Healthy Living.

Eating all of the right foods is all well and good for your start on weight loss, but what you put on top could make or break that scale. You can count calories until the day you die and while you may be successful for a short while, if you are sprinkling that salt shaker or pouring on the salad dressing, you could be doing a great deal of damage.

It's understandable that some people use these condiments and spices to make their food much more flavorful, but there's a fine line between what you should and shouldn't be using. What you garnish your food with is almost just as important as the food itself.

Condiments/Spices To Avoid

Spices can be seriously damage not only your waistline but also your general health. What people put on their food tends to take the back seat when it comes to dieting but it really should be right up front. If you are looking to get the absolute best results from your diet, avoid these common condiments and spices.

Salt. This is almost a no-brainer. Everybody knows that salt is bad for us yet the salt shaker is still on their kitchen table every single day. So what's the deal? Before we get to why it's not so good for the body, let's talk about why it is good. The human body needs sodium, or salt, to live. It's a very important mineral but it is only needed in small amounts. Most human beings get a substantial amount of sodium in their diet.

Consuming too much of that salty goodness can take a toll on your weight as well as your health. Salt doesn't actually make you fat. What it does is it makes you retain water, which makes you heavier. It will also make you appear to be heavier by making you bloated. If you have ever eaten a really salty meal and then tried a bathing suit on a couple hours later, you may have noticed your face looks puffy and so does your stomach. You can thank the high sodium content of your food for this.

The best way to avoid an over intake of salt is to throw out that salt shaker. Aside from cutting back on fast foods, chips and canned soups ... putting down the salt shaker is the first step.

Barbeque Sauce and Ketchup. The biggest misconception people have about these two condiments is that they are healthy. This is such a false statement. While they are not the worst foods for you to eat, they provide almost no nutritional value. Both ketchup and barbeque sauce are used on many healthy foods to give them flavor. Little did you know that these two sauces are full of sodium and sugar. Sodium and sugar are two things that can take a toll on your weight loss. They can also be detrimental to your health. If you are going to use these condiments, it is best to use the sugar free organic kind.

Syrup. Like salt, this may seem like a no-brainer but many people use syrup way more than they should. Pancakes are not the healthiest thing you should be eating but there are a ton of recipes for diet or health pancakes: Berry pancakes, protein pancakes, fiber pancakes, oatmeal pancakes, nut pancakes, whole wheat pancakes and the list goes on. If you are someone who loves pancakes, I'm sure you have given at least one of the healthy recipes a try.

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But before your reach for that Aunt Jemima bottle, think again. While the pancake may be loaded with whole grains, fiber, and protein ... you are topping it with pure, sticky, artificial sugar. Top your healthy pancakes with fresh fruit or even drizzling a little bit of honey on top to make for a healthier choice.

Condiments/Spices To Use

Not all condiments or spices are bad to use. There are actually some that you should be incorporating in to your diet to get even better results. To find out what spices and condiments you should be using, read along.

Cinnamon. Looking to give your metabolism a boost? Begin by eating cinnamon. This spice is known for its comforting properties. Many people associate cinnamon with apple pie and lattes but this spice can be used in many different dishes to really jump start your weight loss. Aside from its metabolism boosting properties, it’s also been shown to reduce inflammation such as arthritis. Other benefits of cinnamon include reducing blood sugar and your LDL cholesterol levels (your bad cholesterol.) Instead of putting a spoonful of sugar in your coffee, sprinkle some cinnamon instead.

Black Pepper. Unlike its partner, salt, black pepper has been shown to provide many benefits. It will boost your metabolism, help burn fat and aids in digestion.

Ginger. This spice provides its best benefits when used fresh. You can buy ginger in the produce section of your grocery store. The greatest benefit for weight loss that ginger can have is that it helps to suppress appetite. Unlike some of the diet pills out there, ginger is a natural appetite suppressant and only does so at a mild rate. Other benefits of ginger include aiding in digestion, removing toxins, and raising the temperature of the body which will help boost your metabolism. Ginger is great in many Asian dishes as well as in tea.

Cayenne Pepper. This mouth-burning spice has been shown to produce incredible results when it comes to weight loss and fat burning. Spicy foods have always gotten a good rep when it comes to aiding in weight loss. Cayenne also has a thermogenic property which increases the body temperature and leads to an increase in daily calorie burn. If you aren't in to this spicy spice, the benefits can be seen by also taking the capsule form.full story >>

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Dual Fit

By Nick Cannon
NickCannon.com

Thanks again to everyone who has continued to support and encourage me as I push forward with my NCredible Health Hustle. This episode is particularly special because it features the people that matter the most to me: My family in North Carolina, my beautiful wife Mariah and Dem Babies Roc and Roe. Check out the video, and let me know what you think!full story >>

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Nick Cannon

By DualFit.com

With summer practically here, many people are going to get the Vitamin D that they have been lacking in for the past couple months with the cooler seasons. Vitamin D is such an important vitamin and it plays many roles in the human body. Did you ever notice that you have much more energy and feel much livelier in the summer months and a little bit more tired and down in the winter months? Well, this has a lot to do with your intake of Vitamin D, which, among other sources, comes from sunlight.

