Tuesday, March 31, 2009

How To Increase Your Metabolism

Woman Enjoying Healthy Salad


Speeding up metabolism will guarantee weight loss success.
It must - it's a scientific process, not a wish. Learning
how to speed up metabolism in your body is a vital, but easy
step. Once you learn what causes weight gain, weight loss
and speeding up metabolism in your body... you will never
again feel frustrated, hungry or defeated by a diet that
doesn't work.

All weight loss (and weight gain) problems have to do with
metabolism. If your body is not metabolizing calories in an
optimal fashion, your dieting efforts are doomed. You will
be fighting against basic body chemistry - and you'll lose.
But, hang in there, speeding up metabolism is relatively
simple to do.

It's an ugly issue to consider, but most colons - due to our
standard diets - are impacted with a lifetime of fecal waste
the never gets eliminated. Most metabolic problems have
their beginnings in our digestive tracts and typically in
America, we have miserably functioning ones.

If you're serious about weight loss, look into some high
quality colon cleansing products. You'll be surprised at
what is lurking inside you. It's not pretty, and it prevents
your body from properly assimilating nutrition and
effectively metabolizing the foods that you eat.

Reports of clearer skin, increased energy, easier and longer
lasting weight loss and reduced illness are common after a
thorough colon cleansing.

Once you've gotten your colon squared away, you can
confidently start on your efforts to lose a few pounds.

I know that you don't want to hear it, but fast weight loss
programs are not healthy or effective for the long term.
Diets that help you lose a lot of weight in a relatively
short time pose a problem for most people as soon as they go
off the diet. Speeding up metabolism is the road to weight
loss. Most rapid weight loss diets don't address the issue
of how to speed up metabolism. Most diets actually slow the
metabolism which is why we regain the weight.

Health issues aside, the biggest problem with rapid weight
loss is that it usually comes at the expense of calories.
Almost every diet designed to lose weight quickly, requires
you to drastically cut back on your caloric intake. You are
literally starving yourself. Ok so far, most of us could
afford to miss a meal or two. But...

Your body doesn't understand dieting. It doesn't know it's
only a temporary condition. It just knows that something is
wrong and you aren't getting enough food!

So, instead of happily burning off your excess fat - what
your body does is try to protect you by slowing down your
metabolism. It tries to make do with no more than the
calories you are giving it. This causes a decrease in energy
and if you cut back enough, it could cause a decrease in
necessary bodily functions leading to coma and death!

Finally, when you stop the diet and start eating normally
again, all of a sudden you have all these extra calories.
They have to go somewhere, so they get stored as fat.
Caloric intake that was normal before your diet, is now
(because of your slowed metabolism) way too high! You will
gain all the weight back. Plus, you'll keep going. You need
to learn how to speed up metabolism in your body so the
calories are burned away.

We're bombarded by ads and testimonials from companies
showing someone who was successful on their diet. They lost
the weight and kept it off. Assuming they really did it,
(these multi-billion dollar companies would NEVER lie to
us!) somewhere in the ad is a disclaimer saying that these
results are not typical. They never tell us about all the
other things that went into the weight loss. Such as
exercise, colon cleansing, eating healthier, and sometimes
medication. They probably made a radical change in their
lifestyle.

So, how to speed up metabolism? Two areas to begin with are
a colon cleansing and second, don't cut way back on your
calories.

Instead, speeding up metabolism in your body is as simple as
eating MORE OFTEN! Instead of two or three big meals a day,
eat five or six smaller ones. This will aid in speeding up
metabolism by keeping your metabolism constantly working.
Your body will - again - try to help you by burning off the
extra fuel at a faster rate. This shows up as increased
energy.

You should see your doctor before you start any weight loss
or exercise regimen and while there, have them check your
thyroid to eliminate any worries on that aspect of weight
loss.

Don't wait. Start right now. sure, study all the weight loss
literature, but take some minor step toward your goal every
day. Starting right now! Take a walk, eat a healthy
breakfast, stop going to the fast food places - do
something! Everything adds up and soon your weigh problems
will be nothing more than a distant memory.

Monday, March 30, 2009

What You Must Know If You Are Planning A Vegetable Garden

Gardener with tree and shovel


By Petra Spink

Planting a vegetable garden can be a very rewarding hobby as
well as provide you with a healthy food source. Planning a
vegetable garden gives you the chance to grow only the ones
that you and your family love and it gives you the
satisfaction of knowing that they are healthy and contain no
pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

While many people think putting out a vegetable garden is
too much trouble, it really isn't that hard and can be quite
fun for everyone involved. If you take care of your
vegetable garden properly, then you will be able to grow
some of the most delicious, fresh vegetables.

You will want to pick a spot in an area that receives a
minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for your
vegetable garden. If you have a more shaded area, leafy
plants like spinach and lettuce are better choices as they
are more tolerant of shade.

If your garden lacks good soil, you may wish to seek to add
compost, leaf mold, rotted manure, or peat moss to enrich it.
Growing in soil that is mostly clay is also very difficult,
but humus or vermiculite may be added to improve drainage issues.
Test your soil by squeezing a handful. If it retains the shape
but can crumble a bit, then it likely will only need a bit of
organic matter to make it work well for vegetable gardening.

During early summer you need to mulch the vegetables that
you will be planting. Make the mulch thick and it will help
to keep away weeds, it will improve the coil structure, and
will help to keep the soil in the right amount of moisture.
Compost, straw, hay, and shredded bark are great materials
for mulch.

As you start planning a vegetable garden, a drip irrigation
system may be a smart choice to install for your garden.
This will deliver water directly to the roots of the
vegetables where it is needed most. A timer can even be
installed, automating the times you irrigate your plants and
freeing you for other activities.

Deciding what you wish to grow is a key consideration to
planning a vegetable garden. You will want to grow
vegetables that fit well with your soil type, and with your
personal taste preferences. Focus on these aspects as you
plan and plot out your garden. While you may find it
interesting to grow all kinds of vegetables, it may not be a
good idea if your family refuse to eat them.

You can't measure the satisfaction you will get from growing
your own vegetables. A big feeling of well being is
inevitable knowing that you are feeding yourself and your
family the very best quality available. Remember, others
before you have made a great success of this from scratch so
there is no reason why you can't. Just follow the rules and
tips that more experienced gardeners give and you won't go
wrong.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The One Tip That Will Lead To Long Term Weight Loss

Man with tight shirt


Here's a very simple weight loss tip that you can use to
start losing weight more effectively and more long term. The
tip is pretty simple, but the implementation of it may be a
bigger deal depending on how dedicated you are to it. So
here's the tip: Make small changes every week rather than
big changes all at once!

A Revolutionary New Weight Loss Tip?

You may have heard this idea before, but have you ever acted
on it? I think that it should make at least some of you
think about it for a minute. And I hope that this approach
can help you to reach more lasting and permanent weight
loss.

How many of you have gotten to the point where you finally
say to yourself, "That's it!!! I'm never going to eat that
junk food ever again! I'm going to make changes RIGHT THIS
SECOND and never go back to the way that I used to eat! I'm
sick of looking like this!" Does this sound like you at one
point?

If this does sound like you, did you find yourself back to
your old habits within a week or two? How many times have
you gone through this cycle? Disappointing isn't it, but
this is a common story out there if you get talking to
people.

