Need An Energy Boost? Try Getting More Fresh Air!

People spend a lot of time indoors every day. Kids spend six hours a day in school. Many adults spend at least eight hours inside of the buildings where they work. We spend all night in our homes: eating, playing, and sleeping. When do we take the time to enjoy the “great outdoors”?

Fresh air is highly underrated. Getting out of doors on a regular basis can improve one’s health and sense of well-being. Definitely it is a good boost to energy levels.

The air that we breathe on the inside is not as fresh as we need it to be. Dust is a fact of every day life. It collects on every surface. As we try to get rid of it, the dust swirls around us and makes its way into our respiratory system via nose and mouth.

In your homes, if you cook and occasionally burn a meal or two, those fumes get inhaled also. We need a break from the indoor air. Companies try to sell us products to clean our home or office air which is fine, but there is just no substitute for fresh air.

Fresh air cleans our lungs. We may cough a bit at first as our lungs are getting rid of the impurities that we suck up on a weekly basis. But, after a while we’ll begin to breathe deeper and deeper which brings more oxygen to our cells.

The increased oxygen brings with it increased energy to do the things we need to do. More oxygen brings greater clarity to the brain, which needs twenty percent of our body’s oxygen to function. We can think better than we could before.

Exercises performed outdoors in fresh air offer increased aerobic benefits. More clean air in helps improve our breathing technique. Better technique increases stamina. More oxygen to the muscles reduces that lactic acid build-up in the muscles which leads to cramping.

Fresh air cannot be found everywhere outdoors. In large cities where factories operate day and night, spewing smoke and particles into the air, fresh, clean air is at a premium. For these people, getting away from where they live will bring their bodies the benefits of fresh air.

A program called The Fresh Air Fund was started in 1877 by a non-profit organization. There goal was to introduce disadvantaged children living in the inner cities to the “great outdoors”. The program was started in New York to benefit the city’s youth.

A man, by the name of Reverend Parsons asked his parishioners to volunteer to host inner city youth for a time away in the country. They agreed and The Fresh Air Fund was born. The program still flourishes today, offering a choice of five camps in upstate New York for the city’s children to enjoy time away and learn about country life.

Fresh air and increased oxygenation produces a healthy mind, clean lungs, and a calmer constitution when we actively use it. Getting outdoors should not be a chore, but a privilege. Enjoy the earth and get your dose of fresh air, you will boost your energy at the very least.

What Most Doctors Won't Tell You About Colds And Flus

I just read a great newsletter I receive from Dr Ben Kim, and he wrote an article on his website about colds and flu that is awfully good info. If you aren't already getting his newsletter, you should.

Here is the article link and a little teaser to get you interested.

What Most Doctors Won't Tell You About Colds and Flus

The next time that you experience a cold or the flu, remember this: giving your body plenty of rest while allowing the cold or flu to run its course is good for your health.

Conventional medicine and the pharmaceutical industry would have you believe that there is no "cure" for the common cold, that you should protect yourself against the flu with a vaccine that is laden with toxic chemicals, and that during the midst of a cold or flu, it is favorable to ease your discomfort with a variety of medications that can suppress your symptoms.

Unfortunately, all three of these positions represent a lack of understanding of what colds and flus really are, and what they mean to your body.

Colds and flus are causes by viruses. So to understand what colds and flus do at a cellular level, you have to understand what viruses do at a cellular level.

First, do you remember learning about cellular division in grade seven science class? Each of your cells are called parent cells, and through processes of genetic duplication (mitosis) and cellular division (cytokinesis), each of your parent cells divides into two daughter cells. Each daughter cell is then considered a parent cell that will divide into two more daughter cells, and so on, and so on, and so on.

Viruses are different from your cells in that they cannot duplicate themselves through mitosis and cytokinesis. Viruses are nothing but microscopic particles of genetic material, each coated by a thin layer of protein.

Due to their design, viruses are not able to reproduce on their own. The only way that viruses can flourish in your body is by using the machinery and metabolism of your cells to produce multiple copies of themselves.

