Each month, SELF reports on some of the biggest trends and breaking news that women need to know to be their healthiest and happiest. And while I love the articles where we dive into important issues—like the latest findings on the benefit of exercise for keeping your brain young, or the yo-yo effects of detox dieting—sometimes it’s the little factoids we uncover that fascinate me most and really stick in my head. Here are 10 tidbits of health info that really stood out recently; they make for great conversation fodder (I bring them up at parties or when talking to my bike buddies on a long ride!), and even better, you can use the knowledge in your everyday life to enhance your health and feel your best. Enjoy!
1. Interval training burns calories even after a workout.
Intervals—alternating high-intensity bursts of exercise with slower bouts—keep your metabolism cranked higher and longer post-workout, sizzling as many as 120 extra calories after you’re done. As few as two to three minutes of intense exercise per session increases the size and number of mitochondria, the powerhouses in your muscles that use oxygen to burn calories and fat. Best of all, intervals work with any form of cardio—swimming, running, walking, biking—so you can integrate them into your favorite workout. So for instance, if you’re a walker, you might start with five minutes of walking at a moderate pace (on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is easy and 10 is all-out, you should be at a 5 or 6), then alternate 1 minute at a moderately hard pace (7 or 8) with 1 minute at an easier pace (4 or 5) for eight cycles, then cool down for 5 minutes at a moderate pace (4 or 5).
2. Celery helps your heart.
It’s is one of my favorite healthy munches (along with almonds), and while it has a rep as a nutritional zero, celery is actually a great source of potassium, a nutrient that helps reduce blood pressure and regulate the balance of fluids and minerals in the body. Most Americans get less than 50 percent of the suggested 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day. “Everyone thinks of bananas for potassium,” says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “But per calorie, you’re better off munching on celery.” Four medium stalks deliver about the same amount of potassium as a 105-calorie banana for a mere 24 calories. The crunchy crudité also contains compounds called phthalides, which moderate blood pressure, too. If celery alone sounds too bland, top it with a tablespoon or two of hummus or lowfat cream cheese to add flavor and protein, a nutrient that digests slowly and will help you feel fuller longer.
3. Fiber blocks calorie absorption.
People who eat at least 34 grams of fiber daily absorb up to 6 percent fewer calories, studies suggest. Our bodies have a difficult time digesting fiber, so it gets shuttled through the digestive tract and out of the body quickly, carrying other foods you’ve eaten with it before those calories can be stored in the body. Some great sources of fiber include fruits and veggies (apples have 4.4 g each; 1 cup of broccoli contains 2.4 g), whole-grain bread or whole-wheat pasta (2 slices of oat-bran bread has 3 g of fiber), brown rice (3.5 g per cooked cup), and bran cereal (Fiber One contains 14 g per half cup).
4. Women can be tougher than men.
Ever wonder why some men can be such babies when they come down with a cold? (No offense, fellas!) Turns out, women may have stronger natural defenses, an animal study from McGill University Health Centre in Montreal reveals. Estrogen counters an enzyme that blocks your immune response, giving you added punch to fend off illness. Now, that’s girl power.
5. Some salts are “smarter” than others.
Unrefined sea salts contain more trace minerals such as calcium and zinc than the refined, iodized stuff you’ll find in salt shakers and a lot of processed and prepared foods. They’re also more flavorful, so you can use less (which is a good idea, since excess sodium can accumulate in your blood and increase blood pressure, putting strain on your heart) without denying your taste buds—and that’s great news for saltaholics like me!
6. Soda is a diet saboteur.
At roughly 225 calories a pop, a 20-ounce bottle packs nearly the same calories as a chocolate bar but is far less satisfying. If you have a soda-a-day habit, kicking it could deliver a 2-pound weight loss every 30 days. But don’t replace regular soda with a diet version: For every can of diet soda you sip daily, your risk of becoming overweight rises by 37 percent, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio found. They suspect that regular use of artificial sweeteners may interfere with the body’s ability to estimate calories you’ve ingested, so you eat beyond what you need. Opt for flat or seltzer water instead of soda, and add a spritz of lemon or lime juice if you crave some flavor.
7. The average American eats 22.2 teaspoons of added sugar a day.
That’s 355 calories daily! What we should be aiming for: No more than 100 calories (about 6 tsp) for women, and 150 calories (9 tsp) for men. So what are “added” sugars, anyway? They’re sugars and syrups that are added to foods during processing or preparation, versus the naturally occurring sugars in fruits, veggies and milk products. Soft drinks and other sweetened beverages are the biggest source of added sugars in Americans’ diet, according to a statement published in the journal Circulation by the American Heart Association: one 12-ounce cola packs 8 tsp—enough to exceed your recommended daily intake by 25 percent! Other top offenders: desserts (candy, cake, cookies, pie), fruit drinks and sweetened yogurt.
8. Television can make us fat.
Switching off the boob tube can boost your calorie burn. When people who watched five hours of television daily cut their viewing time in half, they torched an extra 119 calories per day, researchers from the University of Vermont in Burlington report. Done every day, that translates to 1 pound gone in about a month!
9. Happy hour and exercising go hand-in hand.
Women who enjoyed 15 to 45 alcoholic beverages per month were about 33 percent more likely to exercise vigorously than teetotalers, researchers from the University of Miami in Coral Gables report. Plus, sippers sweat for 10 more minutes each week. Scientists say the spirited group may hit the gym harder to compensate for the extra calories or to score bonus health benefits. That’s good news for those of us who like nights out and working out! Just keep your alcohol intake to no more than one a day to avoid undoing its health benefits.
10. It takes 60 seconds on the treadmill to burn off one peanut M&M.
Or three plain M&Ms, or a single reduced-fat Pringle. The common factor: All of these things contain 10 calories, and it takes about a minute of moderately intense exercise (i.e., 1 minute of jogging a 10-minute mile) to burn 10 calories. Of course, 10 calories can come in other healthier and more filling forms, such as two strawberries, three cherry tomatoes or 1/3 cup of air-popped popcorn. I’m not saying you shouldn’t treat yourself to chocolate every once in a while (it’s my Achilles heel, after all!), but it’s always good to know what you’re eating, especially if you plan to try to sweat it off later. To figure out how many calories you’re melting during exercise use SELF’s handy calculator.
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