I want you to look at weight loss motivation (and weight
loss in general) in a completely new light. Don't make huge
and overly drastic changes that are doomed to failure.
Instead you should make small changes that cumulatively lead
to a big change. This may sound to you like a revolutionary
weight loss tip, but I hope that it just makes sense!

Weight Loss Motivation is the Key!

Motivation is key if you're really going to lose weight. But
when you try to make too many changes too quickly your mind
subconsciously says to you, "Yeah right friend! Why will
this time be any different that all the other times you've
tried and failed?" Willpower alone is never enough to
overcome this inner negative voice. The correct mental
attitude is key.

You'll find that you have much better luck when you sneak up
on that negative little voice and play a little trick on it.
Willpower alone is never enough to overcome this inner
voice. You have to trick it by making small changes.

That's the main point behind this weight loss tip, and in my
mind the key to real weight loss motivation that will keep you
moving forward long term.

Here are some examples of small changes you can make:

Instead of deciding that you're going to immediately start
going to the gym every single day, try going twice a week.
Do that for a week or two, then up it to 3 times a week.
Maybe it means not eating your normal snack on one day. Then
up it to 2, then 3, etc. You see, as you make changes like
that you will be more motivated to lose weight because you
are creating small successes each week.

If you keep this up, you're bound to make the big changes -
but over time rather than drastically all at once. Your
motivation to lose weight will be a lot higher than it ever
was before. Give it a try!

Friday, March 27, 2009

How To Prevent And Get Rid Of Constipation

Businessman holding buttocks in rude gesture


Constipation affects almost everyone at one time or another.
Constipation is common, yet clearly there is a need for
better understanding of this condition, and for improved
treatments.

People who suffer from constipation will tell that it is one
of the most uncomfortable experiences they've had. So what
is the causes and cure to constipation?

Constipation is usually defined as having infrequent bowel
movements that are hard and painful, and is most commonly
caused by a diet that is low in fiber, but can also be
caused by drinking too much milk (more than 12-16oz/d), not
drinking enough water or waiting too long to go to the
bathroom.

Stress, even a new routine can temporarily cause a slowdown
in the bowels that leads to constipation. Pregnant women
also suffer from constipation as a result of a change in
hormonal balance in the body, and also because of the
pressure of the now occupied uterus on the intestine.

A lack of exercise will cause you constipation as well.
People who don't take care of themselves physically, tend to
easily develop constipation as a result.

Cure to constipation depends on the cause, severity, and
duration, in most cases dietary and lifestyle changes will
help relieve symptoms of constipation and help prevent it.

Dietary fiber which is also known as bulk forming laxatives
may benefit individuals with relatively minor or occasional
constipation. Vegetables, fresh fruits, dried fruits, and
whole wheat, bran, or oatmeal cereals are excellent sources of
fiber.

Taking fiber supplements such as wheat bran, oat bran,
psyllium seeds, if you find it hard to cope with the bulk of
vegetables, fruits needed.

Insufficient intake of fluids can result in constipation as
well. Drink plenty of liquids (1 to 2 quarts daily), unless
you have heart, blood vessel, or kidney problems. Drink it
on an empty stomach stimulates peristalsis by reflex.

Individuals who do a lot more exercise are often better
physically that those who live a sedentary life. One of the
many benefits of regular exercise is improved bowel
motility. Exercise is perhaps the best prevention for
constipation.

Laxatives can be used for short term constipation relief but
most people who are mildly constipated do not need laxatives.
They are also safe to use during pregnancy include the
bulk-forming laxatives Lactulose, and Macrogols.

Getting up and walking around the block in the morning is
good enough to get your bowels moving. Developing a good
diet habit will play a large part in preventing and
eliminating constipation.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The 7 Secrets To A Thin Figure

Vinyl Ready Art - Wrestling and Martial Arts


Everyone is intrigued by thin people. We wonder what it
will take for us to get that kind of figure or if the thin
are that way because of their family characteristics. Did
they hit a lucky streak? Or must they work extra hard
to keep that svelte figure.

Well, yes, and no

Those who are really thin likely work really hard to stay
thin. These are the folks who watch every single calorie
that crosses their hips and eat rabbit food with no
dressing.

There is a whole other group of thin people that make being
thin look easy.

Many common character traits are shared by the naturally
thin that help to maintain their svelte figures. If you can,
try to identify with some of them. Also, see what changes you
could easily make to become a naturally thin person with a
svelte figure too.

1. Thin is the thinking of the day with thin people. They
KNOW they will be thin forever. They never talk about being
fat, or not having enough to eat. They tell themselves thin
stuff and their reaction to circumstances is different.
They don't use food to placate themselves if something
unpleasant happens or go on an eating binge when
procrastinating. They don't see food as anything more than
as fuel for their bodies. They may enjoy it, but that is
all there is to it.

2. Thin people don't diet. True Fact. Dieting would never
enter the thoughts of these naturally thin adults. You ask
Why?, because they have never had to and have never thought
of themselves as anything but thin. If you ask a thin person
if they were concerned about becoming heavy and their
response invariably is no! When pressed as to why:
because Ive never been overweight.

3. The naturally thin don't mix emotions and food. If the
thin are sad, they cry or call a friend. If they are angry,
they go work out or punch their pillows. There is little to
no crossover between emotions and eating. It simply doesn't
make sense to them. The only reason food is ever thought of
is because they get hungry, that's it. If they are not
hungry, but sad, they will deal with their sadness. Dealing
with emotions in an emotional way is commonplace for this
thin group.

4. The naturally thin can be social without eating. If the
thin are invited to a bbq and they aren't hungry, they have
no problem standing around not eating. If and when they get
hungry, they will gladly grab a dog or burger, but not until
then. They go to a bbq to enjoy the company of friends and
family. Grazing for the simple act of grazing is not an
option.

5. Naturally thin people eat what they love. They would
never think of eating celery sticks unless they were craving
celery sticks. And when they are hungry, they eat foods they
crave. They never deprive themselves of something by saying
no, I can't have that. They know they can eat anything they
want when they are hungry. They don't say no to any food
unless they are sensitive or allergic to specific foods.

6. Naturally thin people never eat just for the sake of
eating or to numb themselves
. They are conscious of the
effect what they eat have on their bodies. They probably
wouldn't be found at the movies with their hand at the bottom
of the empty bucket of popcorn looking around for who ate it
all. Naturally thin people pay attention to how hungry or
full they are from the time they begin eating until they
have finished the meal. These people don't know anything
about diets, counting calories or any other shenanigans.

7. These thin people never overeat. They are appalled by
overeating. They know it sucks their energy and bloats
their stomachs. The extreme discomfort prevents them
from repeating the experience and reinforces the negative
aspect of overeating. Average naturally thin people overeat
less than two percent of the time.

See, there is a difference in their mindset and their
actions.

Now you know that thin has nothing to do with luck, or
genetics, the quality or type of food. Thin people don't
gain weight because of how they eat, their connection with
their body, when they eat and the freedom to choose any type
of food.

Having said that, if you're thinking about losing weight,
now is the time to do it. You don't have to diet. The naturally
thin don't.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Some Of The Main Signs Of Diabetes



There are two types of diabetes but the symptoms for both of
these can be very similar. Having diabetes means that you
have a high amount of glucose in your blood and not enough
cells. It is critical to detect symptoms early so you can be
sure to take measures so your condition does not get worse.