Once a virus has gained access to one of your cells . . . Read the whole article here

Take Care Of Your Stomach, Intestines And Bowels And They Will Take Care Of You

A Case For Eating More Vegetarian Meals

Take Care Of Your Stomach, Intestines And Bowels And They Will Take Care Of You

Many of the health benefits derived from a vegetarian diet have to do with creating a healthy environment in the bowels and stomach. Our digestive systems, from prehistory on, were designed to metabolize vegetable matter, more than animal products.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts provide the kind of dietary fiber our digestive systems need to function properly.

The Western diet that’s high in processed and refined flour and sugar, and in animal products that are laden with hormones and antibiotics, are actually anathemas to our insides.

When the digestive system doesn’t function and work as it’s intended to, that leads to opportunistic diseases or changes in the DNA of cells in the stomach and colon. And there are more practical considerations as well.

When we don’t get enough of the fiber we need, we incur a host of digestion and elimination problems, such as constipation and hemorrhoids that are a result of straining. These diseases and syndromes are much less evident in a vegetarian population than in a meat-eating population.

Other diseases of the bowel that occur less frequently in a vegetarian population include irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic ulcerative colitis, mostly likely due to the increased fiber content in a vegetarian diet.

And of course a diet that’s higher in dietary fiber that comes from a vegetarian diet will decrease the likelihood or risk of colon cancer.

When you consider the risks that come with a diet that includes meat and animal products, and the benefits that come from a vegetarian diet, does the prospect of a steak or burger or bacon really sound that good to you?

Doesn’t it at least make sense to reverse the portion sizes and proportions of meats to vegetables and side dishes? In other words, if you must continue to eat meat, then make meat your side dish, or just incidental to your meal, such as in a stir fry.

Increasing the proportion of fruits and vegetables in your diet can only be good for you.

Detoxification, Cleanse Your Digestive System And You Cleanse Your Body!

When people talk about detoxification and cleansing the body of harmful toxins, it’s often seen as a fringe element of vegetarians. People really don’t like to think about harmful toxins building up in their colons or in their arteries, but it’s often a by-product of a carnivorous diet.

A diet that’s high in fat and processed foods tends to slow down our digestive systems, and our elimination processes are also interrupted.

This can allow harmful bacteria and toxins to accumulate and can create a general feeling of sluggishness, as well as a host of digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome or colitis.

When we begin eating a more healthy vegetarian diet, we start to get more dietary fiber into our systems, and all of a sudden, our digestive systems start to work better,

When you reduce high-fat meat and processed foods in your diet, then much of your body’s energy is freed from the intense work of digesting these foods.

Everything becomes clearer – your blood, your organs, your mind. You start to become more aware of the toxic nature of the food you’d been eating before.

Toxicity is of much greater concern in the twentieth century than ever before. There are many new and stronger chemicals, air and water pollution, radiation and nuclear power.

We ingest new chemicals, use more drugs of all kinds, eat more sugar and refined foods, and daily abuse ourselves with various stimulants and sedatives. The incidence of many toxicity diseases has increased as well. Cancer and cardiovascular disease are two of the main ones.

Arthritis, allergies, obesity, and many skin problems are others. In addition, a wide range of symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, pains, coughs, gastrointestinal problems, and problems from immune weakness, can all be related to toxicity.

When you start a more vegetarian eating plan, your body eventually will cleanse itself of the harmful effects of these toxic foods. It’s kind of like a river gradually cleaning up after we stop dumping toxic materials into it

Nothing feels like health and energy as much as a clean toxin reduced digestive and elimination system working as it was made to.

Men And Weight Loss in General

Men and Weight Loss

Men and weight loss is a subject which has hardly been discussed, but it should be; at least among men. When it comes to dieting, men have a different point of view. Place a dinner consisting of steak and potatoes in front of them, and they are most happy.

Perhaps it will not be evident when they are young, but as they grow older, all of the fatty foods they’ve eaten may eventually catch up with them.

While weight loss is a topic most women can discuss, chapter and verse, men seen to fall into the “yeah, whatever” category. There is a wonderful commercial which nails the problem on the head.

A man is sitting in a chic restaurant with his woman friend. He is given a gourmet lunch (which you can hardly see on the plate). He stands up, throws down his napkin and says, “Enough of this chick food!” Runs out of the restaurant and goes across the street to a fast food restaurant.

