7 Foods To Never Eat On A Low Carb Diet

June 1, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Low-carb diets are incredibly popular these days. They’re a great way to control certain conditions, and they’ve proven effective in weight loss and management when done correctly.

If you’re one of the many low-carb dieters out in the world, you likely take a lot of care to avoid the worst carbohydrate offenders. But what if you’re unknowingly consuming foods with a lot of carbs, throwing off your weight-loss game?

Sure, you already know the general foods to avoid – bread, rice, pasta, and so on. But did you know there are some foods you might still be eating that are secretly packing on the carbs? Even ones you’ve always thought were completely safe could be detrimental to your diet!

Don’t worry, though! You still have plenty of options. You just need to know what foods to steer clear of, and we’re here to help you out.

Here Are 7 Foods To Never Eat On A Low Carb Diet

1. Fruit

When you think of fruit, you think of healthy, guilt-free snacks. The fact that they have been known to decrease heart disease and even cancer risks definitely adds to their overall reputation for being great diet foods.

Unfortunately, most fruits aren’t suitable for low-carb diets. This is because most fruits contain high levels of fructose, which are a kind of carbohydrate. In one cup of any given gruit, there can be anywhere between 20 and 40 grams of carbs. The fructose also acts just like a healthier version of sugar. Yikes!

If your diet has an allowance for a few carbs, you can pick and choose your fruits to fit into those requirements. However, barring that, you may want to steer clear of some fruits altogether. Here are some types of fruits with a lot of carbs:

a) Mangos

In 165 grams of these yellow delicacies, there are 28 grams of carbs, and only 3 of those grams are from fiber!

b) Bananas

These fruits are very filling for a reason. One medium banana contains an impressive 27 grams of carbs. Don’t hold your breath for the fiber, either – there are only 3 grams!

c) Pears

A single medium fruit of this variety has lots of carbs: 28 grams of it. You might be tempted to eat them for the fiber – don’t! There are only 6 grams.

d) Dates

Many people think that dried fruits are better options, but dates prove otherwise. There are 36 grams of carbs in just two large dates, and you only get 2 grams of fiber per date.

e) Raisins

In a one-ounce serving of raisins, there’s a mere one gram of fiber, part of 22 grams total of carbohydrates.

If you can’t eat these fruits, then what can you opt for? Berries are your best bet! They don’t have as much sugar in them, and they’re packed with more fiber. Eating half a cup of berries is a great, positive low-carb diet treat.

2. Legumes and Beans

Lots of people enjoy beans and legumes, and for the most part, they’re known to be very healthy and nutritious. They bring down inflammation, prevent high risk of heart disease, and are packed with delicious fiber.

Unfortunately, these foods are also full of carbohydrates. Just one cup of them can hold more than 40 grams of carbs, so they’re definitely things you should eat sparingly on a restrictive, low-carb diet. Here are some of the beans and legumes that are packed with carbohydrates:

a) Black beans

These beans do have 15 grams of fiber, but a single cup also contains 41 grams of carbs in total.

b) Lentils

These are great foods to eat if you want to load up on fiber; there are 16 grams in one cup! Unfortunately, with a total of 40 grams of carbs per cup, they’re not great for certain diets.

c) Chickpeas

These little round foods are known for being extremely beneficial to health. Unfortunately, they have 45 grams of carbs per cup, and just 12 of those are from fiber.

d) Peas

Peas have fewer carbs in one cup – 25 grams instead of 40 plus – but they’re still not the best for low-carb diets. In addition, they only have 9 grams of fiber in that serving!

e) Kidney beans

These reddish, brownish beans contain 40 grams of carbohydrates within a serving. Thirteen of those grams are made up of fiber, but that’s not enough to deter a low-carb dieter!

f) Pinto beans

These beans have a whopping 45 grams of carbs per cup! You do get 15 grams of fiber out of them in return, but they’re definitely not great for a low-carb diet.

3. Yogurt

Yogurt is a favorite dessert item among weight-loss enthusiasts. It’s healthy and, thankfully, low in carbs – but that’s only if you’re eating plain varieties. Many people dislike plain yogurt and go for flavored or nonfat. This is where the problems come in.

Sweetened and flavored yogurt, which is commonly the case in nonfat and low-fat yogurt, is just as full of carbohydrates as the average dessert. One cup of the stuff can wind up giving you 47 grams of carbs – meaning you’d be better off eating a cup of ice cream, which will provide much fewer carbohydrates.

So, what’s your best bet if you want yogurt that doesn’t taste totally plain? Go for a half cup of Greek yogurt – plain! – and top it off with berries of your choice, preferably around half a cup of raspberries or blackberries. These make for a delicious and refreshing dessert, and the total digestible carbs stays below 10 grams.

4. Vegetables

Vegetables are fantastic additions to any diet. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and they are great for helping weight loss progress. They also help control one’s blood sugar levels, so they’re great for those at risk of diabetes.

Worried you have to give up your vegetables, too? Don’t worry! Keep your positive thinking! There’s no issue with low-starch vegetables, and you can eat as much of those as you want.

However, digestible carbohydrates are present in many higher starch veggies, so they have more of that than fiber – meaning they aren’t good for low-carb dieters. Here are the vegetables to avoid:

a) Potatoes

The most obvious of the carb-filled veggies, one medium potato has 24 grams of carbohydrates, and only 4 grams of that is from fiber.

b) Beets

They may be known for being a bit of a superfood, but one cup of cooked beets only has 4 grams of fiber to its overall 16 grams of carbs.

c) Corn

One cup of corn has a whopping 41 grams of carbohydrates, making it undoubtedly one of the most unfriendly options on our list. Plus, only 5 of those grams are fiber!

d) Yam

They’re famous among the health-conscious, but not so much around the low-carb dieters. One medium yam only has 4 grams of fiber, part of a whole 24 grams of carbs.

e) Sweet potatoes

These share the same figures as yams, so they’re no good for low-carb diets, either.