First, you may notice that you need to urinate frequently,
in comparison to usual. When there is too much glucose in
the blood, humans need to urinate very frequently. Also, if
the insulin is not present, or is not working the right way,
your kidneys are not able to take the glucose to the blood.
This will cause your body to have to urinate more often.

Second, there is a high chance that you will notice you are
very thirsty, and cannot get rid of the feeling. You drink
and drink more water, yet you are still thirsty. This may
indeed be a sign of diabetes, especially if you have to
urinate more than often.

Third, you may notice that you are losing weight without
even attempting to. This is normally seen more often in
people with Type 1 diabetes. The body does not make insulin
anymore, so the body needs to find more energy for the
cells. To do so, it will use muscle tissue and fat for
energy, thus you will lose weight. It is less common in Type
2, but all the same, still be aware.

Fourth,if you feel that you are very tired, no matter how much you
sleep, you may suffer from diabetes. If your body does not
have insulin, or the cells do not respond to it, the cells
do not receive the glucose they need. At that point, you
will start to feel very fatigued.

These are some very common signs of people suffering from
diabetes. If you even notice a few of these symptoms, visit
a doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

What Your Healthy Whole Body & a Well-Tuned Car Have In Common

Modern Health 4


By Deborah Lindholm

It's a common occurrence for us to use our body in order to
identify ourselves. We use labels such as tall, short, thin,
muscular, curvy, healthy, and unhealthy and so on. There are
very few people who are able to take that step outside of a
particular definition and consider our body as what it is in
reality - a blessed vehicle carrying us through times of
joy, troubles, victory and challenges.

Instead of defining it and thus letting the definition rule
the way you treat your body, because there really is more to
a body than size or shape, why not seize the opportunity to
take ultimate care of it? Treat it as the beautiful vehicle
it actually is.

There is a common metaphor often used when discussing the
human body and it just happens to be a car. Both being
vehicles we depend on to get us where we need to go,
properly taken care of they can both be counted on and
reliable in their own way.

How Do You Treat Your Car And How Do You Treat Your Body?

More often than not, many of us tend to treat our cars
better than our own bodies. Our cars get the best gas in the
tank, even if it's more expensive than regular gas.
Following this act of generosity towards our car, we proceed
to fueling our bodies with food void of any nutritional
value. We begin a ritual of washing our cars every week,
with the metaphor being a car spa but yet we rarely spend
time or money on any ritual of basic self care.

We ignore the knocks and pings the very loud signals our
body gives us when it needs something and yet the slightest
shimmy or gurgle from under the hood of our car sends us to
the auto mechanic for a diagnostic.

You might be thinking "but it's dangerous to ignore these
sounds from your car." This is true, squeaking brakes or a
grinding noise from the rear axle could cause an accident.
However, the sounds and signals your body gives you are just
as dangerous. We've all heard the horror stories about a
friend or family member who ignored the signs and then it
was too late.

Instead of continuing to follow this path, appreciate
whatever shape, form and situation your body is in. It has
taken you where you have needed to go, and so far hasn't let
you down. Embrace your healthy whole body as of right now,
because while you are much more than your body itself, you
just can't exist and experience life without it.

Think About Consider These Questions:

Your car will be unable to run or take you where you want to
go without putting in the right grade of fuel. Are you
running on empty? Using the best fuel? If you're not, begin
today to make small changes. Drink more water, replace empty
calories with nutrients. Feed your body well and it'll take
you far.

There's a blinking 'check engine' light on your dashboard,
trying to be noticed. We are talking about self care here.
Have you scheduled in some time for yourself, for checkups
and some personal down time? Taking a walk or hike with
family and friends, or a weekly date night with your
sweetheart - there are many options available for taking a
step away to enjoy the life you have been given, find the
balance to make it all happen, and first and foremost, start
paying attention to the signals your body is sending you.

It makes sense to take care of yourself in all the ways that
you know how and are able to. You can wait until your car
breaks down to get it repaired or you can choose regular
maintenance, following up right away when you notice a
rattle, a chug in the engine, wiper blades that don't clear
the windshield, any malfunction.

Last but not least, when you find the tread wearing thin on
your tires, you replace them right? Each of us needs to take
time out to evaluate the steady running of our lives, where
we are and where we want to be. It's normal for our needs to
change over time and ignoring these changing needs results
in us ignoring who we really are - and this is not good for
our health or our happiness.

So, next time you're at the gas station or washing your car
step back and remember that you wouldn't be able to do any
of those tasks if it weren't for the divine vehicle you're
residing in - your body. Take great care of it; it's the
only one you get.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Stretching - Why Its So Good

Stretching turtle


If you're searching for one of the more straightforward
weight loss and health tips that nearly anyone can do and
one that is exceptionally blissful too, why not have a go
at this? This weight loss plan involves an exercise that all
people do from time to time in the course of the day, but
never for sufficient duration for it to do us any good. So
what am I blustering on about?

Stretching!

Absolutely! Not a lot of people realize that the perfect
time of the day to perform this is first thing in the
morning. That's before getting out of bed! The moment
you awaken, instead of getting up straight away, spend a
minute or two pleasurably stretching your body.

By providing a good stretch to all of your muscles, you will
gain a particular fitness edge. Stretching is so
ridiculously easy to do and it totally sets you up for the
day ahead. Commence by stretching your legs as tightly as
you can. Enjoy a good yawn at the same time and stretch your
arms right up over your head. You need to be sitting up
straight while you do that. After that stretch your neck and
back. Really sense all of the muscles elongating as you do
it.

Afterwards, feeling revitalized, you can get out of your bed
and, just to cap it off, stretch your legs even more,
stretch up onto the balls of your feet, and a final parting
shot, steel yourself and stretch your whole body one more
time. One might ask what the advantages are of this exercise?

The answer is simple. Stretching just wakes up your muscles
from their extended period of immobility while you were in
the land of nod and gets them ready for much of the work
that they will need to do during the day. Stretching
naturally increases the capacity of your muscles to consume
some of the surplus calories with the best efficiency. It
also helps to ward off any injuries that might result from
doing any other elementary exercises by straining or pulling
a muscle.

Damage to muscles is less liable to occur when you do a few
pre-exercise strategies and stretch your muscles first. At
the end of the day this is something that is easy to do,
anyone can do it and exercising will never be so easy or
more enjoyable than a totally cool stretch and a yawn!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Core Strengthening Exercises: Love Your Back

Woman exercising with yoga ball


Core stability and core strengthening exercises are a much
overlooked, but vital, part of a comprehensive workout
routine and back health maintenance.

Twist. Turn. Bend over. Sit all day. Get in and out of the
car. Carry those groceries. We put our back through all
kinds of stuff, and it never complains. Or does it? If we're
out of shape in our core muscles, our back will let us know
pretty quick. The core muscles support the lower back and
internal organs, and if we stop taking care of them, like
most of us have, we are in for some soreness and more and
more days of pain the longer we let it go on.

And our workout routines become ever more risky; we always
are on the edge of straining our back.

OK, then, what are some really good core strengthening
exercises to do?

1. Pilates. Get in with the girls and do Pilates! Now, for
some reason, Pilates has a sort of wimpy reputation, but I
know first hand that a good Pilates routine will kick some
serious behind! I've gotten a lot stronger core since I
incorporated Pilates-type exercises into my regular workout
routine.

2. The Farmer's Walk. This is really a whole body exercise,
but your core will work real hard, as will your back, legs,
arms and hands. Just go pick up two very heavy dumbbells,
and carry them over to the other side of the room and back
again. Maybe another time. Your core will work overtime to
keep you balanced and stable.