A song begins, and a stream of men start filing out of the restaurant with a cheese burger in their hands rejoicing about the virtues of being able to eat what they want; and what they want is a cheese burger.

Although it was a wonderful commercial, it really brought home the fact that men want hearty meals; meaty meals; and are not engaged in eating “chick” food.

While the daily recommended diet should include two servings of fruit plus three servings of vegetables, needless to say it is difficult for many men to follow these guidelines. In order to assist men and weight loss, here are some tips you may wish to utilize:

Instead of high fat content meals, reduce the fact by consuming lean meats instead. Reduce sugar intake by substituting water instead of sodas and alcohol, especially beer.

If you need to snack, try low-fat cheese or non-fat yogurt. Stay away from Trans fats and foods which are fried.

You can certainly have sandwiches, but try to choose roast beef or ham; (you may want to try the Subway Restaurants which have low calorie, but delicious subs). Stay away from the fast food restaurants as much as possible. Bring lunch to the workplace or job site.

You can just as easily make a healthy meal at home, and save money as well. Eat vegetables and grains that are high in fiber and low in fat. Limit your sodium intake as well.

Try to do some form of exercise daily. You don’t have to kill yourself but a steady 20 to 30 minutes at least 4 or 5 times a week will make a huge different to your weight and life overall.

The good news is that studies have shown that men do tend to lose weight faster than women once they embark on a plan of healthy eating and exercise.

Men and weight loss usually bond together at an older age, when a doctor advises your cholesterol is too high; you’ve developed a paunch; or you have high blood pressure.

While you may be healthy now, undoubtedly you wish to remain so as you age. The only way this will happen is if you begin to understand the diet process; and why it is so important to your health.

Let's face it men, our metabolism will tend to slow down through the years and our eating habits will start to catch up with us, unless we actively prevent them from doing so. So this is not one to procrastinate with . . .

Some Alternative Thoughts To Conventional Thinking?

Conventional Wisdom – Is It Really Wisdom or Lazy Thinking?

Many of us rely on conventional wisdom to help guide us through routine decision-making processes. But, does conventional wisdom really serve us that well? Or does it actually keep us from making the best decisions possible?

While common knowledge can be helpful in certain situations, it keeps us from making progress in almost every aspect of our lives, as well as that of our society and the worldwide community.

By now, we’re all too familiar with the example of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Western World. Conventional wisdom of the day was that the Earth was flat and if you sailed far enough you would simply fall off the end of the Earth. Having little more than intuition and faith, Columbus defied conventional wisdom and set out on his voyage of discovery. Of course, the rest is history.

One of the areas most affected by conventional wisdom is in the area of health and wellness. For centuries, Western cultures have favored scientific advances in the fight against death and disease. Obviously, advances have been made that improved the plight of mankind. Discovery of the causes of many diseases have led to improvements in sanitation and drinking water supplies.

Unfortunately, these advances have received little credit for the virtual elimination of such diseases as polio and tuberculosis (in developed countries) while mass vaccination programs have received almost all of the credit. Conventional wisdom says that vaccination prevents disease. In depth analysis might point to many differing perspectives.

Another bit of conventional wisdom is that animal protein is unhealthy for humans. It’s supposed to increase cholesterol and cause cardiovascular disease. Just this week, though, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study that counters that conventional wisdom.

For years, Dr. Robert Atkins, developer of the high protein, low carbohydrate weight-loss program named after him was called a quack, huckster and charlatan by mainstream medicine. The JAMA study showed that the high-protein Atkins diet was more effective at helping participants lose weight than other mainstream programs, like The Zone diet and the Ornish diet.

Even more amazing is that with the unconventional high-protein, high-fat Atkins diet participants not only lowered blood pressure, the reduced LDL, or bad, cholesterol and increased HDL, or good, cholesterol. Maybe Dr. Atkins’ critics will now let him rest in peace.

Conventional wisdom also tells us “germs cause disease”. Fortunately, the theory that germs alone cause disease is about as silly a notion as the one that Columbus had to overcome. Unfortunately, the Germ Theory (misapplied) has done much to set up Western civilization for potentially huge public health problems in the near future.

Let’s take a closer look. If germs really caused disease then why doesn’t everyone in a household get a cold or the flu at the same time? Or, why do just some people at work get the flu and not everyone?