5. Salad Dressing

Salads are a common go-to food for those who are restricting carbohydrate consumption. While the salads themselves are usually just fine, the dressings you may generously coat them in are decidedly not.

Most commercial, store-bought dressings – primarily those that boast fat-free or low-fat qualities – tend to have a lot of carbs in them.
Consider, for example, ranch dressing that is nonfat – just two tablespoons has carbohydrates numbering 11 grams!
The same portion in French dressing, also fat-free, has 10 grams of carbs.

You can attempt to limit yourself to a couple of tablespoons, but let’s face it: most people use more, especially for big salads that make up your entire lunch. As such, you’ll want to opt for olive oil and vinegar instead, which both have positive effects on weight loss and can even help your heart stay healthy!

6. Gluten-Free Products

Many people who are restricting carb consumption make the incorrect assumption that gluten-free products are great options for them. Gluten is present in products like rye, wheat, and barley, and people generally assume that baked products without gluten are better for low-carb meals.

Sadly, this is not the case. Gluten-free diets have become more and more popular over the years, but they’re primarily a requirement for people with Celiac disease. In fact, these diets have had mixed results on those without the condition.

On top of that, gluten-free baked products usually have more carbohydrates in them than the same product made with gluten. There’s also the fact that there’s a lot of grains and starch used in the flour for gluten-free baked items, and these have terrible effects on the blood sugar. As such, they’re foods to never eat on a low carb diet.

What should you eat instead? Make your own low-carb baked products with coconut flour or almond flour, or buy from bakeries that specialize in low-carb foods.

7. Milk

Milk seems like a safe bet as a drink for those on low-carb diets. After all, it’s full of important nutrients like B vitamins, calcium, and even potassium. Unfortunately, it’s just not the best option if you’re cutting down on carbohydrates.

All types of milk – whether whole, low-fat, or non-fat – contain up to 13 grams of carbs in just one glass, or eight ounces. This means they definitely aren’t your best choices, and you’re better off opting for other types of drinks.

If you like, you can get away with a couple of tablespoons of milk for coffee or tea, or as an ingredient in recipes, but there’s not much more of it you should have. You would probably do better using half-and-half, or some kind of cream, for your coffee.

Can’t say goodbye to the milk you use in smoothies or lattes? Try going for a milk substitute. Coconut milk and almond milk, if unsweetened, make great options.

Final Thoughts On Some Foods To Never Eat On A Low Carb Diet

Plenty of foods available out in the world are packed with carbs, even though they seem safe on the surface. If you’re serious about your low-carb diet, make sure you’re really examining all the foods you consume. It can be hard work, but with some positive thinking and the right foods, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your diet goals.

11 Foods That Make Diverticulitis Worse

June 1, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Diverticular disease is a digestive disease displayed by diverticula, or pouches, forming within the intestinal and colon walls. These pouches then may push into the weakened walls. Diverticular disease is the umbrella name from which two conditions diverge, diverticulosis and diverticulitis. In brief, diverticular disease is partially defined as “clinically significant and symptomatic diverticulosis complicated by diverticulitis….”

Diverticular disease is believed to be caused by a lack of fiber in the diet. Diverticulitis is the more problematic version, as it brings complications stemming from an already developed diverticulosis disease. Ironically, once the diverticulitis forms, fiber from specific vegetables can create discomfort of varying degrees. Particular foods are suggested to be eaten with caution or avoided to prevent more severe symptoms. Below, we will list 11 foods that can make diverticulitis worse.

Prevalence of Diverticular Disease

Diverticular disease usually starts to manifest itself around age 40-50 and increases in potential severity through age 80 and later. In the 50 or younger age bracket, men are most likely to show diverticula, whereas women are diagnosed more progressively at 70 years old and beyond. In addition to lack of fiber, one study of participants with diverticulosis also had a fuller waist circumference and larger body mass than those who didn’t have diverticulosis.

Diverticulosis affects as many as 10% of the populace over the age of 40.
33% are aged 50-59.
71% are over the age of 80.

In comparison, diverticulitis (and its various complications) affects 4-15% of those who develop diverticulosis.

Men hospitalized for diverticulitis were about 63 years of age on average.
In 16% of cases, those admitted to a hospital were under the age of 45.
Men are the predominant gender of those hospitalized under the age of 50.
Between the ages of 50-70, men and women stand an equal chance of developing diverticulitis.
After the age of 70, women are predominantly hospitalized.
About 25% of all patients have acute or chronic diverticulitis.

This disease doesn’t just affect western countries, but eastern nations as well.

There are different locations within the intestines and colon in which the diverticula form depending upon the gender, nationality, and genetics of an individual, as well as whether they live in a Western or Eastern country. The country is important most likely due to environmental and dietary habits.

Since the mid-1990s, the West has seen an increase in the number of cases, as well as cases affecting overweight young adults. A nationwide study in the United States compared hospitalizations over many years.

There was a 26% increase in diverticulitis from 1998 to 2005.
Hospitalizations peaked in 2008 at 96 out of 100,000. Comparatively, in 2010 it was 91.9 out of 100,000; in 2000 it was 74.1 out of 100,000.
Since then, there’s been a decrease, but it leveled out since then.

Diverticulosis or Diverticulitis?

Diverticula, the name for the pouches which adhere and push into your colon wall, are created from the pressure caused by gas, waste, or liquid on a weakened spot of the wall. They can be reasonably small, like a pea, or get more substantial. They can also form due to straining during a bowel movement.

Diverticulosis is the name given when diverticula form. Often, there aren’t any symptoms. For some people, they may feel some tenderness or cramping. Constipation and light bleeding in the bowels may also be indicators.

Diverticulitis is the progression of diverticulosis in which the sacs have become infected and inflamed. As a result, an individual may have symptoms of fever, pain or tenderness in the lower abdomen, and chills. They may need to urinate more often, have pain upon urination, experience nausea or vomiting, and suffer bleeding from the rectum.