3. The Wood Chopper. Hold a medicine ball in both hands over
your head and off to one side. Then, as if you were chopping
wood, swing it down and over toward the opposite foot. Then
swing it back up along the same path. Do that several times,
and switch sides. Make sure you use your legs and hips to
help keep your back from bending too much.

4. Saxon Bends. These are tough. Take that ball again, or a
weight plate if you need more weight, and hold it over your
head. Now bend over to one side, without bending your back
from front to back. You're just going side to side. When
you've gone as far over as you can, head on over to the
other side. Back to center again is one.

You can incorporate these exercises in your regular workout.
Put 'em in the middle, use them as a warm up (they are great
for warming up and getting away from the treadmill), or do
them at the end. Or devote a whole workout just to core
strengthening exercises; your body will thank you!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Avoid These 7 Time Wasters In The Gym

Weightlifter


In case you hadn't noticed, it's nearly impossible to set
aside the time you need at the gym each day. It seems there
are always more "important" things to be doing. When you do
get into the gym, avoid these 7 time wasters.

1.Too much time in the gym - Cardio exercise should be a
portion of your time in the gym, not the bulk of it. It's
meant to compliment your resistance training and a proper
nutrition plan.

2. Stop stopping for too long! - You know if you're one of
these people. You see a friend walk in the gym who you
haven't seen in a while and suddenly your heart rate is too
high and you need to rest "for a little bit." Don't stop
every time you have a chance. It's not going to help you
reach your goals.

3. Plan, Plan, Plan. - If you walk into the gym with no idea
of what you're going to do, I can promise you there will be
a lot of time wasted. Figure out what you're going to do
before you even step foot into the gym.

4. Not having a backup plan - There is nothing more
frustrating then going to the gym with your plan in hand and
someone is already using the machine! Having a backup plan
ensures you spend more of your time in the gym exercising
and less time feeling frustrated. If someone is using the
chest machine, no big deal: Do push-ups instead.

5. Get intense! - Push yourself further than you thought you
could go. Physical gains don't happen when you're barely
pushing yourself. You need to be going to failure on almost
every exercise. Even if you're just building strength and
have no interest in bulk, you should still work to failure,
just at a higher level. Remember, bulk comes between 8 and
10 reps and strength comes when you're doing between 12 and
15.

6. No "cheat reps" - If you're like me, you've had a few
cheat reps when you're starting to run out of steam. It
happens and you don't want to beat yourself up over it.
But, you do need to realize it's not helping you. You're
almost better off just not doing those reps. Fewer reps
with perfect form is always better than more reps dong
incorrectly.

7. Not seeking the advice of a professional - If all the top
athletes have coaches and professional trainers, don't you
think you could use their advice? Having a trainer will help
you to get further along in your training then trying to do
it by yourself. He or she will help you to use proper form,
technique, rep ranges, tempo, rest intervals and exercise
combinations to maximize your results and minimize your
frustrations.

If you could only relate to 2 or 3 of these items, don't
just brush them aside thinking you're well beyond this
information. Take those 2 or 3 things and concentrate on
fixing them. It will give you more time away from the gym
and increase the quality of your workouts.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Product Review - Quit Smoking Today

A man smoking three cigarettes with a forbidden sign in the background


The desire to stop smoking is more prevalent in recent
times, as the world is more more educated about the possible
repercussions of this unhealthy habit. On the other hand,
the process of smoking cessation can be so taxing and
difficult that it takes its toll on even the most
strong-minded of smokers. A number of smokers tend to
relapse after just a few tries, whereas other individuals
don't even take the trouble to try to quit smoking at all.

There are various products available that can help you fight
your smoking addiction, but some hardly work whilst others
have a lengthy list of side effects. As a result, most
individuals hardly seek help and eventually ditch any
efforts to quit smoking.

The ideal answer is Quit Smoking Today, a method devised by
Rob Mellor, a Neuro-Linguistic-Programming expert, which
pertains to a specific psychotherapy discipline that focuses
on nicotine addiction. In this article, we will give you
important information about the Quit Smoking Today approach
to help you make an informed decision in terms of your fight
against your smoking addiction.

This Quit Smoking Today program comes with an mp3 audio file
(38 minutes and 13 seconds in length). This technique offers
to allow you to quit smoking without enduring any nicotine
withdrawal symptoms. The author further maintains that more
than 90 percent of 5000 test subjects totally quit smoking
after trying the Quit Smoking Today method. In addition, he
states that the vast majority of test subjects were able to
discontinue smoking in as short as one month after listening
to his mp3 recording just once, and the majority didn't
relapse after more than six months.

The central idea of the mp3 is quite comparable to the
principles used in the practice of hypnosis. It helps the
individual to access the subconscious and alter his/her
perception of nicotine cravings and cigarettes.

The majority of reviews of Mellor's program have been widely
encouraging, with a good number of users swearing to its
success and reporting zero untoward experiences. The
isolated unfavorable response so far is that of certain
people objecting that this technique still lacks official
clinical research and testing. Nonetheless, more than any
formal testing, we respect the feedback of this program's
actual users, and currently, the feedback has been
exceptionally favorable.

This program is not a miracle product that provides a
shortcut solution to what would otherwise be a complicated
process. Nevertheless, we advise you to use this program and
see if it does what it claims to do. Seeing that the program
has generated favorable results for most smokers, there is
absolutely no reason why you will not gain some benefits
from it as well. An improvement to your health is definitely
worth a little effort.

To get the easiest and best way to quit smoking with a 100%
money back guarantee and 5 free bonuses worth $264.71 to boot
visit the site NOW available at =>
QUIT SMOKING TODAY

Thursday, March 19, 2009

How You Can Detox With A Raw Food Diet

Basket Of Vegetables


By George B. Siba

We are continually inhaling residues from petrochemicals,
plastics and pesticides. At no time in the earth's history
has the average person had to live in a more polluted
environment. Along with the environmental toxins there are
toxins the body builds up internally.

The good news is, our body is always cleaning itself,
detoxifying is an constant part of our lives. Detoxification
is what our body does to purge the environmental and
chemical toxins from your body. The skin, lungs, liver,
kidneys and lymphatic system work together to remove these
poisons, as they build up. If this is not done on ongoing
bases toxins can disrupt every system in our body.

If your body does not get toxins out through its own
detoxification system you will get clogged with these
poisons, and it will affect every cell of our body. You will
start to notice a difference in your physical, mental and
emotional health.

Toxins can create such problems as lethargy, foggy thinking,
mood swings, and digestive problems. Raw foods assist the
digestive system in the process of taking away the dangerous
toxins from the cells of the body.

In an attempt to detoxify, our bowels, kidneys and liver can
get overloaded. Our channels of elimination can become
blocked. The western diet is often acid forming, and it just
contributes toward being toxic. To relieve the strains on
the kidneys and liver it is more important than ever to do
what you can to help with the detoxification process.

Most of the healing traditions except Western Medicine offer
body purification as a way to clean out the system so that
the body can heal without hindrances.

Raw food helps to detoxify the body by flushing out these
poisons. In addition to helping your bodies detoxify, raw
foods provide the body with nutrients it needs to feel your
best.