In its haste to eliminate disease by killing germs, modern Medicine has abandoned the real precepts of the Germ Theory that tell us it’s the strength of the germ (or pathogen), the amount of exposure and the strength (or weakness) of the host (you and me) that determines if one will actually develop a disease or condition when exposed.

The main reason that some get sick and some don’t is the strength of our immune system and it’s ability to isolate and kill those germs. Many believe that conventional wisdom regarding the war against disease is that it has caused potential problems with over-vaccinating children and abuse of antibiotics among a host of other problems. It has also created a situation that actually invites a pandemic catastrophe.

There are many sets of conventional wisdom that bear scrutiny, including global warming, mandatory vaccination programs and the net benefit of mandatory public education. Of course, the list is limited only by your own observation.

So, how can we keep from becoming a victim of conventional wisdom as both individuals and as a society?

First, realize that “common knowledge” is just that. It’s common, accepted by all without little thought or analysis, the lowest common denominator and far from the final answer.

“Conventional wisdom” is more consensus than wisdom. It stifles thought and fosters ignorance among the masses.

Second, force yourself to ask “Is this true or does it just seem true because so many people accept it?” Finally, let principles guide you rather than the mere assertions of others.

Here are some principles that will never let you down.

· The human body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism. It doesn’t as much need help as it just needs less interference.
· If drugs worked, rich people wouldn’t die.
· Individual freedom is superior to group identification.
· Morality, self-restraint and personal responsibility are more effective than regulation.
· If something can be imagined, it can be done.
· The human mind contains all the knowledge of the Universe. Don’t allow your thinking to be limited by common knowledge or conventional wisdom.
· The Earth has been here a long time. It can correct anything Mankind can do to it.
· The wisdom of Nature is greater than the sum of all Mankind’s knowledge now and forever.
· Mother Nature always wins in the long run. Work with it not on it or against it.

Just know that principles win out over knowledge every time. Live your life in accord with solid principles.

Don’t be a victim of common knowledge or conventional wisdom. Think for yourself. Be all that God designed you to be.

by Dr. Tim Langley

Dr. Tim Langley is a chiropractor, economist and business consultant. He lives and practices in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Dr. Langley writes on issues that relate to health, business, personal development, economic development and politics. He is also the developer of “The Membership Practice”. You can find out more about Dr. Langley at his web site http://www.langleychiropractic.com or through his blog at http://drtim.wordpress.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Langley

Aspartame Sweetener, Side Effects Revisited

Aspartame May Be Causing Your Headaches

Go to any medical institution that has an online website, such as Mayo Clinic and MedicineNet, and you'll find aspartame is always listed as a potential trigger for migraine headaches.

Aspartame is an artificial, non-nutritive sweetener that is found in Equal, Nutrasweet, diet colas and in over a thousand other food products, vitamins, sports drinks and chewing gum.

Studies have shown that one out of every three women have headaches associated with aspartame. Some people have actually had seizures that have been attributed to aspartame and most of them experienced severe headaches just before.

Other symptoms associated with aspartame include: depression, insomnia, tinnitus, memory loss, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, vision problems, heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, vertigo, irritability, weight gain, seizures, brain tumors and even more.

People with hypothyroidism, diabetes, hypoglycemia and hypertension are at greater risk for getting a headache after consuming aspartame. I am hypoglycemic and cannot tolerate aspartame at all and do get headaches whenever I consume it.

About 10% of aspartame is broken down into methanol in the small intestine. This methanol is then absorbed and is converted into formaldehyde. Scary, huh? Fruit juices and alcoholic beverages also contain methanol but they have another substance called ethanol that blocks the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde.

Aspartame does not have this protection. Experiments have shown that consumption of aspartame causes a build up of formaldehyde in the brain, kidneys and liver as well as other parts of the body.

About 40% of aspartame is broken down into aspartic acid. Again, because aspartame is quickly absorbed it can spike the levels of aspartate in the blood plasma. Aspartic acid is called an excitotoxin which can cause damage to the brain and nerve cells.

High levels of excitotoxins can damage areas of the brain not protected by the blood-brain barrier, causing neurotoxicity. Excitotoxins can also be found in MSG and when combined with aspartame can increase the negative effects of this substance on the brain.

