10 Diet and Exercise Myths That Won't Go Away

Have you tried dieting and exercising with very little to show for your efforts? You may be doing it all wrong, says Joseph Mercola.

Popular misconceptions can damage your fitness plans. Yahoo Shine and CNN have collected some of the most pervasive and damaging fitness-related rumors. Here are some of them:

Myth – Strength training will bulk you up

In fact, researchers have found that working out with heavy weights increased exercisers' sleeping metabolic rate (the number of calories burned overnight) by nearly 8 percent. That's enough to lose about 5 pounds in a year right there.

Myth – All calories are equal, so it doesn't matter what you eat

Some foods take more work to eat, and therefore burn more calories while you're digesting them. Eating vegetables and lean cuts of meat can increase your calorie burn by up to 30 percent.

Myth – Eating fat will make you fat

Getting enough of the right kinds of fat in your diet is actually essential for good health. Read more

Benefits of Fish Oil for Fitness and Health

When the words oils and fats are mentioned, health-conscious individuals tend to run for cover. What they fail to realize is that there are good fats and bad fats. Complete avoidance of intake of oils and fats would actually be detrimental, rather than beneficial, to their health.

The Truth about Fish Oil
Essential fatty acids must always be part of our daily diet – without them, we take one step closer to our deaths. Essential fatty acids are divided into two families: omega-6 EFAs and omega-3 EFAS.

Eating Fish Helps Prevent Eye Disease Later in Life

Many people develop eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, as they age. A new study has found that eating fish helps prevent eye diseases later in life.

A study that recently appeared in the journal Ophthalmology has found that people who eat fatty fish at least once a week are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that gradually causes vision impairment and blindness in senior adults. The study findings add to the growing list of health benefits gained by eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Read more

Go Green for Better Health: Leafy Greens, That Is

A study by the University of California, Los Angeles and Louisiana State University found that those who consumed salad and raw vegetables had a higher concentration of vitamins in their bloodstream, but according to dietitian Helen Tracey, we need to eat them in much greater quantities.

With salad season in full swing, you may wonder whether some leaves are healthier than others.

'All leafy greens are good for you,' says dietician Helen Tracey, at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.

'Some are higher in nutrients than others but overall they're a good source of vitamins C, E, calcium and antioxidants, including phytonutrients such as lutein, which is thought to form a chemical that some studies suggest can lower the risk of developing cataracts in later life.' Read more

Prevent Cancer with Diet and Exercise

Changes in your diet and and exercise could prevent 25 percent of cancer, according to a new report.

Nearly a quarter of cancers could be prevented by simple changes in diet and exercise, including up to 70 percent of cases of certain varieties, according to a report issued by the World Cancer Research Fund.

"The evidence linking diet, physical activity, obesity and cancer has become stronger over the last decade and this report can play a part in people adopting healthier lifestyles," said Mike Richards, the United Kingdom's National Clinical Director for Cancer. "After not smoking, it is clear that diet and weight are the most important things people can do to reduce their risk." Read more

The Best Kept Diet Secret

What's the best kept diet secret? The right soups tame the dieter's worst enemy: hunger.

Imagine a typical lunchtime meal – say, chicken and vegetables with a glass of water.

If you eat the food and drink the water, you will feel full for a couple of hours before hunger kicks in. But if you blend the food with the water – to make soup – you will stay hunger-free for much longer, and less likely to snack through the afternoon.

How can blending the food into soup make such a difference? The answer lies in the stomach. Scientists have used ultrasound and MRI scans of people's stomachs to investigate what happens after eating solid-food-plus-water meals compared with the same food made into soup. Read more

Diet vs. Exercise Plans for Weight Loss

What helps you lose more weight: focusing solely on diets or working out?

Everyone likes to attack weight loss differently. There are those who like to combine exercise and nutrition; others change their eating only; and some would rather hit the gym and run rather than give up their favorite foods.

Weight loss is possible by watching what you eat exclusively, but the research says that any successful long-term weight loss program includes a strong exercise component. In fact people who diet often regain all the weight they've lost and then some. Not to mention that constantly restricting food can be irritating, leaving us feeling grumpy, tired and hungry all of the time.

So why is exercise better? Read more

5 Easy Ways to Your Ideal Weight

How is your New Year's resolution to lose weight going? Not so well? Actress Sophie Keller reveals five easy ways get to your ideal weight by thinking long term and not being in a rush to do it all at once.

Your body is housing you through this lifetime. It is like a car, treat it well, and it will look after you. You can't ignore this and then complain when it starts to fail on you later on in life. It makes much more sense when it comes to health to chose the tortoise mentality and think long term, rather than the hare mentality of abuse now and think about it, and often pay the penalty, later. Here are five easy ways to help you to get to your optimum size and to help you become more conscious of what you are putting in your body and how you are treating it. Read more