The raw food diet revolves around the consumption of all
natural, organic, unprocessed and uncooked fruits and
vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, legumes, seaweeds,
dried fruit, freshly made juices, raw carob powder, cold
pressed olive oil and certain spices, seasonings and mineral
water. Nothing is heated above 116 degrees F because this
destroys the enzymes in the food that helps with digestion.


What to expect on a raw food diet.

The principle of the plan is to get rid of toxins and waste
from the body. You will look great and you may start to feel
great almost immediately. For many people during the first
weeks, when the process of detoxification starts, you are
likely to experience some negative detox reactions, such as
nausea, headache, fatigue, coated tongue, foul breath,
madness, etc. This is because your body is flushing out
toxins. You need to drink lots of water, get plenty of rest,
and don't eat cooked food or your detox will stop.

Sticking to a raw food diet is not difficult once you get
into it. You will feel so good that you will not want to go
back to the old way of eating.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Spring Time - Watch Those Allergies

Man Sneezing into Tissue


Sneezing, stuffy head, runny nose, itchy eyes are all signs
of allergies. With Spring on it's way many are jumping to
get outdoors and have some fun. But many others are
dreading the annoying Spring time allergy symptoms that come
along with the great outdoors.

Some people think that they just tend to get Spring colds,
when instead it is actually allergies. Allergies have the
same symptoms of a cold. But, if the cold lingers or you
get them frequently chances are it is really allergies.
Your health care provider can help you determine whether it
is or not.

In the Spring pollen is the primary allergen to cause
problems. Pollen can be present as early as February
depending on your location. If you live in a hot and humid
area mold and fungus can play a big roll in allergies.

There is not much difference between a cold and an allergy.
The major difference is that a cold is caused by an actual
virus that you come into contact with. An allergy works a
little different, it is caused by exposure to the allergen.


Pollen is not the only bothersome allergen. Some are
allergic to other thinks such as; cedar, grasses, flowers,
chemicals and pesticides and even pet dander. No matter the
cause most of these allergens cause the same symptoms.

Now we have only talked about Spring allergies. There is a
whole group of allergens that cause a different reaction.
You could be allergic to something like insects, food,
detergents, soaps and medications. These symptoms can be
more troublesome. Hives, rashes and shock are all
possibilities.

If you are not sure what you are allergic to your medical
provider or specialist can perform a skin allergy test. It
is very simple. They introduce the most common culprits
into your bloodstream and watch for a reaction.

It is best to see your doctor while you are having the
troublesome symptoms. This makes it easier for them to
determine what is causing the allergy. It is not a good
idea to not treat Spring allergies, they can make you more
vulnerable to sinus and respiratory infections.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Emotional Eating - How To Overcome It

Teenage boy eating pizza


Eating is a part of life. Your body gets its nutrients from
food. Sometimes we can go overboard with our eating habits
and it can result in gaining weight. One issue with food is
emotional eating.

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but
it begins in the mind. Stress takes its toll on your life.
When your defenses are compromised your health takes a hit
and so do your emotions.

Everyone has good days and bad days. How we deal with the
bad ones brings emotional eating into play. You look for
comfort for your hurts. People who turn to food for comfort
find a coping mechanism that won’t judge them, hurt them or
tell them “no.” To complicate the issue, eating pleasurable
foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just like
exercise. So, after you eat, you feel better.

Emotional eaters use food to relieve stress. They hide
behind the food instead of seeking solutions to the
problems. This is not uncommon when the stressor is
something horrible such as physical abuse or a death.

But, how do you know you are using food in this way? The
first sign is obvious. You will gain weight if you eat too
much. In light of the weight gain, examine other areas of
your life:

Have you been under stress lately at work or at home? Has
anything traumatic happened in the last year? Are you
dealing with a problem but haven’t found a solution?

Answering “yes” to any of these questions could mean that
you are an emotional eater. You eat but you are not
necessarily hungry at the time. The foods that you choose
are what we term “comfort foods”:

High fat foods like French fries, fried foods. High carb
foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes. Sugary
foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake.

There is help for emotional eaters. The first step is
recognizing that you have a problem. You’ll experience
feelings of helplessness and guilt. The guilt is over
potentially ruining your health and the helplessness
lies in the fact that you don’t see a way out.

Secondly, seek counseling. There are many types of
counselors out there that can meet your need. Emotional
eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your
eating habits but gaining control over your emotions.

A counselor might suggest things like visualization,
practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques and
family support. Visualization helps you to see your problems
in a realistic way and not blown out of proportion. You will
also learn to see food as nutrition for the body and not an
emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family can learn your triggers for stress and
be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits. They
can help you be aware of the foods you are eating, assist
you in making healthy food choices and exercise along with
you. Proper diet and exercise increases immunity, blood flow
and positive thinking. Yoga enhances the mind/body
connection so you don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

Finding new ways to solve your problems and deal with stress
will push food out of the equation. You’ll feel good about
finding solutions which will replace the dependence on food.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Five Easy Toning Exercises For Anywhere And Anytime

Men and women stretching


Exercise is an important part of our lives. Staying in shape
is one way to increase your life expectancy. Weight bearing
exercises are important also for increasing muscle mass and
bone density as you age.


Most of us have learned what to do when it comes to
exercising. The problem is where and when to get the job
done. With a busy lifestyle, making time for exercise is a
challenge.

Weight bearing exercises aren’t just for bodybuilders. As
you age, especially once you hit the age of forty, you begin
to lose muscle mass. For women especially, bone loss becomes
a problem. When the body is in need of calcium it can rob it
from your bones. Building muscle not only increases their
mass but your strength.

Here are five easy toning exercises that can be done
anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office,
or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely
effective exercises.


1. The Bridge Butt Lift – Sounds like a plastic surgery
technique but it is an easy way to tone your buttocks. Lay
down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart.
Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your
body. Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles
and lift your butt off the floor. Hold the position for a
count of five to ten and release down to the floor.

2. Squats – Squats work the butt, the hamstring muscles and
the quadriceps. If you aren’t sure of proper form, you can
use a chair. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet
firmly planted. Push your butt back as if you were preparing
to sit on a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body
straight. Once you reach chair level stop and hold the
position for a count of two to five and release. At the
lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for
balance and maximum toning.

3. Reverse Lunges – Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They
can be hard for people with knee problems. A reverse lunge
still tones the right muscle groups but with less pressure
on the knee. Stand with feet together and arms at your
sides. Take one leg and move it backwards until you are in
lunge position: front leg bent at a 90 degree angle and back
leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot. From
this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost
touches the floor. Hold for a count of two and return to
starting position.

4. Push ups – This is a classic toning exercise that works
all areas of the arms plus the chest muscles. If you aren’t
comfortable or strong enough to perform a push up on your
toes, lower your body to your knees. Be sure your arms are
tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and
lift your body.

5. Superman Push ups – Take the normal push up position, then
run your hands forward as far as you can, like superman flying.
Pull your abs in tight and lower and lift your body as per the
normal push up. You will struggle to do many of them and you
will feel a burn in your abs like no crunches can ever give you!

These five exercise moves can be done whenever you have
time. The best thing about exercise is that its effects are
cumulative. Even five or ten minutes at a time will work to
your advantage.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Get Better Health Through Health Wellness Coaching

Fitness Instructor


By Randal Pike

When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, it's far from
easy. Yet it is achievable with health wellness coaching.
With health wellness coaching, a proactive approach is taken
through lifestyle changes or enhancements to ensure good
health and wellness. Through the expert guidance provided by
health wellness coaching, you can achieve, regain and
maintain optimal health and wellness.