Another substance found in aspartame is phenylalanine. This is an amino acid that is commonly found in foods. The phenylalanine in aspartame, however, is absorbed more quickly than that found in natural foods and can spike blood plasma levels of phenylalanine. This adversely effects the production of neurotransmitters in the brain.

And finally, another product of aspartame that may be dangerous to your brain, is partylphenylalanie diketopiperazine (DKP). A very long couple of words. Some scientists are concerned that the DKP in aspartame may cause brain tumors. There is, however, almost no research yet on this substance.

Here's a little political information about the approval of aspartame by the FDA. Aspartame was discovered in 1965 and there was a lot of controversy over the health risks associated with it.

In 1980 the Board of Inquiry of the FDA denied a petition for approval of aspartame. But in l981 a newly appointed FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, ignored the ruling and approved aspartame for dry goods.

It was recorded in the Congressional Record of 1985 that Donald Rumsfeld, the CEO of Searle Laboratories, said he would do everything he could to get aspartame approved. Rumsfeld at that time was on President Reagan's transition team and the day after taking office appointed Hayes.

No FDA Commissioner in the previous sixteen years would allow aspartame to be approved. It looks to me as if aspartame was pushed through without regard to the dangers it could cause to our health.

I don't know about you, but I think there is enough evidence out there concerning adverse effects of aspartame and lack of proof that aspartame is not dangerous to keep me away from this substance. And as I said at the beginning, I always have a headache when I consume aspartame. If you have recurring migraine headaches and consume aspartame regularly, you might want to consider that it may be the cause.

If you are curious about aspartame and other excitotoxins such as MSG, you should google excitotoxins and read some of the information. It's scary stuff. I don't touch either of these substances and haven't, at least knowingly, for the last 15 years.

by Kathy Love

Kathy Love is the creator and webmaster for natural-cure-remedy.com where she has compiled information about natural cures and remedies for various health problems and ailments. For more information about headaches, go to her Cure Headaches Naturally page.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Love

Exercise Does Not Have To be Complicated. Just Move And Burn Those Calories!

A Few Simple Ways to Burn Your Calories

It is not always necessary to run 15 miles each day to burn some real calories. It may be tiring as well as boring doing the same thing every morning. A better idea is to engage oneself in physical activity each and every week.

This way you will be able to create a solid base to ensure that you can build a successful exercise program. The following simple exercises can be included as a part of that program.

It is important to know how the calories are burned during an activity. It depends on both the weight of the person, as well as the intensity. The following are estimates for the number of calories burned for an average 150 pound person during an hour of activity.

If you are walking briskly, expect to burn about 300 calories.

Basketball is a great way to spend calories. You can burn well over 450 calories in an hour.

If you have to clean your house, why not do it with optimism? Light cleaning consumes about 240 calories an hour.

Do you have a green thumb? Yes, gardening uses about 324 calories!

Golfing on the weekends is a favorite pastime of many. 385 calories are burned if you carry your clubs! Forefront!

Put a stationary bike in front of the television. You’ll be burning 380 calories an hour while you catch up on the latest news.

Are you a fan of the aerobics class at the local gym? Great if you are, because this activity uses 405 calories for just an hour of sweating.

Also, that elliptical trainer can burn an amazing 630 an hour!!

Even ping-pong has healthy benefits! This activity uses 280 calories per hour.

Apart from the above ways of burning calories, there are some other activities doing which we start burning calories unknowingly. Like a mother or a person with children knows that chasing after these little ones can burn calories. The number probably depends on just how wild that kid is, but that can certainly count.

Hey, if nothing else, even sleeping burns calories. You’ll be using up 45 for just an hour! But that’s not an excuse to take a nap! Actually being active as much as you can is the master key to weight loss success as well as leading a healthy life.

No dieting or medicine can cover up the requirement of physical activity or exercise if you are considering a healthy lifestyle or a good shape of your body.

Burn those extra calories. Follow the simple ways to bring positive change in your life style to ensure a healthy life and beautiful body and mind. You can make it a success, as we say where there is a will, there is a way.

by Isabel Hayek

The author, Isabel Hayek, addresses health and fitness related issues. If you wish to seek help for your fitness related problems, you can log on to http://www.adipexpower.com for more information and advice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabel_Hayek

How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

Great post about weight loss vs fat loss, why diets fail, and how to keep weight off permanently post diet period. Check out the 'KSuccess Blog'.

