Choose This Fat-Burning Condiment

RealAge Tip 4 The Day!

It's perfect on potatoes, very good on veggies, and divine in salad dressings. And the best news yet? It may help with fat burning. The magic condiment in question: vinegar.
Obese people who took in 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily in a study melted significantly more body fat and belly fat than a group taking a placebo -- despite being on the same diet and exercise plan.
A Sour Path to Skinny
Vinegar may offer a weight loss boost thanks to acetic acid. Seems this sour stuff does double-duty fat-blasting, inhibiting the body's ability to store fat while boosting its ability to burn it. And even though apple cider vinegar was the type used in the recent study, researchers suspect most varieties of the liquid seasoning could have the same get-skinny effects. It doesn't seem to matter what vinegar -- white, apple cider, or even red raspberry -- you use. What's critical is that you use the vinegar that has 5% acidity (acidity is typically marked on the label). The waist benefits of vinegar come from its acetic acid. In balsamic vinegar, it's masked by a sweet taste, but it's there.
The antiglycemic effect is greater the more vinegar you consume: The bare minimum for lowering your blood sugar is 1 to 2 tablespoons. It's not the most chuggable liquid, so we think the best delivery system is as a salad dressing. Mix your favorite vinegar with olive oil at a 2 (vinegar):1 (oil) ratio, and serve with mixed leafy greens, crucifers like watercress and arugula, and other veggies.
Other Tart Benefits
Vinegar also seemed to help lower bad-for-the-heart triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure at the end of the 12-week study. That's a Sherpa's load of health benefits for one little flavor maker. So get your daily dose of vinegar!
P.S: Apple cider vinegar can make your skin and hair beautiful, too!

Most health issues can't be resolved with a single pill or solution-and problems of a spiritual nature tend to be even more complicated.

Fortunately there are steps we can take each day to address the things that weigh us down. To help soothe your soul and heal your life, I've pulled together these "doctor's orders" for total well-being.

Prescription 1: Rethink Your Attitude
Studies show that optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists, even when the pessimists' view of life is more accurate. As Karl Menninger, M.D., put it, "Attitudes are more important than facts." If our self-talk gives us hope and a positive outlook, we will live very different lives than if we await trouble. Your attitude determines what you see, so try seeing through the eyes of an optimist today and observe what direction your life takes.

Prescription 2: Have No Regrets
Examine your life. Think about some risks you have been unwilling to take-perhaps changing careers, following a dream, or opening your heart to another person. You can do nothing to change the choices you made in the past, but the future holds many opportunities to make life-enhancing decisions. Let there be no "if only's" or "I wish I had's" from this day forward.

Prescription 3: Wash Away Worries
When you're feeling troubled, it always helps to go down to the water. Visit the beach at low tide (or imagine yourself doing so) and write your worries in the sand. After you have written every one down, visualize all the things on your list until the tide starts to come in. When it does, let each worry go as it is washed away by the sea. Just as the tide never stops coming and going, you have the ability to continue to cleanse and heal.

Prescription 4: Live in Appreciation
How do you know what's important in life? Too often the realization comes at a significant price-as the result of a tragedy or the loss of someone you love. Suddenly what used to seem important isn't. Instead, what matters are the people you love and who love you. Try reveling in the beauty and variety of everything before you.

Prescription 5: Carry What You Can
When the problems confronting you seem overwhelming, break down your tasks and problems until you have a piece that seems light enough to carry, and begin there. Then tackle each segment-one by one, day by day-until what once seemed unbearable is manageable and completed. You will have a sense of accomplishment and realize just how much you can handle.

Carpe Diem!

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee
 
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...
You will never look at a cup of coffee
the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
 
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs,and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
 
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
 
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
 
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
 
The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'
 
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter.
'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this:
Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?  

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor and it becomes stronger.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the
darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?  
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

OOPS!! Sorry about the confusion.. I think I wrote it wrong! I have already had the surgery w/a specialist in Atlanta in March & have had fantastic results w/ bioidentical(natural,not synthetic)hormones, through Susanne Somers' son's & daughter-in-laws'doctor (Dr. David Allen), but after 40, we women start going through the natural process of hormonal changes & it seems through this experience, that WORKING OUT is key!! . I jumped right back into working out and it became evident that,"EVEN WHEN DISCOURAGED" with weight gain, night sweats, hot flashes & other symptoms of these changes, being physically active makes such a difference! Your article below, in detail, is fantastic on the "Balance" needed as our metabolism in itself changes/slows as we get older...hormonal changes cause even small changes like food cravings for starchy/sugary things, that leave you tired & can contribute to more weight gain,Ugghh! I know..right!?! It would be fun to hear others' who have even had great results from their changes in eating,workouts through these "fun" after 40 changes.. My Professor, who is great!! However, in her 50's and not a fan of working out..Would love to share with her real stories of the benefits Thanks Janette... Keep those articles coming, I am enjoying them!! I am working daily on the "balance" you have talked about..all working pretty well, except that "enough sleep" part...I'll try really hard to do better on that one..