Frustrated from not seeing results from your current health
and wellness efforts? Health wellness coaching evaluates
what you are currently doing and identifies problem areas.
Have low energy, or low self-esteem because of how you look?
Health wellness coaching can put you on track to feeling and
looking good. Have trouble getting started with something
new? Health wellness coaching includes trained professionals
to provide the motivation that you need.

Health wellness coaching features live personalized sessions
that can be conveniently accessed in person, over the
telephone, or online. Companies also utilize health wellness
coaching right on the work site. It provides an affordable
method for addressing high-risk behaviors of employees that
can become costly to a company. Many times, people have good
intentions for starting better health and wellness practices,
but simply don't have the time. Health wellness coaching is
designed to meet anyone's lifestyle, with sessions that are
under an hour for those with time concerns. It can also be
customized to accommodate your busy lifestyle.

There are many benefits realized from health wellness
coaching. One major benefit is easy access to an experienced
professional who can help you establish a health and
wellness plan and serve as a mentor as need be. Those who
utilize the coaching can reduce preventable medical problems,
which in turn lower health care costs. It is also beneficial
for dealing with life's many challenges and stresses, thereby
improving your overall health.

Through health wellness coaching, you identify your goals,
write down questions that you have about any health or
wellness issue, and set an action plan with your coach to
address your concerns and meet your goals. It can include
various components, among them establishing proper diet and
nutrition, maintaining a consistent fitness program, reducing
or eliminating health risk factors and helping to address
family concerns.

Health wellness coaching is beneficial for reinforcing the
healthy living and wellness goals you have set. Speaking
with someone reassures that you are on the right path to
healthier living. Through it, you gain the support of an
expert who can help you determine the best nutrition for you,
start you on an exercise program customized for your goals,
identify measures of self-care and address physical and
emotional measures that can hinder you from achieving your
health and wellness goals.

There is so much information out there about health and
wellness, some of it conflicting. But determining what
applies to you and what is right for your body can be
overwhelming. Wellness coaching helps to make sense
of all the information out there and apply it to your
particular situation, your needs are defined and met.

Health wellness coaching is a great way to help you start
and continue your journey to better health. Those who take
part in one-on-one coaching sessions are out fewer days from
work, are more productive and lead happier, healthier lives.
Health wellness coaching is a viable solution for making
lifestyle changes to ensure you remain feeling healthy and
staying well.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Six Pack Abs - How To Get Them

Male torso


If you ever happen to turn on the television in the middle
of the night, you'll notice a flood of infomercials selling
the latest in home gym technology: machines that guarantee
you'll have a sexy, slimmer body with washboard abs by
working out for as little as 5 minutes a day.

Sadly, a lot of these machines can be misleading, like those
abdominal gadgets that promise you a six pack in just two
weeks. Contrary to most peoples belief, doing crunches won't
make you slimmer, it will only give you stronger abs. It
doesn't matter what kind of machine you're using, because
those strong abs are buried under those layers of fat, and
the only way to get rid of those are by doing cardiovascular
exercises.

In order to get the look you're after you need to
concentrate on: 1. Have a healthy diet. 2.
Increase your metabolism. 3. Follow proper abdominal
exercises.

No matter what abdominal machine you're using, or how
expensive it is, you won't see any results if you don't
follow the above routine. It's easy to buy into the glitzy
infomercials on TV, especially when you see attractive
models with hard bodies using the products, while promising
you the same kind of success. All you need is a five
minutes.... Walking to the other side of the room is five
minutes, and you're obviously not losing weight from that.

If you really want to get a flat stomach or rock hard
abs, you need to learn about the proper way of losing weight
and building muscle tone.

Here's one tip on how to effectively burn calories: HIIT, or
High Intensity Interval Training. What's that, you say?
It's a combination of high energy sports such as sprinting
or exercise bike sprinting. You do a sustained 30 minutes
of biking or running, alternate it with 2-3 minutes of
jogging or slow pedaling. Do this alternately for 20
minutes.

This type of training, combined with 5-6 small meals a day
every 2.5-3 hours, will effectively burn the calories from
your body. Having a diet rich in protein, complex
carbohydrates, and omega 3 fats, and doing away with less
saturated fats, and you'll be on your way to getting that
perfect washboard abs.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Circuit Training - What Is It?

Thinkstock Single Image Set


By Richard Black

So you have decided that it is time to start going to the
gym regularly. You are ready to start working out, but where
do you begin?

Perhaps you want to try bicep curls first because you are
curious about how strong your biceps are. Or maybe you want
to do a leg press because your arms are tired from working
all day and you want to give them a rest before you start
those exercises. Maybe, rather than all of those, you want
to try a treadmill for a half hour first to burn away some
of the calories that you gained from that cheeseburger you
ate on the way over.

When you start working out, these questions may go through
your mind every time you open the gym doors. But this
uncertainty can lead to inefficient workouts, skipping
exercises, and failing to achieve the results you want
because you went in a poor order on one particular day.

To solve this, many trainers teach what is known as "circuit
training." Circuit training is a pre-specified exercise
routine that involves moving from exercise to exercise in a
specific order over a specific amount of time (as as though
you are moving through a circuit).

Circuit Training Techniques

Circuit training gives you significantly less time to rest,
and often involves working out at such an extreme pace that
many people receive an aerobic exercise even though they are
not technically doing any aerobic training methods. However,
just because they give you less time to rest does not mean
that circuit training is only for in shape, experienced
bodybuilders.

On the contrary, circuit training requires significantly
less repetitions (which are generally required with
standardized weight lifting), where you are trading excess
work (lifting with repetitions) for faster work (no
repetitions, faster moving through the workout). Because
there is less resting, many people experience some
impressive results as though they had rested and completed a
repetition.

Benefits of Circuit Training

There are two well known benefits for circuit training:

1) Time

Because you are quickly moving through every workout, you
save a great deal of time overall. If you are often on a
particularly busy schedule, this time saved can be
substantial, and you can cut your time at the gym down
significantly.

2) Efficiency - By rushing from exercise to
exercise in a specific order, you are not wasting any time
allowing your muscles to relax or harden up. Instead, you
are making sure that they are constantly being worked out as
you move from machine to machine, tiring them more and more
in the process.

Circuit training does require a less crowded gym (so that
you can get each machine when you need it), a lot of
planning, and a commitment to moving to the next workout
right away no matter how exhausted you are. But for those
that are on a busy schedule or want to see more results in
shorter time, circuit training is one of the best workout
courses you can put yourself through.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Some Questions On Heart Rate Answered

Animated heart running on treadmill  ' Color  ' Illustrator Ver. 5


What is heart rate? Heart rate (HR) is an indicator of the
heart's work and is calculated as number of heart
contractions (beats) in one minute (beats per minute - bpm).
Individual heart rate is very much influenced by physical
fitness of the person, genetics, age and environment.

What is the heart rate reserve? Heart rate reserve is the
difference between the maximum heart rate and so called
resting heart rate. If your maximum heart rate is 200 beats
per minute (bpm) and your resting heart rate is 60 bpm, then
your heart rate reserve is 140 beats per minute (200 - 60).
Trained people usually have larger heart rate reserve than
those who do no sports.