What Is Vitamin D And Why Do I Need It?

This vitamin is a fat soluble vitamin along with Vitamins A, E and K. These fat soluble vitamins are the vitamins that are stored in the body. As the name implies, these four vitamins are soluble in fats. Fat soluble vitamins don't really leave the body, instead they are stored. Although vitamins are good for you and are necessary for life, too many is a bad thing, especially of the fat soluble vitamins. Ingesting too many can cause hypervitaminosis (too much of a vitamin), which can lead to toxicity.

Vitamin D is needed for many basic life functions such as bone growth, bone remodeling, cell growth, and reducing inflammation. Here are some of the most important things that Vitamin D does for us:

Helps our bodies absorb calcium and phosphorus. Calcium and phosphorus are very important for the bones and teeth. Calcium also plays a very big role in muscle contraction, especially of the heart. Other functions of calcium include: transmission of nerve impulses, blood clotting, milk production in mothers, contractions of the uterus for childbirth, and regulates many hormones. Phosphorus works along with calcium to help maintain bone and teeth formation. Some functions of phosphorus include: proper digestion, transmission of nerve impulses, aids in kidney excretion, increases energy levels, and forms some proteins. So you see that without calcium and phosphorus, your body would be missing out on many important functions. And without Vitamin D, your body wouldn't be able to absorb calcium and phosphorus.

Plays an important role in immune system function. Vitamin D interacts with many parts of your immune system. It has been shown to provide sort of like a shield to protect against bacteria and other foreign substances. T cells are the cells in the immune system that destroy any bad cells that your body may have and Vitamin D plays a big part in activating these T cells.

May help maintain your weight. There have been numerous studies linked to Vitamin D and maintaining a healthy weight. People who don't consume an adequate amount of Vitamin D tend to have higher blood pressure, higher body fat percentage, and a higher amount of belly fat.

Supports brain function. This is especially important for the older adults. It can help prevent or delay any signs or symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Can help prevent certain cancers. There is always a debate over the things you can do to prevent cancer but consuming an adequate amount of vitamin D has been known to work. Vitamin D regulates the abnormal cells that begin to multiply in the beginning stages of cancer which can slow down or eliminate the entire process. The most common types of cancers prevented by Vitamin D are colon and rectal cancers.

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These are just some of the biggest roles that Vitamin D plays in the human body. Some other important things Vitamin D does is regulates blood pressure, improves skin by reducing wrinkles, improves cardiovascular function, reduces respiratory infections, relieves body aches and reduces stress.

The Best Sources Of Vitamin D

Now that you know all of the great things about this vitamin, it's time to get some in to your body. Here's how:

Sunlight. Vitamin D has a nickname, "the sunshine vitamin." The sun is one of the best sources of vitamin D. This is the reason why you are happier and more energetic in the summer months than you are in the winter months. In the summer, there aren't as many Vitamin D deficiency cases and for good reason. People are always out in the sun during the summer months. During the winter months, people don't get out in the sun as much. Take advantage of the nice, sunny weather this summer.

Cod liver oil. This is thebest animal source of Vitamin D. Only one teaspoon of the stuff can give you enough Vitamin D for the day.

Other fatty fish. Aside from cod, many other fatty fish are good sources of Vitamin D. This include salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel.

Eggs. Eggs are great for a lot of reasons and their Vitamin D property is one of them. If you are someone who just eats the whites, you may want to add in those yolks. The egg whites are great for a low-cal, high-protein choice but the egg yolk is where the majority of the nutrients are, especially Vitamin D.

Milk. Milk is an excellent choice for consuming an adequate amount of Vitamin D. Be sure to choose the low-fat kind.

There are many sources of this vitamin. These are just a few that most popular because of the amount they provide.

It's really important that you are getting the right amount of Vitamin D in your body. If you are unsure about whether you're on track, ask your doctor to mail you your test results the next time you get blood work. Your Vitamin D intake will be on that list and will give you a good idea of where you're at.

If you aren't at an optimal level, don't panic. Just begin to consume more of the foods listed above -- and maybe take a vacation to the Caribbean. If your Vitamin D levels are very low or if you don't get enough sun or eat the right foods, try a Vitamin D supplement. Of course it's always better to get your vitamins from fresh, whole foods but if a supplement is what is going to get you that Vitamin D, by all means, take it.full story >>

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Dual Fit

By DualFit.com

Expectedly the book kept us hooked from the very first page. It was extremely informative and A.J's immersion in the traditional and non-traditional health concepts left us in tears. We came in expecting a bunch of laughs along with a fun easy read but we all left with an even bigger interest in becoming "Drop Dead Healthy." We all hope you can have as much fun power reading through the book as we did.