Rodger is currently hosting a Physical Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge. It started some time ago and is still open and the information alone is worth heading on over and checking out.

Back to the article link and a little teaser for you:

SMART Weight Loss - How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Did you know that as many as 95% of all diets fail to produce long-term weight loss? I don’t know about you, but that seems like a pretty dismal success rate to me. Why is losing weight and keeping it off such a difficult challenge?

Now, before you tell me all about your friend Joan who went on the XYZ diet and lost 30 pounds in 2 months, you have to be clear about what success means when it comes to weight loss and dieting.

It turns out that losing weight is generally NOT the problem. In fact, most overweight people will find that they can lose weight using almost any popular diet. The real problem is keeping the weight off after you’ve lost it.

That’s where most diets fail to deliver, and usually leads to the “yo-yo” dieting vicious cycle that can wreak havoc on your sanity!

In this article, I’ll show you why most diets actually set you up for failure right from the start. I’ll also show you an alternative way to lose weight based on a strategy that I have been using successfully over the past 10 months. It took me a while to figure out the best way to go about it, but that means that you won’t have to go through the same trial-and-error process that I did.

My Own Struggles with Weight Loss

A few years after finishing college, I started eating more and stopped exercising as much as I used to. Not surprisingly, my weight slowly started to go up.

About six years ago, I reached my peak of about 170 pounds, which clearly put me into the “overweight” category based on my height. I didn’t necessarily feel fat, but I was definitely overweight.

Since then, I’ve tried to lose the weight three times.

The first time was about four and a half years ago. My strategy then was to follow a traditional “diet” and eat less food to create a caloric deficit. I would often skip breakfast altogether, or have just a small piece of fruit.

Using this approach, I felt hungry a good portion of the day, particularly in the morning. I could hear my stomach rumble while I was trying to do work. I got cravings for food nearly every day. I definitely did not enjoy the experience.

This “diet” only lasted for about 3 months. My weight did drop down to about 165 pounds, but it quickly went back up after I stopped dieting.

My second weight loss attempt was about three years ago. At that point, I had started playing racquetball regularly 3 times a week. The regular exercise from racquetball helped me get my weight down to about 166 pounds. Then, I tried going on another diet to get my weight down even more.

After about 4 months, I finally broke 160 pounds for a single day! Unfortunately, I had the same problems sticking to this diet as I did before, and I never reached my target of 158 pounds. To make matters worse, I dropped one of my regular racquetball days because the gym was too crowded and ended up going back up to about 167 pounds.

I started my third attempt on March 2006. This time, I didn’t want to have the same poor results that I experienced before, so I changed my strategy.

I’m very confident that this time I’ll be able to lose the weight and keep it off long-term because I’ve already reached and surpassed my original target weight of 158 pounds. Plus, I have kept the weight off for well over 3 months.

So far, I’m down to about 155 . . .

Read more . . .

How Persistent Are You When You Hit The Wall And Think About Wimping Out?

Motivate Yourself To Move - No Matter What

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." - Wayne Dyer

I'm absolutely miserable our first morning back in town after a marvelous month spent in sunny, but quite cool, Florida. I find myself faced with the prospect of pushing myself out into Chicago's sub-zero cold for my daily five mile walk.

“Ain't happenin',” I think. “Now what?”

The bare minimum I will walk on a day like today is one hour. So, my only other option is to bundle up, race down the street to East Bank Club, chain myself to one of their high-tech treadmills, tough it out for that hour and get the whole thing over with.

As treadmills go, I especially favor the ones that look like “Star Wars” Strato Scooters, so I pick my favorite on the end, punch the “quick start” workout button and away I go.

However: by 13:09 into my workout, I'm already bored silly without my I-pod. I can't believe I forgot it. That thing's like an appendage to me, but today it's in a different spot than usual because of last night's travel and I just plain forgot it. My dang knees are crying, too.

How many of you would quit right here and now at the first sign of a little discomfort?

If you want to lose weight and get healthier, you have to work past the pain and walk every day. (Consult with your doctor first, but do get your butt moving ASAP.)

