Toning Abs, Lowering Blood Pressure, and Personalized Nutrition

Nutrition Corner

Food & You: the utility of a digital cohort for personalized nutrition studies

Almost half of young people have gone to bed hungry in last year – A lack of food is having a long-term impact on young people’s health and future prospects, the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint warned.

Recipe for The Day

Rosemary-Garlic Pork Chops: Juicy and flavorful, these rosemary-garlic pork chops make for a filling main dish. Serve alongside mashed potatoes or a quick side salad for a delicious dinner.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

5 Isometric exercises best for lowering blood pressure

• Plank: Performing plank exercises is an effective way of strengthening the core muscles.

• Wall sit: The wall sit is a simple exercise for improving muscle endurance in the thighs without straining the lower back muscle.

• Glute bridge: The glute bridge exercise targets the gluteal muscles behind the quadriceps.

• Dead hang: The dead hang will work the upper body, particularly the shoulders.

• Isometric squat: This exercise is a variation of the traditional squat that builds endurance in the leg muscles.

6 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Lose Weight

• Determine Why You Want to Lose Weight: Clearly define all the reasons you want to lose weight and write them down. This will help you stay committed and motivated to reach your weight loss goals.

• Have Realistic Expectations: Many diets and diet products claim quick and easy weight loss. However, most practitioners recommend only losing 1–2 pounds (0.5–1 kg) per week. Setting unattainable goals can lead to feelings of frustration and cause you to give up. On the contrary, setting and accomplishing achievable goals leads to feelings of accomplishment.

• Focus on Process Goals: Many people trying to lose weight only set outcome goals, or goals they want to accomplish at the end. Typically, an outcome goal will be your final target weight.

• Pick a Plan That Fits Your Lifestyle: Find a weight loss plan that you can stick to, and avoid plans that would be nearly impossible to follow in the long term.

• Keep a Weight Loss Journal: Self-monitoring is crucial to weight loss motivation and success. Research has found that people who track their food intake are more likely to lose weight and maintain their weight loss.

• Celebrate Your Successes: Losing weight is hard, so celebrate all your successes to keep yourself motivated. Give yourself some credit when you accomplish a goal. Social media or weight loss sites with community pages are great places to share your successes and get support. When you feel pride in yourself, you will increase your motivation.

4 Science-Backed Benefits Of Lemon Water

• Lemon water is hydrating: First things first—and no surprises here—lemon water hydrates your body. Considering that we're made up of 65% water, keeping our liquid stores stocked is critical for health.

• Lemon water may promote healthy digestion: Acidic ingredients like apple cider vinegar, coffee, and lemon juice have long been touted for getting things moving in your gut. With lemons, citric acid is the key to stimulating digestion.

• Lemon water may offer cognitive benefits: Some recent research has examined how flavonoids in lemon peel could affect brain health. A 2019 study in the International Journal of Molecular Science, for example, found that nobiletin, a compound in citrus peels, could be used to improve cognitive deficits in people with Alzheimer's disease 2.

• Lemon water may boost immunity: If there's one nutrient lemons are known for, it's vitamin C. This antioxidant may have a role to play in immune health. "Vitamin C supports the production and function of immune cells, as well as acting as an antioxidant.

3 Favorite Moves for Toning Abs

• Side plank

• Plank crunches

• Bicycle crunches