Blog Posts by DietsInReview

By Brandi Koskie - senior editor for DietsInReview.com

The quickest and easiest excuse for not taking care of our health is that we're too busy or there's just not enough time in the day. But who doesn't have ten minutes? We all have ten minutes. It's possible we all have a free ten minutes several times a day. If you're not sure what to do with the spare time on your hands, put it to good use an make yourself healthier! Each of these tasks can be done in ten minutes or less and will create the foundation for a very healthy lifestyle.

1. Take a walk. You might think if you don't have a full 30 or 60 minutes to devote to a workout that you might as well not even do it. Not true at all. If you took a ten-minute walk or jog before work, at lunch, and in the evening, you'd rack up a 30-minute workout for the day. And it's totally fine to space them out. You'll appreciate the extra few minutes to clear your head, move your body and get away from your desk.

2. Make breakfast. Waiting for

By Heather Ashare - DietsInReview.com

If you have stayed up late enough, or if you are a rise-and-shine early bird, you have probably seen the
television infomercials for P90X, an intense workout system that relies on a routine of interval training
exercises to help you achieve a lean and strong body in 90 days.

The Basics
Created by Tony Horton and Beachbody Fitness, P90X, is a three-month program divided into
three, 30-day phases, which combine a series of cardiovascular and strength-training routines that
are performed in a circuit and interval-based manner. Yoga, plyometrics (a kind of exercise that is characterized by fast and powerful movements intended to improve physical performance), abdominal work and stretching and flexibility, as well as a nutrition plan, are all part of this hot fitness trend's offerings.

The magic behind the P90X system is a concept referred to as "muscle confusion," which adds new movements and alters the sequence of exercises to literally confuse

By Heather Ashare - DietsInReview.com

With the Tour de France starting July 3, media outlets will once again be abuzz about Lance
Armstrong, his training routine, health habits and his favorite pre- and post-racing eats.

The seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor takes his health as seriously as he does his choice in racing bikes.

In 2007, New Sun Nutrition, maker of the FRS (Free Radical Scavenger) Healthy Energy drink, signed Lance Armstrong as their chief spokesman and part-owner of the Santa Barbara-based company. In the past few years, Armstrong has been seen and heard extolling the benefits of these antioxidant-rich fruity drinks, which have amassed a passionate and devoted fan base of athletes ranging from cyclists to snowboarders, as well as health enthusiasts.

FRS Healthy Energy drinks were first created specifically for cancer patients battling fatigue following
chemotherapy treatments. Armstrong teamed up with Dick Lamb, CEO of New Sun and co-founder of

By Brandi Koskie - Senior Editor for DietsInReview.com

The more colorful our diets, the healthier they are. Take that to heart in a patriotic sense this weekend and be sure to fill your plate with foods that are red, blue and even white. We've selected some of the tastiest foods found in these three American colors to help you plan a red, white and blue spread that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to your guest's taste buds.

Red Foods

The brighter in color a food, the better it is for you. (No, this doesn't apply to Skittles.) Red-hued fruits and vegetables are incredibly nutritious, and usually taste pretty good. The reds comes from anthocyanins, an antioxidant that can help remove free radicals from the body. Plus, red foods can reduce LDL cholesterol, risk of prostate cancer and lower blood pressure.

Strawberries - These sweet little summer berries will brighten any spread. One cup of whole strawberries has only 46 calories. Put out a bowl by themselves, add to a fruit salad, or

By Brandi Koskie - Senior Editor for DietsInReview.com

For dieters, you can't get your hand caught in the cookie jar. It's like a ceramic trap lined with sugar-filled, fat-laden, calorie-brimming treats that will make everything from your wrist to your ankles a little wider.

The rules of "moderation" suggest that we can have a cookie sometimes. And we can. In moderation. That means a cookie once in a while, not a bag of Oreos while you watch DVRed reality shows. Michael Pollan, a popular food author, has been quoted saying that we can eat junk food as long as we make it ourselves. So to that, a homemade cookie, in which you control the ingredients, is going to be better than something from your grocery's bakery.

Still yet, if you don't have time to bake a batch, want to avoid the pre-fab dough, and still have a cookie craving that must be satisfied, then maybe a cookie diet is for you. There are three that are hot on the market right now. While each is unique unto themselves, the

By Carmen Staicer - Chief Mom at DietsInReview.com

Women are historically the caregivers in a family. Most often the ones who take care of the children, the house, the job, and often we end up sacrificing ourselves in the process. After all, it can be difficult to try to fit each and every thing into your schedule, and most often the needs of the mother end up falling to the wayside. It's an understandable phenomenon, but that's no reason to give up and lose yourself.

Sometimes, though, we feel guilty to put ourselves first, as if we are selfish or neglecting our families when we spend time and energy on our healthy living. But the feelings of guilt, resentment and anger - those feelings that come up when you have to sacrifice yourself and your needs - those feelings cause our stress hormones to shoot higher and higher and cause health problems.

Getting into better physical shape, losing weight and taking care of yourself are all goals that many of us have set in our lives at one

By Brandi Koskie - Senior Editor for DietsInReview.com

Finding the inspiration to lose weight comes to people in different ways. Sometimes it's knowing you'll be around for your children. Or fitting in to a particular outfit. Or looking your best for an event.

For Stephen Rice, it was his brother.

"I was inspired to lose weight entirely from my brother," says Stephen. "I saw how much healthier and happier he was when losing weight and saw it as an inspiration."

Stephen just a few months ago weighed 300 pounds, at age 16. Today, as he closes in on his 17th birthday, he's down 120 pounds. The now 180-pound teen says "I had a lot of help from my brother… Losing weight was a great choice and I'm a lot happier and healthier."

His brother, James Rice, was 20-years old when he weighed 370 pounds. Post-high school and trying to decide what was next, James thought "enough is enough, I need to lose weight or I am going to die."

James lead the charge, relying on smaller portion sizes of

By Brandi Koskie - DietsInReview.com

There's probably not much we can tell you here that you don't already know. Fast-food isn't great for you. Our country is growing more obese by the day. We should find healthier alternatives to the foods we like.

So when a company like Subway advertises for years how much healthier their food is than the other guys (the other guys being the likes of Friendly's with a Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt), we want to believe them. Food that tastes good, that's good for us, who would argue with that? Their tagline "Eat Fresh" automatically implies that the food is fresh and wholesome, much more so than a greasy bag of burgers and fries.

Shine readers, we've been duped. Not everything on the Subway menu is as fresh and healthy as we want it to be; as we deserve for it to be. No, lurking in those ingredient labels (that, let's be real, few of us actually inspect before eating) is high fructose corn syrup. It's a darling of the processed food industry - a cheap,