A complication can result if the sacs push through the colon wall or tear it. Then, the waste and liquids from the colon will leak out into the abdominal cavity. This can create an infection in the abdominal wall (peritonitis), an abscess, or an obstruction. There are also some cases in which it caused severe bleeding.

How our food choices cause diverticulitis

The actual cause of diverticulitis or diverticulosis is unknown. What is known is that the colon wall has weakened spots in the outside muscly area, so the inner layer goes through. It’s firmly held, albeit still debated, that a diet rich in fiber can aid in preventing diverticulitis. The rationale is that fiber softens stool, making them easier to pass through. The lack of strain and hopefully, decrease in bodily gas, won’t apply pressure to the walls.

Additionally, while it is unknown how the sacs become infected, it is theorized to be due to severe constipation and stools piling up in the colon. The bacteria from the stools then migrate to the sacs. A low-fat, high-fiber diet is more conducive to a healthy bowel schedule in comparison to processed, low-fiber foods.

The other evidence to support fiber being a contributing factor is that, while Eastern countries do get diverticulitis, they have much fewer cases of it in comparison to the United States. Traditionally, eastern countries tend to have a fiber-rich diet.

There are other factors which increase your risk of getting diverticulitis as well:

As the stats show above, as we age, we increase our chances of developing diverticulitis.
All the more reason to choose to eat right and exercise.
Those who smoke have an increased likelihood compared to those who don’t. There have also been theories that the act of inhaling decreases the strength of the wall.
Certain medications. Steroids, opioids, and non-steroid anti-inflammatories have all proven to contribute.
Foods that are high in fat, such as dairy and fried foods, and processed grains.

Most recommended ways to delay or prevent diverticulitis are as follows:

A diet rich in fiber, and low in fat and processed foods.
Exercise regularly to keep your abdomen wall strong and to decrease constipation through increased circulation.
Drink plenty of water to prevent the fiber from balling up as well as to flush the system.
Don’t smoke.

Once one has been identified as having diverticulitis, doctors tend to recommend a diet of liquids and soft foods at first to reduce the inflammation. After symptoms have subsided, high-fiber foods have proven not to be tolerated well. They tend to exasperate the digestive system at this point. Where eating fiber may have prevented this state, eating it after the fact is not recommended due to an increase in symptoms.

11 Foods that worsen diverticulitis

Since the technical cause of diverticulitis is unknown, there isn’t a certified list of foods to avoid to prevent or decrease symptoms, per the National Institute of Health. That said, experience has taught many patients and doctors that certain foods have a higher likelihood of causing a flare-up of symptoms or exasperating current symptoms.

These foods can cause discomfort, but each individual is different. It is recommended to experiment in small amounts, increasing slowly, to see how much of each you can handle. Many of the foods are part of the High FODMAP diet, which is one part of a diet designed for a multitude of digestive difficulties or diseases. The other part of the diet is called a Low FODMAP diet, and that is recommended for different conditions.

Dairy foods. Ice cream, butter, cheeses, and yogurt. This remains true even if you are not lactose intolerant. Hard cheeses are better than soft cheeses. Olive oil is an excellent replacement for butter.
Beans – pinto, kidney, navy beans, chickpeas
Lentils
Cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Onions and garlic
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi
Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, bulgur
Certain vegetables like broccoli, corn, and peppers (red and green). Corn contains a lot of sugar, which contributes to the problem. Peppers have shown to increase cramping by increasing gas and are more difficult to digest.
Certain fruits like apples, pears, and plums
High fat foods, including chips, fried foods, and fast food. They tend to stimulate the digestive process, leading to gastrocolic reflex, and increase inflammation.

The reason experts recommend to avoid these foods is due to the amount of gas they create, which then leads to severe discomfort.

It is possible to experiment with steaming or boiling the vegetables listed here to see if you tolerate them better. The softer the vegetables are, the easier they are to digest. You can also try the fruit with the skin removed, since the skin contains the most fiber. You can switch to almond or soymilk in place of your dairy.

It is also possible to maintain a prescribed diet for a few months, then slowly implement one item at a time to see how you tolerate it.

Final Thoughts on Foods that Make Diverticulitis Worse

Due to age, some of us may eventually develop diverticulitis. There are steps we can take now to minimize or delay that progression. Exercise and eating a high-fiber, low-fat diet with the recommended amount of water is an excellent way.

Once diagnosed with diverticulitis, it is a matter of managing the symptoms to prevent or decrease flare up and further complications. Knowing in advance these 11 foods that can make diverticulitis worse can be a great help in adjusting your diet and increasing your comfort level.

The World’s Biggest Ocean Cleanup Has Officially Started

June 1, 2019 by Power of Positivity

We’re at a pivotal point in history right now. We have created so much waste in an attempt to make our lives better that the planet is choking in our excess. Billions of plastic particles litter the streets, oceans, and land, and we are now realizing how dire the situation is. Companies are trying to come up with ways to get rid of all this plastic before it’s too late, and volunteers from all over the world have started to gather for community cleanup projects.

To give you an idea of the staggering amount of plastic pollution in the oceans, here are some statistics courtesy of Plastic Oceans:

We produce over 300 million tons of plastic every year.
50% of this is for single-use purposes. We might make use of the plastic for just seconds, but it can last for hundreds of years on Earth.
More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean annually.
33% of marine species have been found tangled in some type of plastic litter.
Over 90% of all seabirds have plastic in their stomachs.
40% of all plastic usage is accounted for by packaging products.
500 billion plastic bags are used globally every year. This is over one million bags every minute.
In the last 10 years, we have produced more plastic than in the entire last century.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

According to The Ocean Cleanup, one area where plastic has accumulated called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest in the world, measuring twice the size of Texas or 1.6 million square kilometers. At the time scientists did a sample, they found that there were more than 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the patch that weighed around 80,000 tons. This is equivalent to the weight of 500 Jumbo Jets. Furthermore, they said that 1.8 trillion is a mid-range estimate, and it could be as high as 3.6 trillion pieces.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is created from an ocean gyre in the central North Pacific. When various ocean currents meet, they form a swirling vortex, which prevents the plastic from moving out of the oceans onto shores where it can be cleaned up. The garbage patch was first discovered in the mid-1980s and is approximately halfway between California and Hawaii. Since the garbage patch is twice the size of Texas, space satellites can easily detect it.

