How to Keep Up With Friends During a Week of Detox

How to Stay Social on a Diet

Spring is the perfect time to cleanse your system, eat clean, and start fresh. With that said, it can be very difficult to have any semblance of your standard social life if you're on a detox meal plan with no cheat meals or planned indulgences. Whether you're detoxing for one week or the whole month, these tips will help you stay on track and keep up with your friends.

Don't meet at the bar: Even if you're feeling motivated, take whatever temptation you can out of the equation. If you have a standing date with friends at a neighborhood watering hole, ask if you can hit up a new healthy restaurant or juice bar instead. A new environment will help you stay on course.


Bring your own food: Whenever possible, pack your own food and snacks for the road. You can still catch up on your favorite TV show with friends or meet up for a midday lunch date! Just be sure to pack the appropriate foods and recipes you'll be needing — plus an extra snack — in case you want to stay out for longer than anticipated. It's way harder to say no to all the off-limits foods all over the place when you're feeling hungry or unsatisfied.

Research restaurants: Depending on your job, upcoming events, or celebrations, eating out might be a necessity — especially if you're detoxing for more than a week. Be sure to do ample research on restaurants, and make sure there are options that suit your needs. Don't be afraid to call, ask questions, or request something special. If it's a last-minute gathering and you eat fish, just head to sushi. You will always be able to order fresh sashimiand a salad.


Make it active: Instead of meeting up for a long brunch or happy hour, suggest a hot new fitness class or a long hike instead. It's the season for healthy resolutions, so friends who have resisted in the past will most likely consider trying something new. If they continue to protest, make sure they know why you've suggested something new; chances are, they'll change their tune when they hear your reason.

Remember why you're detoxing: When you want to cut corners or stray away from your plan, it's time to get honest with yourself. Check in and remember why you're detoxing in the first place. Are you trying to reboot your body? Have more energy? Be aware of your food choices? The more you reconnect with the original reason you set on your plan, the easier it will be to make the right move or say no to plans when necessary.

Does More Sweat Translate to More Calories Burned?

Why is it that after a workout, some of us sweat so much we look like we did our run in a pool, while the rest of us look as dry as we did before the workout even started? It seems like the more you sweat, the harder you're working, which would also mean more calories burned, but is that the case?
Does More Sweat Translate to More Calories Burned?


Your body creates sweat to cool you off when your body temperature gets too high. You're born with between two and four million sweat glands, and how much you sweat depends on the number of sweat glands you have (more glands equal more sweat). Women tend to have more sweat glands than men, but men's glands are more active, so they sweat more. Perspiration is also affected by how hot it is, how intensely you're exercising, and whether or not you smoke or drink coffee or cocktails — smoking, caffeine, and alcohol can increase perspiration. What you're wearing also affects your sweat as synthetic fabrics trap in heat. Fat also acts as an insulator, so overweight people sweat more than those of normal weight.

Don't use the amount you sweat as a good indicator as to the number of calories you've burned. What matters is how long and how intensely you're working out. Any weight loss that you experience immediately after a workout is only water weight, and you'll gain it right back as soon as you rehydrate yourself. So don't worry about how sweaty you get. If you go for a 30-minute run and you haven't sweat a drop, you still burned almost 300 calories.

How to Protect Hair from Chlorine

How to protect hair from Chlorine

With winter finally out the door (can we get a high five?), we know you'll soon be headed to the pool to soak up the warmer weather and up your fitness game (check out these benefits of swimming). Just be sure to give your hair some extra love—the damage from the copper and chlorine in pool water is no myth: "When copper oxidizes against the hair shaft, it creates a green tint, which is especially visible on blond hair." And the chlorine? "It dries out and dulls the hair by stripping natural oils from the scalp and hair shaft," she says, which roughs up smooth hair cuticles and makes them stick out. Translation: Chlorine makes your hair sticky, reduces shine, and strips it of hair dye.

But not to fret! We've got the scoop on how to protect hair from chlorine, so you can keep on enjoying your sunny pool days—gorgeous hair included.

Rinse with Fresh Water
Rinse with Fresh Water

"The goal is to keep pool water away from the hair shafts". Saturate your hair with fresh water before diving in to slow down the direct access of pool water, she advises. Hit the showers every half hour during longer pool days to re-rinse during and after swimming.




