Give ab firming at least five minutes of attention most days (even two minutes here, three there) and you'll get abs that command attention. Start with the bicycle—the most efficient ab sculptor. "You're continually moving, so muscles never rest," explains Peter Francis, Ph.D., professor emeritus of exercise science at San Diego State University, who compared 13 common ab moves. Incorporate the bicycle, plus these otherproven ab-flattening moves into your daily routine.
Crave a meal that's bursting with satisfying flavor yet easy to cook and light in calories? Stroll through a farmers' market to find fresh, delicious ingredients that make healthful eating a snap. The just-picked vegetables and fruit deliver maximum nutrients and taste — and by pairing them with lean meat, chicken and seafood, you'll also stay full for hours.
Spice things up
Cooking your meals with garlic and pepper could help curb overeating, according to research presented at The Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco. Overweight people who sprinkled their food with zero-calorie spices lost an average of 30 pounds in six months, compared with 2 pounds in a control group. “The flavors made people focus on the sensory characteristics of the food — its smell and taste,” explains study author Dr. Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. “The foods were more enjoyable, so people felt fuller faster and didn't eat as much.”
Sniffing the dishes was key, Hirsch says, because 90 percent of what you taste is determined by what you smell. The spices used in the study tasted like cheddar, onion, ranch dressing, taco sauce and Parmesan, but many no- and low-calorie seasonings in your kitchen, such as garlic and horseradish, will work as well, he says.
Reel in a healthy meal
Seafood is low in calories and high in protein and heart-helping fats that keep you feeling full. Most fish and some shellfish are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which, studies suggest, are good for your heart, sharpen your thinking and fight disease-causing inflammation in the body. Plus, seafood contains only 20 to 50 calories per ounce, so it's great for your waistline, too. Swap in surf for turf twice a week (like these healthy seafood recipes), as most experts advise, and you'll drop extra pounds easily
Surrender the salt shaker
Salt may be calorie-free, but it can still contribute to body fat—and not only because it piggybacks on greasy snacks such as fries and chips. A review in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases reports that as salt intake increased by more than 50 percent in the United States since 1985, so did consumption of sweet beverages such as soda and juice.
Salt leads to thirst, which Americans tend to quench with big sugary drinks. Seek out packaged products labeled low-salt or low-sodium, which means they have less than 140 milligrams per serving. (Your daily limit is 2,300 mg.) And if you indulge in something salty, wash it down with sparkling water or unsweetened iced tea instead of sweet sips. Or, try a banana to counteract sodium overload.
Go for juice couture
Want to squeeze out calories and fat while adding flavor (and antioxidants) to your dishes? Cook with juice! Slim down your meals with these sips:
Orange
Oust oil-based mixtures and marinate your chicken or fish in this breakfast standby. Citrus enhances the natural flavors of poultry and fish and keeps them super tender, says Kelly Grant, R.D., of Sports Club LA in San Francisco.
Cashew
Made from a part of the cashew tree (but not the nut itself), this juice adds a nutty taste to beef dishes. Substitute it for sauce in a stir-fry: The high vitamin C content improves your body's absorption of the meat's iron, says Allison Arnett, R.D., of Boston.