The Ocean Cleanup Creates Special Ocean Cleanup Technology to Rid the Oceans of Plastic

“We need to respect the oceans and take care of them as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.” – Sylvia Earle

Last September, The Ocean Cleanup, a company committed to ridding the oceans of plastic debris, started a massive project using advanced technology to clean trash floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. They deployed a floating boom system from San Francisco Bay to start performing testing before beginning the project. On their website, the company estimates that their systems can clean 50% of the garbage patch in the Pacific every 5 years.

How does it work?

The company was founded by 18-year-old Dutch inventor Boyan Slat in 2013. Their mission is to use “advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic.” They will use dozens of floating booms to trap floating plastic and carry it out of the oceans. Each boom will capture up to 150,000 pounds of plastic per year as they float between California and Hawaii along the currents.

The floating boom systems were towed out 1,400 miles to the garbage patch last October to start the process of collecting plastic and other trash. The boom was designed to drift along with the currents, creating a U-shape. This helps clean up the trash efficiently since it can move with the motion of the currents.

The booms have 10 feet of netting below them to collect the smaller pieces of plastic that can’t be collected otherwise. After the boom fills up completely with trash, a fleet will come out to the boom to transport the plastic back to land for sorting and recycling. Of course, the possibility of collecting fish as well as plastic exists, but the company hopes that by making the netting 10 feet deep, fish can still pass under it comfortably.

The company has ambitious goals for cleaning up the world’s plastic, but so far, they’re the pioneers in the fight to rid the planet of plastic. While one of the booms did break and had to be returned for repair, the founders are not giving up. Since they came up with the idea, they must learn by doing, so of course mistakes are expected.

Hangups in the process

Rumors have spread about the company calling it quits, but the founder says “that’s rubbish.” The company is completely transparent with the public and posts regular updates to its blog. They’re in the process of correcting the problems with the original boom. The investors are still on board since many are entrepreneurs themselves and are familiar with iterative processes. Investors in the tech industry include Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, and Marc Benioff, the chief executive of Salesforce.com.

The company aims to recycle and reuse the plastic it collects by creating branded high-quality products such as phones, chairs, sunglasses, and even car parts. Reusing the plastic already in the environment is the only way we can truly stop polluting the oceans and environment.

If you’d like a visual representation of how the technology works, here is a video explaining it:

What do you think about this new technology to assist in ocean cleanup? What efforts do you take in your daily life to reduce your plastic consumption? Share your thoughts in the comments!

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

9 Best Exercises To Lose A Belly Pooch

May 31, 2019 by Power of Positivity

It’s easy to wind up gaining weight around the stomach. Unfortunately, it’s also the area that most people want to keep as trim as possible – and it’s very difficult to lose the weight around that location, too. The good news is that, like with all other weight issues, exercises can work wonders.

The trick is doing the right ones in order to see the best results. There’s a good chance that you’ve been trying a lot of different things but just not finding the right solutions.

Luckily, we’re here to help! By performing the right moves, you’ll be able to trim down tummy fat relatively quickly.

Here Are The 9 Best Exercises To Lose A Belly Pooch

1. The Stomach Vacuum

This low-impact move is unique in the fact that it is focused on controlling and managing breathing, as opposed to upping heart rate. Don’t discount it, though! Have positive thinking! It’s a stretch pose that is a great way to help strengthen your abdominal muscles, and it’ll help you maintain better posture, too. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Start by standing straight with your hands resting on your hips.
Step 2: Breathe out hard. Make sure as much air is pushed out of your lungs as possible.
Step 3: Hold in your stomach as much as you can, bringing your chest to expand as much as possible.
Step 4: Hold your breath and the position for a minimum of 20 seconds. Scale that count upwards the more accustomed to the exercise you become.
Step 5: Repeat the exercise around 10 times.
Step 6: For more variation or harder intensities, try doing this same exercise while sitting, kneeling, or lying down.

Make sure you’re doing this move on an empty stomach, or else digestive problems will follow. Also, talk to a doctor before doing this exercise if you have lung or heart conditions.

2. Mountain Climber Exercises

A mountain climber is a fairly difficult exercise, and it’s often a part of high-intensity exercise training. It’s easy to think about it as a standard plank move … but moving. It can be challenging, as your abdominal and core muscles have to keep your body good and stable while it does multiple fast small crunches in a row. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Start in a position that appears like a push-up. Make sure your body is straight from head to toe, and that your hands are underneath each shoulder.
Step 2: Raise your right foot, bring the knee upwards and inwards to your chest. As it comes up, lightly tap against the floor with that right foot. Then push it back to its initial position.
Step 3: Swap to your left foot and do the same as in step 2.
Step 4: Do as many mountain climbers as you are capable of within 20 seconds, allow a 10-second rest. Keep repeating this for around 4 minutes. If you have difficulty, you can scale the intervals down.

3. Tummy Tuck Exercises

This seemingly simple move is actually deceptively important. It is crucial in ensuring that your ab muscles – both deep and superficial – are engaged in a positive way and ready for a good workout. As such, it makes a great exercise to start your routine with. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Start by sitting on the floor, leaning backwards so your forearms are flat on the floor while your weight is on your elbows. Your hands should naturally rest near your waist.
Step 2: Bend your knees at a right angle, keeping them at about a hip’s width apart. Do not put your feet flat against the floor. Instead, raise your toes so that only your tiptoes graze the ground, and your heels are raised.
Step 3: Start the exercise by pulling your abdomen inwards. Slowly move your hips in an upward motion, beginning from your belly button, as though you are tucking your stomach in.
Step 4: Tuck your stomach until you can’t go further, then squeeze your muscles and hold yourself in the position for one second.
Step 5: Slowly release and return to the position you found yourself in at the end of step 2. Repeat the exercise (step 3 and step 4) around 25 times.