What is recovery heart rate? Recovery heart rate is the
decreased heart rate measured after a period of time after the
training. For example if your heart rate immediately after
the training was 185 beats per minute (bpm) and after 2
minutes your heart rate decreased to 110 bpm, then the 110
bpm represents your recovery heart rate. Together with
maximum heart rate, recovery heart rate also helps to
determine the intensity of your training.

How does the heart rate decrease after training? The time
that the heart needs to decrease its rate to resting rate is
individual. Typically, trained people do have higher maximum
heart rates, their heart can work longer with higher heart
rates, their resting heart rate is lower than the heart rate
of an untrained individual and they need less time to reach
resting heart rate. With a semi-trained person, the heart rate
drops at least 20 beats per minute (e.g. 180 bpm during the
training, 140 bpm or less after 2 minutes).

What is resting heart rate? Resting heart rate represents
the number of heart beats in one minute while you are at rest.
The resting heart rate is best measured if you did not
perform any activity for at least 10 minutes (standing up
from the chair is considered an activity!), ideally after
waking up the natural way, without an alarm (an alarm signal
causes stress in an organism and results in an increased heart
rate) still resting on the bed.

What is maximum heart rate? Maximum heart rate represents
the highest number of heart contractions a person can bear.
As maximum heart rate can be truly measured only during a
moderated stress test under physician's supervision, you can
estimate your maximum heart rate using the following
formula: Maximum heart rate = 220 - age (in years); That
means that if your actual age is 34 years, your maximum
heart rate would be 186 bpm (220 - 34). The maximum heart
rate of a trained person is higher than the maximum heart
rate of the less fit person.

What is normal heart rate? There is nothing like average
normal heart rate. A typical resting heart rate of a medium
conditioned man is approximately 70 bpm. Genetics and mostly
physical fitness play a significant role. The resting
heart rate of a well conditioned sportsman can be as low as
40 bpm as a trained heart works more effectively.

What is a safe heart rate during training? If your heart
is healthy (means you never suffered from a heart disease or
a heart attack) the safe range would be 70-80% of your
maximum heart rate. This doesn't apply to people who are in
cardiac rehabilitation, their exercise heart rate is limited
at maximum 50-60% of their maximum heart rate.

What is the difference between Heart Rate and Heart Rate
Variability?
While heart rate refers to the number of times
a heart contracts in one minute, heart rate variability
refers to the beat-to-beat alterations in heart rate.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

10 Reasons To Change Your Doctor

Doctor holding oversized pill


We will never find the perfect doctor, as they are all human
and none of them are perfect. It comes as no surprise to
most of us that they call their profession "the practice of
medicine." One of the leading causes of death and injury in
the United States is medical mistakes.

It is calculated by the Institute of Medicine that medical
errors actually kill anywhere from 44,000 to 90,000 people
in U.S. hospitals each year. This figure is more than those
who are killed by automobile accidents or those who succumb
to breast cancer.

Regardless of whether you are generally healthy, or live
with a chronic illness, you still need a physician you can
trust. Though an occasional small mistake may occur, it is
especially important that you have a doctor who is eager to
be part of your medical team for both short-term and
long-term treatment.

Are there some definite signs you should not listen to your
doctors, seek a second opinion, or even change doctors? Yes!

1. Your doctor is quick to speak and slow to listen, rarely
hearing all of your symptoms or asking questions about them.
He quickly records his interpretation of what you are saying
before you have begun to explain your symptoms or the
situation.

2. Your doctor is persistent about prescribing medicines
that are recently available. He does not explain what the
medication is, why you need it, how it will help your
situation, long-term effects, or if there is a plan to get
you off of it. You can see the promotional items for the
medication around his office.

3. Your doctor acts as if he knows less about your condition
that even you do. You leave the appointments feeling like all
you did was report in your latest symptoms while he took
notes.

4. Your doctor doesn't have confidence to treat you, rarely
providing actual advice or instructions, but rather says,
"What do you think we should do?" or "You do whatever you
think is best."

5. Your doctor is swift to request tests or procedures that
could have a negative bearing on your current health or
illness. He doesn't seem to understand that tests that may
be of minor influence on the body of a healthy person can be a
major factor in your well-being. The best doctor will keep
all of your body in mind when making choices about tests,
not just the area that he is a specialist for.

6. Your doctor seems to humor you, looks at you as if he
doubts your symptoms, and smiles and writes notes. You feel
like he is being condescending rather than a part of your
medical team.

7. Your doctor refuses to let you see the medical records he
has on you and your condition. If you request them he says
he will send them to another physician, but he seems to go
out of his way to make sure you don't personally receive
them. At some point you may apply for disability financial
support and the social security disability review doctors
will want to review your medical history. It is important
the records are accurate.

8. Your doctor is never accessible when you need him the
most. On the rare occasion when you have an emergency he is
unable to provide you with an appointment promptly. Your
prescriptions are not refilled when requested. He rarely has
his office return your calls and he is unable to be reached
for hours even when he is paged for an urgent situation.

9. Your doctor does not believe you are in the amount of
pain you claim you are in. He seems reluctant about prescribing
you with pain medication, despite the severity of the pain,
and your proven responsibility with medications.

10. Your doctor is never open to consulting other medical
professionals or faxing his notes over to your other
physicians. He thinks he can solve all of your medical needs
and feels threatened when you want to consult with another
source, specialist, or someone else on your medical team.

The best doctor will listen to you thoroughly, take good
notes, explain the benefits and drawbacks of medications,
and make you feel like you are an integral part of your
medical team.

While there may be no such thing as the perfect physician
and it may take a few referrals to find the best doctor to
meet your medical needs and be a good personality fit, don't
give up. Never sacrifice your health just because you don't
want to hurt a doctor's feelings by leaving him and seeking
health care elsewhere.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Best Workout To Burn Belly Fast

Man working out on beach.


How would you like to get fit very quickly, look great, and
burn belly fast? How about getting this done without
needing to visit a gym. If this makes sense to you, try
this 10 minute workout. You will gain energy and burn belly
fast.

Try this workout to burn off an extra 200 calories a day.
You will be exercising your abdominal muscles, plus your
arms and legs. The best thing is, you will be reprogramming
your thinking so you can burn belly fast. This will make
weight loss very simple.

So to start, jump rope for one minute, doing two jumps with
each turn of the rope. Just remember to use a rope of the
correct length, and to land on the balls of your feet. As
you do your jumps, see yourself in your mind looking and
feeling great

Now for minutes 2-3. Do a squat into a push-up. The
technique to burn belly fast, is to stand with your feet
about shoulder width apart. Squat down slowly, and place
the palms of your hands on the floor just outside your feet.


Now put yourself in push-up position by thrusting your legs
out behind you. Do one push-up. Then retract your legs and
return to a standing position. Feel your own strength and power
as you burn belly fast. See yourself looking and feeling better
than you ever have.

Next, return to rope jumping for minutes 4-5. Only a single
jump per rope turn will be fine for this portion of your
workout. Focus your thinking on how great you look, and how
much more energy you have.

For minutes 6-7, return to squats to push-ups. But this
time, after completing the push-up, raise your left arm over
your head and hold it for 5 seconds. Then pull in your legs
and return to a standing position. Do the same for the next
repetition, using your right arm. Repeat the process
raising your legs for 5 seconds each.

For those wishing for even more intensity, raise an arm
and a leg at the same time. Remember to focus your thinking
on your flat stomach, your powerful body, and how good you
look in the mirror.