Coat with Coconut oil
Coat with Coconut oil

"Coconut oil (or your hair oil of choice) coats hair with a water-resistant shield that protects it from chlorine and copper". Leave it in while swimming to help prevent chlorine damage.


Wear a Swim Cap
Wear a Swim Cap


Caps aren't just for the pros, peeps. They're especially important if your hair is naturally dry, chemically treated, or already breaking from hot styling tools. Chlorine is more powerful on weaker hair.






Use Extra Conditioner


"During weeks of heavy chlorine exposure, using more conditioner than usual will protect the hair before swimming and repair it afterwards". We also recommends using hot-oil repair treatments and leave-in conditioners to give your hair extra hydration and shine.





Try a Jojoba Oil Shampoo

It'll remove that green-hair tint. If the shampoo is successful in removing it after one treatment, reusing it is optional, but we recommends applying daily if you're jumping in on the reg.

Grab your Jojoba Shampoo!Go here!





Go Natural
Go Natural


Put down the hot styling tools, ladies! Let your hair air-dry and resist the urge to try out a new summer shade. "This will keep the hair cuticle as smooth as possible, which helps the hair shaft to resist penetration by harsh chlorine and greenifying copper".

Do You Need Probiotic Supplements?

Everyone raves about the health benefits of probiotics. But should you be taking probiotic supplements, or can you get enough from food?

Do You Need Probiotic Supplements?

We know that probiotics are key to maintaining a healthy digestive tract. And various studies have linked the power-packed bacteria to numerous other health perks, including lowering blood pressure, helping with depression, and aiding in weight loss. What's not so clear: If you can get enough of the belly-dwelling organisms from probiotic-rich foods (think: yogurt, kefir, kimchi, tempeh, and sauerkraut, to name a few) or if you should be taking probiotic supplements.


Well, it's complicated. If you have a specific medical condition, like irritable bowel syndrome or ulcerative colitis, or if you've been on antibiotics, taking a probiotic supplement can be extremely beneficial, explains Patricia Raymond, MD, assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. But beyond that, research is still forthcoming about how much our bodies actually benefit from taking daily probiotic supplements without a targeted health goal in mind. Experts have varying schools of thought, mainly because it's still murky how much our body actually absorbs.

If you do plan on popping a probiotic, here's what you need to know to make a solid supplement pick.

There are different kinds. "Different strains of probiotics yield different health benefits, just as different antibiotics are chosen for different infections," says Raymond. Avoid probiotics that don't have any published medical articles supporting their efficacy, and to choose a strain that suits any medical conditions you may have, she adds. (See below.)
Look at the strains. If you're taking a supplement to help with a specific health problem, choose one that fits your needs, Raymond says. For instance, VSL#3 will help with irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

More is better. Choose one with around 10 billion CFU. The bottle of bugs is alive (sorry for the visual!), so some will die off as they sit on the shelf. Aim high to give yourself the best chance of reaping the benefits.

Pay attention to the expiration date. As we mentioned, probiotics are live organisms, which means the longer they sit on the shelf, the less effective they'll be.

The Calories You Burn When You Stand at Work

Calories Burned Standing vs. Sitting

Calories Burned Standing vs. Sitting

Have you ditched your office chair for a standing desk? Now that sitting too long has been firmly established as dangerous to your health — studies have shown that prolonged sitting can increase our risk of different diseases, including cancer and type 2 diabetes — more and more 9-to-5ers have been spending a little more time off their chairs. Read more: 6 Exercise That Transform you Body

It's nice to know you're doing something good for yourself during what's usually our most sedentary hours, but it's not just your lifespan that can be affected — standing instead of sitting can affect your waistline too. Even if you do nothing else at all, replacing an hour or two of sitting with standing at your desk can help burn a few extra calories over your basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories you burn when you're not doing anything, like when you're sitting) in addition to helping your health. Just a little switch can help you burn a surprising number of calories — check out how many below.

HOURSCALORIES BURNED SITTINGCALORIES BURNED STANDING
1100130
2200260
3300390
4400520
5501650
6601780
7701910
88011,040
While standing in front of your computer for an entire day may not be practical (or pain-free!), it helps to see just how many more calories you can burn over time. The next time you take a stand, feel good about doing something for your health in more ways than one.

Calories based on a 130-pound person

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