4. The Tick Tock

This difficult move is great for effectively toning your abs and helping you to lose a belly pooch. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.
Step 2: Your knees should be bent now. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.
Step 3: Squeeze your ab muscles to maintain your pose. Then, gently use your hands to rock your body back and forth, making sure your knees and hips remain at the same angles.
Step 4: Rock forwards and backwards. When rocking forwards, keep your body upright, and move forward until you feel your toe tips just gently touching the floor.
Step 5: When rocking backwards, you’ll want to lower yourself slowly onto your forearms. Make sure your muscles stay tight.
Step 6: Repeat this exercise (steps 3 to 5) around 10 times.

5. The March

This move is a type of march that you can do while you’re lying down, believe it or not! Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: You’ll need to begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.
Step 2: Your knees should be bent. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.
Step 3: Start your tummy tuck move again, and as you do so, lower your right leg down until you feel your toe tips just gently touching the floor. Make sure your knee stays bent at 90 degrees this whole time.
Step 4: Keep your stomach tucked. Now, move your right leg back up to its original position.
Step 5: Now, repeat steps 3 and 4 with your left leg.
Step 6: Do a total of ten repetitions per leg.

6. The Double Leg Press

This move really helps to keep your abs strong, providing good muscle-building for your core. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: You’ll need to begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.
Step 2: Your knees should be bent now. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.
Step 3: Start your tummy tuck move again. As you do so, stretch your legs out until they are extended straight in front of you, with your feet high enough to be at your eye level.
Step 4: Keeping your stomach tucked, move your legs back to their original position.
Step 5: Repeat this exercise about 15 times.

7. The Controlled Kick

This exercise involves a good amount of careful control over each leg’s movements to ensure success. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: You’ll need to begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.
Step 2: Your knees should be bent now. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.
Step 3: Start your tummy tuck move again. As you do so, stretch your right leg out, bringing it lower and lower until it rests approximately 6” over the floor.
Step 4: Keep your stomach tucked. Now, move your right leg back to its original position.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 with your left leg.
Step 6: Repeat this exercise about 10 times for each leg.

8. Burpee Exercises

Burpees are explosive exercises that really work out every single bit of your body – including your stomach. They have positive effects on nearly all the muscles in your body, if not all of them. It can do a lot for your overall bodily health, too, including boosting your metabolism and allowing for faster fat burning overall. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Start standing straight with your feet apart, about a shoulder’s distance away from each other.
Step 2: Bring your hands down so that they rest against the floor. They should be around shoulder-width away from each other.
Step 3: Move your legs back so you are in a position similar to the start of a pushup.
Step 4: As soon as you reach the pushup stance, immediately jump your legs back forward. With this move, return them to their original position.
Step 5: Jump upwards explosively, raising your arms in the air as you do so.
Step 6: Repeat this exercise around 5 times if you’re a beginner. Scale upwards and add more reps as you get better.

9. The Bicycle

Although it’s called the bicycle, this move involves simply lying down on the ground and doing a few moves that mimic the motion of a bicycle in the process. (If you do have an exercise bike or a real bike, though, there’s no harm in adding that to your exercise routine!) Here’s how to do the bicycle move.

Step 1: Lie down on the floor, preferably on a mat, with your hands lying beside your body. You can also opt to place your hands under your head.
Step 2: Lift your legs up with bent knees and move them in a circular motion, as if you are riding a bicycle. Keep your back flat throughout the whole exercise, and make sure you’re not tugging at your neck.
Step 3: Start by moving your right leg in, bring the knee nearby to your chest as you straighten your left leg outwards. Then, do the opposite and keep it going.
Step 4: Do this between 10 and 12 times in a single set, and do a minimum of three sets at once.

Final Thoughts On Some Best Exercises To Lose A Belly Pooch

Very few people want to have a big belly. It can change your entire appearance. It can hurt your self-esteem, and the fact that it’s hard to work off makes it a big problem for lots of people around the world.

Given how stubborn the fat around the stomach area can be, it’s definitely a bit of a challenge. But with enough positive thinking, the right exercise moves, and a little hard work, you’ll be able to meet your weight loss goals and enjoy a more toned stomach.

7 Behaviors A Toxic Mother Displays That Makes Children Have Relationship Problems

May 31, 2019 by Power of Positivity

The environment you grew up in can significantly influence your emotional and mental development. As such, it’s not surprising that your parental relationships can affect the romantic relationships you become involved in later in life.

If your mother acted in toxic ways when raising you, this likely left you with some issues that seep into new relationships. Now, what you have to do is recognize how your mother’s treatment has affected your present.

This is a valuable action, as it can provide insight into your relationships. You may often have romantic relationships that fall apart quickly and painfully. You may avoid these types of connections altogether. Additionally, you may even notice toxic behaviors in yourself.

7 Behaviors A Toxic Mother Shows That Causes Children to Have Relationship Problems

Luckily, these experiences are not singular, and you are not alone in overcoming them, so there is information on common patterns from these childhoods.

1. A Lack Of Healthy Maternal Bond Leads To The Mythologization Of Romance

It’s true that when you have a toxic mother, imagining life in a less dysfunctional family is difficult. But that doesn’t mean you don’t subconsciously crave a healthy, close relationship – the kind you may have seen your friends enjoying with their mothers.

The problem is that you don’t know what a positive, healthy relationship entails. If your mother acted in unhealthy ways toward you, she likely didn’t have a great relationship with your father. This creates a skewed idea of what romance is supposed to be; as such, you might start to mythologize romance.

