strength and endurance, and won’t put unnecessary stress on your joints. So, the next time you’re hitting the treadmill, add a little (or a lot) of uphill action to your workout. If you are not a fan of the gym then opt for hills outside or go hiking.

Click Here For a 20-minute Incline Workout

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

Without fail, the suffocating humidity that personifies Florida weather always takes me by unwelcome surprise.  You would think that after 25 summers here that I would remember.  Nope. This year was no different.  I had a massive makeup meltdown the other night while sitting bayside at an outdoor cafe.  I, of course, was not the fool that picked this location but I was stuck.  Unfortunately for my makeup, it wasn’t.  I knew it was bad by the horrified look my babysitter gave me at nights end.  Needless to say, I don’t think she will be getting that extra 5 spot again.  Gooey lip gloss and cakey foundation is just not going to cut it in this heat.  Here are 5 products that will:

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

There are two drinks that I consume too much of: 1. wine  2.  Crystal Light.  We aren’t going to discuss my issue with wine right now…or ever.  Besides, in moderation it can be good for you.  The more pressing issue lies with that pink poison currently sitting in my fridge. My Crystal Light habit is putting a real crimp in my quest for an all-natural kitchen.  So, in an attempt to rid myself of this demon, I went searching for alternatives to naturally sweeten my water.  Plain old lemon water just doesn’t do it for me.  I’m going to give these three recipes a try.  If this doesn’t work, I will be calling Dr. Drew.

Cucumber-Mint Water

Ingredients: Plenty of ice cubes   1 gallon chilled water (purified water preferred)   1 medium cucumber

10 fresh mint leaves, rinsed

Directions:
1. Thin slice cucumber  2. Place cucumber slices in pitcher, punch bowl, or beverage jar  3. Slightly muddle or cut mint leaves to release flavor and place in serving container of choice  4. Add water and ice cubes  5. Stir mixture and let sit in refrigerator for a few hours to allow flavors to infuse into water  6. Mixture will last up to three days. Discard mixture once cucumber slices or mint starts to look slimy.

Strawberry Delight

Ingredients: Plenty of ice cubes   1 gallon chilled water (purified water preferred)   12 strawberries  Packets of Stevia

Directions:
1. Thin slice or crush strawberries  2. Place in pitcher, punch bowl, or beverage jar  3. Add water and ice cubes  4. Stir mixture and let sit in refrigerator for a few hours to allow flavors to infuse into water 5.  To sweeten your drink, Add the all natural sweetener, stevia to taste

Watermelon & Basil Water
2 cups of seedless watermelon, cubed.  Ten to 12 basil leaves. One half gallon of water.

Pour water over melon and basil. Refrigerate for two hours and then serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of basil or watermelon slice.

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment