Losing Weight By Eating Cucumbers

Is it really possible to lose weight by simply eating cucumbers? These common green vegetables are in fact a useful supplement to your weight reduction régime.

The cucumber is one of the most common salad vegetables. You can usually get them all year round. However they are best in May through July. The best ones to eat are organically grown ones because then you can eat the nutritious skin as well as the cucumber itself. If you can only find commercially grown ones be careful to peel off the waxed skin, as this contains pesticides, chemicals and wax.

How cucumbers will help you lose weight:

• Low calories: They are low in calories and have high water content. This means that they will fill you up without adding calories. They are in fact a great way to help you lose weight.

• Diuretic: they will help you to lose water due to water retention. This is a common problem with obesity.



• Increase fluids: It is essential to drink as much water as possible when you try to lose weight. This will help you to feel fuller and encourage you to eat less. Water will help you to flush toxins from your body. Plus your body needs at least 8 glasses of water to function well. Cucumbers have a large ratio of water which will increase your fluid intake.

• Fiber: cucumbers like most vegetables will provide you with fiber. When losing weight you should try to have a high fiber diet. Fiber will fill you up and encourage you to eat less. It will also aid in making your digestion better. When you digest your food better you will be able to lose weight.

Nutritional facts: an 8 ¼ inch cucumber has 2 grams of protein, 11 grams of carbohydrate, 1 ½ grams fiber, 5 grams of sugar, vitamins K,C, B6 and A. It also has foliate and potassium. A cucumber of this size will only contain 45 calories and because of the water and fiber in it will help to fill you up.

Choosing cucumbers: there are a number of different types of cucumbers and they will taste subtly different. The best way to get varieties that you like is to grow them either in containers or out in your yard. They will have a distinctive taste quite different from the somewhat insipid store cumbers.

• Lemon cucumbers: these are round yellowish green cucumbers with a nice mild flavor.

• Japanese cucumbers: these are a long thin variety that has a mild flavor and is good for eating in salads or as a salad on its own. They are usually found wrapped in cellophane wrap at the stores.

• American cucumbers: there are many varieties of these. They range from small pickling size to larger ones that are ideal for salads. Hybrids have made the cucumber a mild flavored vegetable which has lost much of the bitterness of the old varieties.

Tips for eating:

• Always choose fresh cucumbers that are not wrinkled or sunken. The older they get the more bitter you will find them.

• Cut the end off your cucumbers and rub a little salt into them by rubbing the ends together. Doing this will takeaway some of the bitterness.

• You can slice cucumbers and put them with a little vinegar, salt and pepper.

• You can also pickle them. There are a variety of recipes you can use.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Catherine_Qazalbash/117738

Easy, Healthy Dinner Recipes for Weight Loss

Don't be afraid to cook outside of the box when you're trying to lose weight. Choose ingredients that you don't normally cook with, and make something new and interesting to keep yourself from falling prey to cravings for the comfort foods that you normally eat.

Make It Hot - Turkey Chili Dish
If you don't have a lot of time on your hands to stand around a hot stove then using a slow cooker or crock pot can work wonders to create a great healthy chili dish. Here's what you'll need:

1lb Ground Turkey
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Large Spanish Onion
4 Celery Stalks
2 Garlic Cloves
1 half tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Salt
1tbsp Pepper
3 tbsp Chili Powder
2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes
2 Habanero Peppers Seeded (Use a milder pepper if you're not a fan of spice)
1 Can Chickpeas



Brown the turkey ground in a frying pan on medium heat by crumbling it into the pan for the best allover color; don't overcook your protein, you want to contain the natural juices, rather than losing them altogether. Now you can drain off any excess oil that has come out of the ground and put the meat into your crockpot. Dice onions, bell, peppers, and celery stalks into equal sized chunks rather than tiny pieces that will get lost in the meal, and put them into the pot along with the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Rinse the chickpeas before placing them into the pot along with the tomatoes, which can be added juice and all. Garlic can be peeled and thinly sliced or crushed, and the habaneros, should you choose to use them should be very finely diced. In a slow cooker, use low heat for 5 hours or high for 4, and enjoy. This should serve 6-8 people depending on portion size.

Lose the Bun: Lean Ground Beef and Turkey Dish
Another way to lose excess calories in your meals is by cutting out nonessential simple carbs. Although you should keep complex carbohydrates in your meals, you can swap out barbeque staples like buns with a different vessel.

Half lb Lean Ground Beef
Half lb Ground Turkey
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 Pinch Cayenne
1 Small Onion
1 Cup Quinoa
2 Cups Water
1 Lemon Wedge
1 Tomato
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce

Peel and dice your onion small then mix together the lean beef and turkey ground in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and onion until well mixed and form the contents of the bowl into patties. Thickness is up to yourself, but remember that the thicker the patty, the longer it will take to cook in the middle and raw ground turkey is a serious no-no. Set these in the refrigerator and turn on the barbeque to let it heat up while you start on your side dish. Add the quinoa and water to a pot, cover, and bring to a boil reduce and simmer for 20 minutes; when the quinoa is nearing the midway mark place your burgers on the grill. While everything is heating up you can cool things down by prepping lettuce and tomato. Lettuce leaves should be left as whole as possible, while tomato can be cut into slices; place one lettuce leaf per patty on each plate. When the quinoa is finished it should be tender and translucent, squeeze in some lemon and serve. Burgers on lettuce leaves topped with tomato can be accompanied by a spoonful of salsa in place of the usual accoutrements.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Charles_Tate/293364

Kettlebell Workout Routines - Use These Russian Canon Balls to Attain Sexy Muscle Definition

If you are here, you probably know about kettlebells but we will give you a very brief introduction on them anyways before going into details about kettlebell workouts routines. A kettlebell was originally introduced in Russia and its appearance resembles that of a canon ball with a handle attached to it. One can use this simple equipment to perform complex ballistic exercises that will result in cardio, strength and flexibility training.

They are ideal for fitness seekers who are trying to avoid a "meat head" look which they can otherwise get from traditional forms of gym exercises. Kettlbell workout routines are a great way for a person to use advanced exercises that will result in a physique that will look sharp, angular and taut. Some of the body types of celebrities that will best describe the outcome of serious kettlebell workout routines will be the body types sported by Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 2 or Daniel Craig in the James Bond series. As you can infer from the examples, kettelbell workout routines will result in lithe, hard and angular muscle definition that is very attractive and sexy.



To get the best results out of kettelbells, you will need kettelbells of different weights. They start with weights as little as 5 pounds and can get quite heavy. Instead of buying different kettlebells, you can try joining a gym that might carry a wide selection of weights. Many gyms these days are stocking up on kettelbells as their popularity is rapidly increasing.

Swing exercises - Most of the kettelbell workout routines rely on a swinging range of motion. The kettelbell is different from a dumbbell in the sense that the center of mass is extended away from the hand. Thus, to balance a kettelbell in a workout, one will have to use several different muscle groups in the body which will result in a total body workout. Kettelbell workout routines are usually high intensity circuits that are to be done with minimal periods of rest in between. One can work the lower body, hip, core muscles, the upper body and the arms with a single kettelbell or a pair of them. In addition to strength training, kettelbell workout routines also result in increased flexibility as they stretch all muscle groups. They also increase the strength of the joints and can be a great way for sportsmen to improve grip in sports such as tennis, baseball etc where grip is very important.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rex_Martin/241845

3 Ab Exercises That Don't Hurt Your Back Or Neck

One of the biggest complaints people have about doing ab exercises is that they hurt their back and neck. Indeed, some of the more commong stomach workouts can indeed place a lot of strain on your lower back and neck, cause discomfort and even pain.

However, doing a stomach workout does not have to be this way. It's entirely possible to get an awesome abs workout without feeling any discomfort in your back and neck. A lot depends on your choice of exercises. You just need to do the right ones.

Often, stomach exercises that involve lifting your torso toward your knees are those that create neck and back strain. However, the opposite movement is often much easier on the back. I'm talking about exercises in which you bring your knees and legs toward your chest. You're still crunching your abs to get that tightening feeling but you don't have to lift your head or back off the floor so you're not placing too much strain on them.



Here are 3 ab exercises you can do without hurting your back:

1. Hip lifts - Bring both legs up straight at a ninety degrees angle to the floor. Keep your entire upper body and head on the floor. Lift your hips a bit of the floor pushing your legs straight up. Make sure to use your abs to make this movement. When you go back down, don't let your legs fall toward the ground. Maintain control over them throughout the movement.

2. Reverse crunches - Similar to the regular crunch, you begin this exercise by lying on the floor with both legs bent at the knees. Lift your legs a bit off the floor. Curl both legs toward your chest. You may raise your buttocks off the ground a bit to bring your knees close to your chest. Don't lift your head to not strain your neck. Make sure to exhale while bringing your legs up and inhale while lowering them. Don't let your legs touch the ground.

3. The third abs exercise that you can do without hurting your neck and back is what I like to call the half-bicycle. The bicycle abs workout is done with a movement of your upper body and lower one both. In this version, you only use your legs.

To do the half-bicycle, lie on the ground, raise both legs a bit off the floor and begin alternating between them, bending one and bringing it toward your upper body and straightening the other a bit over the ground.

You can and should do abs exercises. If you suffer from neck or back pain, do these exercises and you may feel better.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_Davenport/92959

The Top Ten Dumbbell Exercises For Building Strength and Muscle

If you only have a small home workout area and want to get in the best shape of your life, you need a workout mat, a full set of dumbbells and a jump rope. Using just these tools, you can burn off your fat stores, bulk up and get cut in six to twelve weeks.

Dumbbells are a versatile muscle and fat burning equipment. You can perform quite a few dozen movements ranging from muscle building compound exercises like squats to fat burning explosive movements such as the one arm hanging snatch.

Here is a blood pumping workout for building muscle and burning fat:

Start with a warm up for five minutes. Once you are fully warmed up, choose a weight that allows you to perform three sets with twelve reps to start.

Once you perform this routine a few times, vary the workout by choosing a weight that allows you to perform only eight reps but still work for three sets. Be sure to take a full one minute rest period between sets.

For the legs:
1. Dumbbell Squats
2. Go on to dumbbell lunges

For chest and shoulders:
3. Dumbbell incline press
4. Dumbbell flies
5. Dumbbell side raises
6. Dumbbell front raises

For the arms:
7. Dumbbell curls
8. Dumbbell triceps extension

For the abs:
9. Dumbbell side bends
10. Dumbbell roll ups

These are our top ten dumbbell exercises for building strength, endurance and muscle. If you want to cool down with cardio, you can take a fifteen minute low impact cardio workout. If you prefer, you can grab your jump rope and work out for 20 minutes, varying your intensity while keeping your heart rate up. Jump rope workouts are a great fat burning routine.

I prefer to do my cardio on alternate days. Perform each exercise with proper form and be sure to start each exercise with a light warm up weight. I choose a set of 10 pound dumbbells to do my warm up set. This gets me through a set in which I focus on my form and muscle tension.

From there, I'm able to judge my ability to handle the weight and determine when to step up to the next level. Try this routine for about six to twelve weeks; three days a week on alternate days. You can perform your cardio routine on alternate days or after the dumbbell workout.

I rate this one highly for those who are just starting out or for seasoned veterans who need to break up their routine and perform a great full body workout.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dennis_Francis/146895