Essentially, this causes you to be too much of a perfectionist when seeking romance; you begin subconsciously looking for a partner who reminds you of your idea of what the perfect parent may be. This can cause you to:

Be overly critical of a partner’s mistakes
Have a too-long list of deal-breakers
Decide to break off a relationship at the first sign of trouble
Become angry or depressed when you realize this type of relationship is nonexistent

According to Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist Sheri Heller, the cycle of longing and rage you may feel from this scenario can be especially damaging in the long run. It can even lead you to believe that a good romance doesn’t and can’t exist.

2. A Lack Of Respect For Boundaries Leads To More Boundary Violation

Many toxic parents do not respect the boundaries of their children. There’s a difference between being strict, as many parents are, and severely violating their boundaries. It is possible to be firm and authoritative without walking all over a child.

A child who grows up in these situations often does not know how to set healthy, positive boundaries. Boundaries are essential to healthy interactions and romantic, spiritual, or familial relationships. For romantic partnerships, this can cause problems that cause you to:

Feel uncomfortable but do not want to say anything about it for fear of repercussions
Never articulate boundaries to a partner but lash out when they are unknowingly crossed
Be unable to enforce and maintain consistent boundaries with a partner
Become susceptible to abusive or manipulative relationships that take advantage of your lack of boundaries

You may also have trouble respecting other people’s boundaries since you grew up believing that they had no meaning. This is, however, a less common outcome, as most toxic mothers become extremely angry and abusive when their lines are crossed.

3. Unrealistic Expectations On You Lead To Unrealistic Expectations Of Partners

Many toxic mothers have incredibly unrealistic expectations of their children. As much as you tried, you likely had difficulty meeting any of these ridiculously high standards and were unfairly punished whenever you failed – which was all the time, given the impossibility of those expectations.

Sadly, these expectations are carried forward into the rest of your life. Not only may you continue to hold yourself to impossible standards, causing feelings of worthlessness and depression, but you may also start to expect these things from others around you.

This can cause you to exhibit toxic attitudes within romantic relationships. You expect them to do what your mother expected you to do. This can lead to very unhealthy relationships due to the following issues:

You feel dissatisfied with everything your partner does or doesn’t do.
You worry that your partner will leave you because you aren’t meeting your high expectations.
Your partner may feel controlled or trapped within these expectations.
Your standards are too high for anybody to reach.
You will feel disappointed by romantic endeavors and continue to seek non-existent perfection.
You can become abusive and manipulative towards partners who do not comply.

4. Bad Communication Leads To More Bad Communication

Communication in a toxic household with a toxic mother can be tumultuous and difficult to navigate. It was likely ineffectual, didn’t usually result in anything good, and was altogether very unhealthy. For example, your mother may have:

Said something but meant something else, then became angry when you didn’t pick up on what she meant.
Neglected to communicate about anything important, expecting you to read her mind and then punishing you for being unable to do so.
Ignored your attempts at communication or refused to communicate altogether.
Belittled, invalidated, made fun of, or become angry at your attempts at communication.
Pretended to listen to your communication, only to disregard it soon after.

The lack of respect shown to your attempts at communication can affect your romantic relationships much later in life in the following ways:

You may have trouble communicating with a partner about what you need.
You may frequently give your partner the cold shoulder. Additionally, you may perform other toxic, non-communicative actions.
You may drop hints or say what you don’t mean. Or you might expect a partner to understand you instead of communicating effectively.
You may be unable to respect your partner’s communication due to fear that they secretly mean something else.

5. Untrustworthy and Toxic Mothers Lead To Trust Issues

Children are supposed to be able to trust their parents. If your mother made that impossible, there are likely some residual issues you face today that indicate how difficult it was for you.

When a child learns that their mother is unreliable and cannot be trusted, they learn to protect themselves and cope. They become secretive and guarded, and go to great lengths to survive and protect themselves.

Unfortunately, unlearning these behaviors is very, very difficult. In romantic relationships, it can cause you to:

Become easily jealous and angry.
Do not trust your partner’s words easily.
Disbelieve compliments and kindness.
Snoop around in your partner’s items.
Constantly fear a partner backstabbing or hurting you.
Shut out your partner and refuse to confide in them.
Lie about small things due to a perceived threat, causing you to become untrustworthy.

These are all very unhealthy habits within romantic relationships. You must unlearn and replace them with positive thinking and good communication – but this is easier said than done. A therapist may be able to help you on your journey.

6. A Lack Of Validation Leads To Validation-Seeking Behavior

When a child grows up, they learn many things for the first time. Feeling encouraged in their curiosity, the pursuit of knowledge, and success can help create a more positive development for the child.

Toxic mothers do not provide this validation. They do not provide advice well, they disagree with their kids, and they do not affirm their actions or assure them. According to licensed clinical social worker Jamie Kreiter, this can cause a child to become “starved” for this kind of validation, leading to self-destructive habits that hinge on affirmation in romantic relationships.

This means you might struggle with severe self-doubt and insecurity that causes you to demand the validation of your partner through any means constantly. You may become excessively jealous of minor things or gravely upset by the slightest lack of validation.

7. The Unhealthy Dynamic Leads To Unhappiness In Healthy Ones

When you grow up in a toxic relationship with your mother, it’s all you know. It’s the only form of affection and loves you received as a child – unhealthy, selfish, fake love. As such, you may crave this same love style in your relationship dynamics, says licensed mental health clinician Celeste Viciere.

Not only does this mean feeling unhappy in healthy and secure relationships, but it also means seeking out toxic partners to fulfill cravings for that kind of treatment. You have been conditioned to expect a certain dynamic from relationships, and everything goes haywire when you don’t receive it.

Your mind does not feel used to healthy interactions. It can feel strange and foreign to you to be in positive relationships; this can cause you to let go of good partners in favor of bad ones without even realizing the pattern.