Minute 8, return to jumping rope, 2 jumps per turn. Try to
pick up the pace for this minute. You WILL feel tired, but
its only a minute and you are almost finished. Say to
yourself, I burn belly fast, and feel it. You are strong.
You look great.

Minutes 9-10, return to squats to push-ups, raising 1 or two
limbs like last time. But this time, after you return to a
standing position, jog in place for 10 paces, raising your
knees to chest level (or as high as you can). Repeat the
process for the two minutes while visualizing your stunning
self.

Alright, that is it for the day. Cool down for 5-15
minutes. A short walk is a good idea, followed by some
stretching. Drink a lot of water all day long too.

This is a simple way to burn belly fast. Its intense but it works.
If you would like to trim down even quicker, you might want to add
a unique eating program (no, not a diet) that will let you burn
your fat away as quick as lightning.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Some Weight Loss And Fitness Tips To Get You Going

Vinyl Ready Art - Holidays


Dropping weight can be a difficult undertaking. At sometime
in your endeavors, you might have been tempted to purchase
the newest diet pill on the market being touted as a
"miracle" and discovered that it didn't have the effect you
were looking for. Actually a good number of them don't have
any positive effects whatsoever!

"Weight loss" and "easy" are not two words usually spoken in
the same sentence. Don't be fooled into thinking that the
road before you will be easy. But the trip you take will be
a rewarding one. Once you reach your destination, you will
find that you have transformed yourself into a completely
different individual. One that is far better than before.

We'll be going over some exciting secrets on how to best
lose weight. We'll also tell you how to get some awesome
results through fitness.

1. Consume smaller amounts of food per meal, but have more
meals per day.
strive for 5-6 meals per day.Remember to
start with a good breakfast to get your body going.

2. Be positive. Your mindset will make or break your efforts
to lose weight. Stay positive and banish all negative doubts
from your mind.

3. Get up earlier. Make a note to get up a little earlier in
the morning and use that time to undertake some fitness.
Whether it's a swift walk around the block, aerobics in
front of the TV, or just lifting a few weights; this time of
morning is the best time to exercise as you aren't weighed
down by food and you aren't fatigued like you may be at the
end of the day.

4. Hydrate your body by drinking at least eight cups of
water each day.
It will provide energy and rid your body of
harmful toxins that can make you sick or sluggish.

5. Don't shop hungry. You have probably heard this one
before. Shopping whilst hungry gives you temptations to buy
things that you shouldn't. So try shopping right after lunch
or even after diner.

Simple isn't it? By following these points, your weight will
go down and your overall fitness will skyrocket. with
regular exercise, a proper diet, and a positive mental
attitude, you are practically guaranteed to succeed.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

6 Nutritional Facts Crucial To Growing Taller

Woman hugging man's stomach


Nutrition plays an important part in all aspects of our
lives, from our energy levels, to our ability to focus and
retain information, to our ability to grow taller. The
nutrients and elements contained in food are the fuel that
powers our body, very much like the fuel that powers your
car. The wrong fuel can hinder your car's performance, but
while your car won't shrink or grow based on what's put into
it, we can. Let's look at six important facts about
nutrition and its relation to growing taller.

1. Vitamins - From the time we're young and given our first
Flintstones chewable vitamin, we have some notion of the
importance of vitamins, and while one should always strive
to get their vitamin intake through food, this can be
extremely difficult without eating large quantities of food,
so those vitamin capsules could prove to be very useful
again in later life. Nearly every vitamin can help promote
growth, in addition to many other useful benefits.

2. Water - Water is another one of those items that we're
well aware of the importance of, but few of us can manage to
take in the suggested daily amount. The most useful benefit
of water is its ability to flush toxins from the body,
making it easier to receive the health benefits of many of
the other items on this list.

3. Minerals - Minerals function in much the same way as
vitamins, but finding a good source for most minerals can be
difficult, meaning supplements may be necessary. Consult
with your doctor first before embarking on any drastic
changes in your mineral intake.

4. Protein - Much easier to obtain than minerals, protein
contains many necessary acids to help in the development and
growth of tissue.

5. Fats - Fats of course are the reason for the obesity
epidemic in many countries, and likewise, are not ideal to
over indulge in while trying to gain height. They can block
the release of growth hormone, not to mention the added
pounds of weight will give one the appearance of being
shorter.

6. Carbohydrates - Digesting carbs in great amount is much
like fat consumption, having the effect of limiting your
potential growth gain through growth hormones.

With so many choices out there, it is never easy to make the
right ones, and this is especially true when it comes to our
diets. Ignorance may be bliss, but bliss is often a sham.
Arm yourself with the knowledge of which foods you should be
eating, and do so, supplementing where necessary. You'll
live a much healthier, happier, and taller life as a result.
That is true bliss.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

How To Keep Muscles And Joints Healthy

X-ray image of knee


In today's busy life and routine, what we often don't care
about is the health of our body. Taking care of our body is
not about just going to a doctor when we feel sick, but
taking action to prevent problems from occurring in the
future. We most often ignore our muscles and joints, and
then end up having to pay the price by spending large
amounts on surgeries or treatments we would not have needed
in the first place.

Our joints are responsible for important functions in our
body. They help in keeping the bones intact. They require
just as much care as other parts of our body like our teeth
or eyes. Our joints are the point that allows our bones to
bend flexibly. The muscles are attached to the bones with
tendons, so that as the bone moves, the muscle moves as
well. As we grow, the muscles get stronger and stronger
with exercise, enabling us to provide more energy
and power.

The most widespread problems that cause muscle or joint pain
are arthritis, muscular dystrophy, osteoporosis, repetitive
stress injuries, tendinitis, and strains. I will explain all
of these briefly, and then talk about what could be done to
prevent them.

Arthritis is when the joints become inflamed and there is
difficulty moving them. It is most common in older people,
but even children have been known to develop arthritis.
Osteoporosis causes the tissue in the bone to get weaker and
brittle thus making it easier for the bone to break. This is
most common in women and even in younger girls who reduce
their body weight to an unhealthy one. Muscular dystrophy is
inherited and causes the muscles to get weaker and break
down over time. Repetitive stress injuries are those
injuries that are caused by too much stress being placed on
one part of the body. This usually happens when the same
movements are made again and again. An example of this is
tennis elbow, which is caused by playing too much tennis or
carpal tunnel from typing on a keyboard for too long.
Strains and tendinitis can occur in all ages, and occur
usually when a muscle has been overstretched. This is most
commonly caused by not warming up properly prior to a
workout.

The best way to prevent most of these problems is to
exercise. Exercising thirty minutes every day is the
minimum, but we should aim for more. Care should be taken to
warm up and cool down after every workout to prevent any
muscle from becoming strained. It is important that we
stretch all our muscles so that our body can stay healthy
for a long time.

Another way to obtain stronger muscles is to keep body fat
levels down. Large amounts of fat make the muscles lose
their elasticity with the passage of time, and this can reduce
our resistance level and make us weaker. This mostly occurs as
we grow old, and the best precautionary measure is to watch our
weight and not let ourselves become overweight. Increasing blood
circulation is another way in which we can keep our muscles healthy,
as blood flow helps the muscles.

Having a balanced diet that includes all the basic vitamins
and nutrients is another way to prevent our joints and
muscles from troubling us. Taking in a minimum of three
servings of dairy products provides the body with adequate
calcium to help rebuild the bones and prevents osteoporosis.


Make sure you watch your health now, so that you can prevent
problems and stay healthy as you get older.