I appreciate how hard you re trying to find the right answers for yourself Gina. I don't personally have any experience with any of that, so if any of you other ladies in the group can share your experience, strenth and hope, I am sure we would all benefit from it! Thank you!

I am writing my "10 page" research paper for one of the college classes I'm taking. I have chosen to write it on Bioidentical(natural hormones)& hormone replacement...
After being told I would need a 3rd surgery for endometriosis & that I would have to have a hysterectomy & go onto hormones,uggh! I decided to be very proactive on researching a specialist for my surgery & on my options for hormone replacement. It has taken many months of adjustment, but am convinced made right choice on the specialist, but also on the hormone replacement. I would love to hear others who have been through similar struggles w/body changes(weight gain, hot flashes, all those fun girl things My professor is interested in this subject, so would love to have some more "real" stories to pop in my paper, as I will be writing "forever" it seems Please share..

Your at-a-glance guide to getting your recommended daily exercise.


The Bricks: Physical ExerciseThe "why" part of exercise is easy: Physical activity keeps you young by improving balance, mobility, strength, and stamina and reducing your stress level as well as your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It's the "how" part that can get you stuck: how much, how often, how hard, how long? There's no one place to go for answers, so we did the legwork and put together this exercise pyramid, highlighting the building blocks of a workout for an over-40 woman. The bricks are the physical components of your activity plan -- the must-do items to tap the longevity benefits of exercise. The mortar is the mental component that holds your fitness plan together (and helps you stick to it). Use this template to build your own routine, one that you can live with and, most important, enjoy.

Everyday moves: 200 calories a day
Try to torch a couple of hundred calories each day by ratcheting up your regular activities: Take the stairs, walk to get your errands done, do some of your own housework, and try to beat your time to the mailbox. "These activities alone are not enough to get you in shape, but you will burn those extra calories responsible for fat rolls and weight creep as you get older," says Barbara A. Brehm, PhD, chair of exercise and sports studies at Smith College. Look for any exercise opportunity: If you work in a high-rise building, try to climb 10 flights of stairs a day. You'll burn 85 calories in just 10 minutes. Carrying groceries for five minutes gets rid of 13 calories. Every little bit gets you closer to your daily goal. For more about how many calories you burn just living your life, go to caloriesperhour.com.

Cardio: 30 to 60 minutes, four to five times a week
"Cardio really is your key to keeping disease at bay after 40. As you age, your circulation decreases, putting you at greater risk for blood clots and heart disease," says Leslie Sansone. With cardio, you're not only building more blood vessels, you're making all your vessels and capillaries more efficient, thus increasing your heart and lung strength. "In your 40s, the payoff for working out to stave off disease is actually greater than it was in your 30s," Brehm says. "Cardio keeps your weight stable, which reduces your risk for hypertension and type 2 diabetes." Whatever you're doing, do it with gusto. "If you are walking, head to a hill or go faster; if you're on the treadmill, crank up the incline -- you can't get away with cutting corners, the way you could in your 30s," says Pamela Peeke, MD, author of Fit to Live. "You lose muscle faster after 40 -- mostly from disuse -- so ramping it up helps counteract that." For each session, aim to burn at least 300 calories.

Strength training: 20 to 30 minutes, two to three times a week
"After 40, the key is lifting weights heavy enough to make a difference in fighting bone and muscle loss," Brehm says. "If you can easily do eight to 12 reps, it's time to increase the weight to something that feels tough after six to eight reps." Peeke's favorite strength-boosting trick is to hold the movement. "You don't have to increase weights to get results," she says. "When you think you're at the top of a biceps curl or the bottom of a squat, hold and squeeze just a little more out of that muscle." To get the most weight-loss bang for your exercise minutes, do compound exercises -- moves that hit multiple muscle groups simultaneously -- recommends Robert Ferguson, creator of the weight loss program Diet Free for Life. "Exercises such as squats, lunges, and lateral pull-downs have a greater metabolism-boosting effect because you're activating more muscles."

Specialty work (yoga, Pilates, core): 10 minutes daily
"Women think they have to make a huge commitment to yoga or Pilates," Brehm says. "Just a few exercises give you benefits." Cherrypick the best moves, and tack them onto the end of your cardio and strength workouts. Strong core muscles will help prevent injury and protect your posture. "If you start to slump, your shoulders round and you look older," Brehm adds.

Flexibility: 10 minutes daily
"Stretching and other flexibility work becomes more important as you get older,". Tendons and ligaments dry out, so pushing more blood to them by stretching helps you stay flexible. You're also helping your heart. "Stretching squeezes the blood right through the muscles and back to the heart," Peeke says.

The Mortar: Mental Motivation
Passion
Use something you love -- a sport, a new challenge -- to help you set fitness goals. "Think about goal-setting as a way to guide your focus," says Gaylord. By your 40s, you know which kinds of exercise you enjoy and what makes your workouts fun. Joining a tennis league or tackling something specific, like a mini triathlon, can give you the structure you need to get your best workouts.