Final Thoughts On Some Behaviors A Toxic Mother Shows That Causes Problems In A Relationship

Toxic mothers rob their children of happy, healthy lives, and they betray their responsibilities to their families. Unfortunately, you cannot change the environment you grew up in or change the past.

However, despite everything you have been through, it is endlessly crucial that you continue to grow to overcome the issues of your past. Remaining hung up on the maternal bond you never had can hold you back, keeping you stuck in the past. Your anger is valid, but it needs to be worked through with strength and positive thinking.

If you are unaware of how this old toxicity affects you, it is almost impossible to quell since you cannot stop or fix something you don’t even know about. Don’t be afraid to seek professional help to aid you in unraveling your past. There is no shame in seeking help!

The first step to overcoming the toxicity of your past is understanding where they stem from and how it can explain your current actions. Awareness and knowledge are incredible weapons; armed with them, you can move past your upbringing and become a good partner in new relationships.

Luckily, these experiences are not singular, and you are not alone in overcoming them, so there is information on common patterns from these childhoods.

Experts Explain 5 Reasons Counting Calories Doesn’t Matter When Losing Weight

May 31, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Counting calories has long been viewed as one of the instrumental factors for losing weight. To understand that premise, one must understand what calories are and the effect they have on our weight.

Calories are a unit of measurement for the energy gained when food is broken down into energy for our bodies. Its technical word is kilocalories. Generally, it is thought that 3,500 calories are equal to one pound of weight. Our bodies gain specific amounts of caloric energy from different food types:

4 calories from carbohydrates
4 calories from protein
9 calories from fat and
7 calories from alcohol

These calories are then utilized to aid in our basic metabolism, digestion, and physical activity.

Basic Metabolism is the exertion of energy towards our brain, kidneys, lungs, heart, and nervous system. The amount of energy used is referred to as your basal metabolic rate and requires the highest amount of your daily energy usage.
Digestion refers to the breakdown and metabolization of food as a physical process. This process is referred to as the thermic effect of food. Different foods require more or less energy to break down. About 10-15% of the calories you consume is used for this purpose.
Physical Activity is where the remaining calories go. Physical activity includes any action you are making at all, not just exercise, sports, or intense body movement. This is where your caloric use varies the most.

Once your body has used calories for these, the remainder is stored for future use. The energy stored in your muscles is converted to glycogen, but the majority is stored as fat.

This is where it seems completely logical to assume that if the unused calories are stored as fat, then the fewer calories you eat, the less fat your body stores. Additionally, if you already have stores of fat and then decrease your calories, it makes sense that your body is going to draw from your stored resources and burn off the fat.

Yes, generally speaking, if you eat more calories than you burn off in a day, you will gain weight. Where the logic fails is due to a few other factors. Abby Langer, a registered dietician, breaks down the various points.

How many calories does each person require?

In order to know how many calories you need to cut out, you need to know how many calories you really need. This is determined by your basal metabolic rate. There is only one test which can test that, called indirect calorimetry, and even that is not exact.

You don’t know how many calories your body takes from the food.

The quantity of fiber and protein and your gut bacteria all change how many calories are gained from food. Each food is broken down differently and some of it is not metabolized at all.

Packaged food calorie count isn’t accurate.

The FDA allows a 20% discrepancy in accuracy. Add in the fact that the amount you eat is not usually a portion size and you usually do not measure the amount you ate.

Calorie counting ignores your hunger signals.

If you only eat the calories you believe you need but you still feel hungry, then your body is trying to tell you something for a reason.

Exercise burns off calorie for calorie.

When we are told to count calories, we also believe that if we eat more calories, we can burn it off in exercise. This is true and untrue. Yes, you will burn off calories during exercise, but it may not equate to the amount you overate.

The Problem with Counting Calories

The issue with calorie counting is that it fails to take into consideration where the calories come from and how each is used. In 2014, a study stated “it is where the calories come from that is crucial” when calculating if your body chooses to store them as fat, use them as energy, or apply them to another area in the body.

As an example, think about the nutritional difference between a bowl of oatmeal and a handful of chips. Oatmeal contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals that your body breaks down and sends to necessary organs and functions in the body. It also breaks down more incrementally due to the fiber, so we are using the energy as it comes.

Chips are empty calories with high fat and sodium content but little nutritional value. Their overall use is less than the bowl of oatmeal and breaks down quickly for fast use.

Macronutrients: The formula, the theory

Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are recognized as being the most essential for energy production. The majority of our energy stem from carbohydrates, with the Heart Association estimating that we need about 45-65% of our energy from this macronutrient. The type of carbohydrate eaten will dictate how quickly we break it down and if our body can use it as quickly as it is available before being stored.

Protein provides necessary energy for muscles and cell tissue while also increasing feelings of fullness. Fats slow down digestion, and healthy fats can provide Omega 3’s and vitamins.

These three substances are also known as macronutrients. Vitamins and minerals are known as micronutrients.

Some scientists and nutritionists believe we should be counting our macronutrients rather than our calories.

How does that work? First, understand that the focus is on macronutrients rather than micronutrients because it is believed that if you calculate the first properly, you will get more than a sufficient amount of micronutrients.

Secondly, in order to determine how many carbohydrates, proteins, and fats you need in your diet, you need to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate while at complete rest based on the weight you wish to be at. You can use apps, go to a registered nurse or doctor, or try to figure it out yourself. As stated above, however, your Basal Metabolic Rate cannot be precisely determined, but it will give you a ballpark idea.

Once you know what your BMR is at rest for your projected goal, you then adjust your diet to match the quantity of protein, carbohydrates, and fats (with fruits and vegetables of course) in your meals. It is based on the formula that you should take in 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20% fats. As you add in your activities of the day, you multiply by a certain rate between 1.2 – 1.8 to determine how and where to adjust the quantity.