***

Dual Fit: Could you tell us a little about yourself for those of us who aren't acquainted with your fantastic books like: "The Know it All," "The Year of Living Biblically," "The Guinea Pig Diaries" and "Drop Dead Healthy"?
A.J. JACOBS: Thanks for calling them fantastic. My wife will be annoyed at you for inflating my ego. As a writer, I like to immerse myself in my topics. Really dive in and become a human guinea pig. I've spent the last ten years trying to improve myself (I needed a lot of work). First, I tried to improve my mind by reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. Then, I tried to improve my spirit by following all the rules of the Bible, from the Ten Commandments to growing a long beard. And for my latest, I tried to improve my body in Drop Dead Healthy.

Dual Fit: What was your initial inspiration to become "Drop Dead Healthy"?
JACOBS: I was in terrible shape. I was what they call 'skinny fat.' My body looked like a snake that had swallowed a goat. Then, on top of that, I was hospitalized with pneumonia. My wife said to me, "Listen, I don't want to be a widow in my forties. You better shape up." So I figured, okay, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to go all in. I'm going to follow every piece of medical advice, and see what works. I'm going to revamp my diet, exercise regimen, sleep schedule, stress level, sex life, you name it.

Dual Fit: How much did you enjoy this immersion into healthy living compared to your previous topics?
JACOBS: It was certainly the most physically painful. When I grew a massive beard for my year of living biblically, it was itchy, but this was a whole new level. I'm glad I did it, though. Because my energy level has doubled.

Dual Fit: How much exercise did you actually manage to fit into your busy day with Guerilla Fitness and how can we implement it into our lives?
JACOBS: If you're committed, you can fit exercise into almost every nook and cranny of the day. I call it Guerilla fitness, or 'Contextual exercise.' Take the stairs, avoid elevators. Park your car a block farther away. I was just at the airport, and I avoided the people mover. Yes, I moved my own person. Heroic, I know! I also started to run errands. Literally. Run to the drugstore, buy toothpaste, then run home. I also found I work and think better when I'm active. So I bought a treadmill and put my laptop on top of it. I walked (slowly) as I typed this book. It took me about 1,200 miles.

Dual Fit: Did you learn something that was completely unexpected and contrary to your prior beliefs?
JACOBS: A whole bunch of stuff surprised me. I was surprised to learn there's very little evidence stretching is good for you. By which I mean, static stretching, where you try to, say, touch your toes and hold that position for 30 seconds. There's some evidence this kind of stretching actually hurts your performance. I was also surprised by some of the tricks you can use to improve your workouts. Several recent studies talk about taking a sip of Gatorade -- and then spitting it out. The tongue senses the presence of sugar, and sends a message to the body, "Energy on the way!" But you don’t get the water weight of swallowing it. Or holding a cold bottle of water while you work out. This lowers your core temperature and increases endurance.

Dual Fit: Out of the workouts and diets you have tried in this experiment, what is the most effective workout and the most effective diet in your own opinion?
JACOBS: I'm a huge fan of the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). I do it either running outside, or on the treadmill or stationary bike. I go full-throttle, just sprinting my legs off, for 30 seconds. Then I rest for 30 seconds. Then I repeat that several times. You can get a full, metabolism-changing workout in 30 minutes. I do something similar with resistance training. At home, I have a dumbbell set and weight bench. I like to do circuit training with very short rest periods, and I lift till muscle exhaustion.

Dual Fit: How did your wife, Julie, handle all of your new healthy living routines?
JACOBS: Overall, she was happy that my belly no longer protrudes. But she thought I went a little too far with all the fitness routines. I took her to this one class called IntenSati, where you do aerobics while shouting affirmations. "I want it, I want it, I really really want it!" It was way too Hare Krishna for her.

Dual Fit: Do you feel physically and mentally healthier after completing the experiment? Are there any routines you still incorporate into your daily lifestyle?
JACOBS: I do feel healthy. I hesitate to say that, because if I boast about how perfectly healthy I am, then tomorrow I'll come down with rickets. That's just the way the world works. But honestly, I feel healthier than I have my entire life. I lost my four-month-pregnant belly, as my wife called it. And I feel like I've got a caffeine high, but without having to drink coffee.