Variety
"If you do the same workout all year long, you get diminishing returns in terms of results," Sansone says. "It takes about 12 weeks for your body to hit a plateau, so switching your workouts with the seasons makes sense." And since you're more injury-prone with age, you'll avoid repetitive stress injuries by mixing it up. Keeping a workout journal can help you tweak your routine regularly. "If you don't track your progress, you won't be able to tell if you're slacking off," Gaylord says. "Writing it down keeps you honest."

Rest (ahhh!)
When you allow your body to fully recover from exercise, you perform better at the next workout. Alternate tough cardio sessions with mellow walks. Between strength sessions, take at least 48 hours to recover. (Some recent research even suggests that women 40 and over need to give muscles a 72-hour break between workouts.) You can alternate upper- and lower-body exercises on strength-training days to build in rest for the different muscle groups.

To help ensure your lunch is giving you rock star energy -- instead of weighing you down -- you just have to follow three simple rules.

According to RealAge expert Mehmet Oz, MD, the three keys are quality carbs, healthy fat, and lean protein -- nutritional bases you need to cover to keep energy levels from bottoming out.

1. Quality carbs: Build your meal out of complex carbs -- the kind that are digested slowly to give you a longer, steadier stream of energy. Just about any high-fiber carb will do, including beans, brown rice, whole-grain bread, quinoa, and veggies like broccoli, sweet potatoes and spinach.

2. Healthy fat: You'll need a bit of healthy fat to help your body absorb all the goodness of certain fat-soluble nutrients in your meal (like vitamins A, D, and E). Fats also help you feel full longer. Try topping soups and salads with chopped walnuts and drizzling some olive oil on your whole-wheat pasta. Sandwich lovers, replace your mayo with a few slices of creamy avocado.

3. Lean protein: Dr. Oz recommends making your meal "mostly veggie" and then adding some lean protein to give it a little more lasting power. Skinless chicken, lean meats, fish, tofu, eggs, and beans are all primo sources of healthful protein.

And don't forget your water! The elixer of LIFE!

Here, some common exercise excuses, and advice on ditching them once and for all.

Excuse 1: "I'm already too busy—I can't deal with one more thing I'm 'supposed' to do."

Too many women put their jobs, obligations, and the people they care for before themselves, says Dieffenbach. "Most wouldn't say out loud, 'I am not as important and I don't deserve the time,' yet that's the only way to translate their actions." Try justifying regular trips to the gym by reminding yourself that unless your needs are met, you'll have trouble meeting the needs of the people counting on you. "Self-care is key to caring effectively for others," says Dieffenbach. "If a friend called and requested some of your time, you'd make it available. Be that kind of friend to yourself."

Excuse 2: "How can I exercise when I'm always tired?"

"First you have to realize that there are two types of energy—physical and mental—and that they feed off each other," says New York City–based trainer Kacy Duke, author of The Show It Love Workout. "Chances are, you're mentally tired from sitting at your job all day, and you need to get your blood circulating to rev your engine again," she says. "Tell yourself, 'I will do just 10 minutes.' And grant yourself permission to call it quits if you're still slogging after 10 full minutes. Eventually, you'll make the connection that feeling tapped out means you need to move more, not less."

Excuse 3: "I'll start out gung ho, but I know I'll get bored and quit."

Predicting failure is a classic way of protecting yourself, says Dieffenbach: "Rule out success, and you don't have to try." Find out what's behind your pessimism by listing the negative thoughts that occur when you picture yourself exercising, she says. One common roadblock is a fear of failure; a new routine can be daunting. If you're put off by the thought of setting up an effective—and safe—workout, consider spending a bit extra on a personal trainer to get you through the challenging first few weeks of an exercise regimen.

What I Know for Sure About Certainty
By Elizabeth Gilbert

Absolute certainty is not something I strive for anymore. I've learned the hard way that destiny usually looks upon our most strident convictions with amusement, or perhaps even pity. (Oh, those silly humans! So desperate for their absolutes!) Sometimes it seems like the only job of the world is to gently (or not so gently) separate us from our deepest assurances, exposing us once again to that ultimate moral teaching tool: humility.

Of course, it's not always a pleasant experience to have our certainties stripped away. Sureness is something like a neck brace, which we clamp around our lives, hoping to somehow protect ourselves from the frightening, constant whiplash of change. Sadly, the brace doesn't always hold. I could list for you a tragicomic litany of all the things I was once mistakenly completely certain about, and I'm sure you can do the same. Maybe you, too, were once absolutely sure that you'd found your great love, or your final best friend, or the perfect mentor, meditation, or medication that would—once and for all—never fail you. And then? Slowly, it seems, we are not so sure after all. Such is our slippery toehold here on Earth, and so it has always been.

Perhaps it is for this reason that the people we instinctively turn to in times of trouble are those who—we sense—have made space within their convictions for doubt and mystery. Compassion grows best, it appears, in the soft spots beneath quiet surrender. So I try very hard to go easy on the firm conclusions. These days I settle for feeling only 85 percent sure about most things, most of the time. I believe this is keeping me sane, and I also believe that it's keeping me human. In fact, I'm 85 percent sure of it.

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love (Penguin).