Yes, it is a lot of math and is frequently calculated throughout the day for each meal. This is definitely worse than trying to calculate calories, but may be a more effective means of tracking where you are getting your energy sources. Yet the proportions of carbohydrates, protein, and fats are inaccurate. Depending upon your age and the amount of muscle mass you have along with your activity level, 40% protein may be too high while your intake of carbohydrates may be too low.

Diet Studies

There are many studies that can point to limiting calories, eating low fat, eating high fat, or consuming low amounts of carb that have positive results to show for them.

Dr. Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., a director of nutrition studies at Stanford Prevention Research Center, did his own study. He called it DIETFITS, and its goal was to compare healthy lower fat and healthy lower carb diets. He had 6,500 volunteers and they lost 6,500 pounds in total. Yet, he did not find an advantage of one diet over another. Additionally, he had some members who, despite close monitoring of their diet, gained weight regardless of which diet they were on.

Kevin Hall, Ph.D., a senior investigator for the National Institute of Health, performed his own study which was published in 2016. He had a group of 17 overweight and mildly obese men on two diets. Each were similar in caloric intake, but the first four weeks consisted of a high-carb diet followed by a low-carb diet. They had a drop in insulin when going to the low-carb diet from the high-carb one, but their fasting glucose and fat loss were comparable or slightly improved on the low-carb diet.

Conclusion

The true definitive reason why counting calories doesn’t work is that the big picture is incomplete. Scientists are still trying to figure out one definite way in which everyone can lose weight. Dr. Hall and Dr. Gardner both came to the same conclusion:

Processed foods are a huge detriment when figuring caloric value and effects on how our body uses nutrients. Not only have processed foods been proven to interrupt our gut health, but our body does not recognize them as having nutritional value, and therefore, just stores the calories as fat.
The true answer may not be universal. Each individual may need to have a diet designed for them specifically. There are too many individualistic variables that affect how we use and burn off energy and how much gets stored.
Each calorie is not the same. We cannot just say eat fewer calories when other factors determine how quickly we metabolize those calories – such as whether they have other nutrient benefits or are broken down more slowly than others.
Less added sugar. Decreasing added sugar and processed foods in our diets has unequivocal value to everyone.
Healthy eating is not just about calories. It is about nutrient value, benefits, and calories all together.

Whether we like it or not, decreasing calories alone isn’t sufficient. Some people need more individualized diet and weight loss plans.

The best diet is still what our doctors have been telling us for years now. Eat lean meat or protein alternatives like tofu, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grain carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits. Cut out processed foods and added sugar, while maintaining a caloric intake between 1,800 – 2,500 unless you do extensive exercise or sports.

How many calories does each person require?

You don’t know how many calories your body takes from the food.

Packaged food calorie count isn’t accurate.

Calorie counting ignores your hunger signals.

Exercise burns off calorie for calorie.

The Community

Our Free Community of Positively Powerful SuperFans

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Here Are 7 Foods To Never Eat On A Low Carb Diet

1. Fruit

a) Mangos

b) Bananas

c) Pears

d) Dates

e) Raisins

2. Legumes and Beans

a) Black beans

b) Lentils

c) Chickpeas

d) Peas

e) Kidney beans

f) Pinto beans

3. Yogurt

4. Vegetables

a) Potatoes

b) Beets

c) Corn

d) Yam

e) Sweet potatoes

5. Salad Dressing

6. Gluten-Free Products

7. Milk

Final Thoughts On Some Foods To Never Eat On A Low Carb Diet

Prevalence of Diverticular Disease

This disease doesn’t just affect western countries, but eastern nations as well.

Diverticulosis or Diverticulitis?

How our food choices cause diverticulitis

There are other factors which increase your risk of getting diverticulitis as well:

Most recommended ways to delay or prevent diverticulitis are as follows:

11 Foods that worsen diverticulitis

The reason experts recommend to avoid these foods is due to the amount of gas they create, which then leads to severe discomfort.

Final Thoughts on Foods that Make Diverticulitis Worse

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Ocean Cleanup Creates Special Ocean Cleanup Technology to Rid the Oceans of Plastic

How does it work?

Hangups in the process

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Here Are The 9 Best Exercises To Lose A Belly Pooch

1. The Stomach Vacuum

2. Mountain Climber Exercises

3. Tummy Tuck Exercises

4. The Tick Tock

5. The March

6. The Double Leg Press

7. The Controlled Kick

8. Burpee Exercises

9. The Bicycle

Final Thoughts On Some Best Exercises To Lose A Belly Pooch

7 Behaviors A Toxic Mother Shows That Causes Children to Have Relationship Problems

1. A Lack Of Healthy Maternal Bond Leads To The Mythologization Of Romance

2. A Lack Of Respect For Boundaries Leads To More Boundary Violation

3. Unrealistic Expectations On You Lead To Unrealistic Expectations Of Partners

4. Bad Communication Leads To More Bad Communication

5. Untrustworthy and Toxic Mothers Lead To Trust Issues

6. A Lack Of Validation Leads To Validation-Seeking Behavior

7. The Unhealthy Dynamic Leads To Unhappiness In Healthy Ones

Final Thoughts On Some Behaviors A Toxic Mother Shows That Causes Problems In A Relationship

These calories are then utilized to aid in our basic metabolism, digestion, and physical activity.

How many calories does each person require?

You don’t know how many calories your body takes from the food.

Packaged food calorie count isn’t accurate.

Calorie counting ignores your hunger signals.

Exercise burns off calorie for calorie.

The Problem with Counting Calories

Macronutrients: The formula, the theory

Some scientists and nutritionists believe we should be counting our macronutrients rather than our calories.

Diet Studies

Conclusion

The Community

Our Free Community of Positively Powerful SuperFans

Rise and Shine On! Master Your Day with the Ultimate Positive Morning Guide + Checklist

Stay Connected With

Us

Every day is a day to shine. Shine on!

Rise and Shine On!
Master Your Day with the Ultimate Positive Morning Guide + Checklist