Dual Fit: What is the best piece of advice you can give to anyone trying to live a healthier lifestyle?
JACOBS: Avoid sitting in one place for more than an hour. Even getting up once an hour from your desk and walking around for a couple of minutes can make a huge difference. Or else, build a treadmill desk, if you can. I'm a treadmill desk evangelist.full story >>

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A.J. Jacobs, Drop Dead Healthy, Dual Fit, Performance

By Nick Cannon
NickCannon.com

The responses I've gotten for the first episode of NCredible Health Hustle have been both amazing and inspiring. Your prayers and well wishes are greatly appreciated, and it motivates me to keep pushing forward.

This episode includes a cameo from my friend and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, as well as a peek at the next episode featuring my wife Mariah and our children, Roc and Roe (#DemBabies)!

Thank you for continuing to share your own personal struggles, and be sure to let me know what you think of Episode 2.full story >>

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Nick Cannon, Oscar De La Hoya

By Nick Cannon
NickCannon.com

Words can't express how grateful and humbled I was by the outpouring of support when I fell ill a few months ago. I realized there was no way I could fully return all the love that was -- and is still -- shown, but it doesn't mean I can't give it a try. Kidney disease and Lupus are serious ailments but, as you'll see through these videos in the coming weeks, it is possible to put the reins on it a bit and gain control of your health and wellness.

I thank all of you for the continuous messages, and want you to know it inspires me to keep pushing. Hoping this series serves as inspiration for anyone dealing with kidney disease, lupus or ANY ILLNESS to keep pushing as well.

This is my Ncredible Health Hustle. Let's Go.full story >>

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Nick Cannon

By MuscleShred.com

Summer is right around the corner and I'm sure you are probably thinking about joining a gym (or actually going to the gym you are paying for monthly). It can be a little intimidating, which is why many people tend to skip out. It's not as scary as you think. Getting into a routine will definitely help you reach your goals and help you feel better overall. Use these tips to help you get comfortable during your workouts.

FINDING A GYM

Finding a gym that fits you is the first step. There are a ton of different kinds of gyms you can join: Women only, women and men gyms, gyms that offer classes, gyms that offer personal training -- there are a ton. It is a good idea to do some research before joining a gym. There are lots of factors that go into finding the perfect gym for you. Price is usually the biggest thing for most people. Some gyms are only $10 a month while others charge as much as $60 a month. See what you can afford. If you are a student, some gyms offer discounted prices. Also, gyms with classes may have an extra fee for the classes, so it might be worth checking for a place with free unlimited classes.full story >>

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Dual Fit

After bringing the hammer down on the New Orleans Saints for the team's bounty program, Roger Goodell probably needed some time to decompress and just peace out.

It turns out Texans running back Arian Foster was just the man to help the commish feel right at om.

Foster tweeted this photo with the heading "#namaste Mr. Goodell."

Namaste, a Sanskrit word that starts and ends yoga practices, actually means "I bow to the divine in you." Given Goodell's ultimate authority in the league, that takes on additional meaning, but feel free to insert your own Tebow joke here.full story >>

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Arian Foster, NFL, Roger Goodell, Yoga

Women just got a lot more incentive to start working out.

There has been anecdotal evidence for years of women experiencing orgasm while performing core-based exercises, and a new research study from Indiana University now confirms the phenomenon -- dubbed coregasm -- is legit.

The study, based on the responses of 370 women between 18 to 63, said abdominal exercises triggered what researchers called EIO (Exercise Induced Orgasm) among 51.4 percent of them. Others reported this experience while weightlifting (26.5 percent), doing yoga (20 percent), bicycling (15.8 percent), running (13.2 percent) and walking/hiking (9.6 percent).

"These data are interesting because they suggest that orgasm is not necessarily a sexual event, and they may also teach us more about the bodily processes underlying women's experiences of orgasm,"" said Debby Herbenick, the study's co-author and co-director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion and sexual health educator at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.full story >>

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Abs, Buzz

We're not sure when chocolate became the quintessential female guilty pleasure (for proof, see any chocolate ad in recent history), but we're not afraid to admit it: Real men love chocolate, too.

How do we know? As chocolate lovers ourselves, we've noticed a trend of chocolatiers marketing more of their products toward men—chocolates with flavors such as chile pepper, bacon, and beer (yes, beer!).

Still, it's one thing to come up with a wacky new flavor; it's another to create something that genuinely tastes good. So we at Guy Gourmet decided to devise the greatest chocolate smackdown the Internet has ever seen. We asked the best chocolate makers in the world to send us samples and then, in true journalistic fashion, tasted more than 100 different flavors to determine our favorites. For even more ways to challenge your gut, click here for The 10 Foods Every Man Must Eat Before He Dies.full story >>

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chocolate, Men's Health

Written by ThePostGame Staff

What do you need to enjoy a healthier and more enriching lifestyle? The right gear? A smarter approach? A different attitude? We've got some tips and hints on how to reach those goals.