You know what your personal pain tolerance is and what everyday aches you have that you always use as an excuse to not move as much as you should. Stop letting those things hold you back. Stop holding yourself back.

Get on the scale. Look at yourself in the mirror. Feel how tight your waistband is. Look at yourself from behind. Notice how snug your shirts, sweaters and blouses fit.

It's time for you to get moving. Or are you waiting for some catastrophic health event to strike where, if you're lucky enough to survive, THEN maybe you'll start to do what you need to do for a healthier, more fit life?

Why wait?

Back to the music matter: it works wonders as a distraction from pain. It's one of the things that keeps me walking day after day after day. Studies prove that people who walk and listen to their favorite music are more likely to develop walking into a daily habit. (And for safety, listen only in one ear while you're walking outside.)

15:51 minutes: I'm restless and looking for an escape. I spy some of Nautilus's new, split treadmill machines called treadclimbers. Hmmmm.

17:09: My curiosity gets the better of me. I feel the need to switch over to one of the treadclimbers and keep my warm up going while I get oriented on this new cardio contraption.

“No need to run. 2 X's the workout!” blare the red-dotted words on the screen. We'll see.

I last five whole minutes - that's the amount of time allotted to figure out how to work the thing - before I call it quits. I can't move my legs another revolution.

“Continue workout?” red-dot flashes next. Not!

“Treadclimber, indeed,” I wonder. What genius thought this one up? But in my heart I'm envious of those who zoom along, cardio-cranking, proficiently smooth and sweating like hell. That's the real name of the fitness game if you can handle it. Lucky dogs. Otherwise, take it slow, do what you can, but you do have to push yourself and practice every single day to get results.

And if your heart, knees, hips and back can take it, the treadclimber will seriously boil off your excess pounds in no time flat and then keep them off for as long as you continue to use it daily. That's the key to one of dieting's biggest “secrets,” consistency - doing it daily. Forever.

I can't beat a path back to my old treadmill fast enough. The grass was not greener, and clearly I need music to get me through the rest of this workout.

Another turning point: how many of you would quit now? How many of you would figure, “What the heck,” and just stop right here?

I have to press on. No excuses.

Doing some quick math, I figure seventeen minutes on the first treadmill, plus the five minutes I spent on the tread climber, equal twenty-two minutes. That leaves me with a minimum of thirty-eight minutes to go - back on my original “Strato Scooter.”

A few minutes into it, I wish my knees would stop screaming while I wait for the Excedrin I popped a bit ago to kick in. I'm just thankful to be back on level “ground,” if you know what I mean.

My one eye slits open: only 30 more minutes to go. This is pure, unadulterated penance for my 30-days of wayward vacation behavior. Miraculously, however, I didn't gain any weight even though we wined and dined with tastes of dessert almost nightly. (OK, so some nights there was more than just a “taste.”)

And don't think I was a total slug while we were away. It was 30 straight days of walking a minimum of five miles a day on the beach and swimming an hour in a perfectly heated pool every afternoon that helped me keep my weight in check.

Plus - two more dieting biggies: weighing myself every morning and being very stingy with every single white starchy, sugary carb I put in my mouth at breakfast or lunch that helped, too. (I never eat both on the same day anymore.)

Vigilance is vital. There is no other option.

I quickly count my blessings. In the old days I would have figured, “Heck with it, we're on vacation,” and toss all caution and training to the wind. And by the time I'd get back home - I could easily be up ten, fifteen or twenty. Not any more.

But, at 11:23, (of the 38 minutes I have left this go-round) I discover I have to pee.

“No way,” I think. If I stop again I will never be able to get back on this thing. I know it. This is way too hard for me today - especially without my usual musical diversion.

15:52: For distraction, I sneak my Bluetooth outta my purse and clip it on my ear, placing a verboten call (club etiquette rules) to my business partner, whispering to her that I'll be in within the hour.

I then slam my eyes shut, grab hold of the handlebar and by 20:44 I gleefully realize I'm over halfway there.

Failing to keep my mind occupied, I compulsively open my eyes again and again only to find the first thing I stare at is that dang elapsed time.

25:52: How will I keep on walking for the duration? Then I think about the consequences if I don't - that does it for me every time. After struggling for a lifetime of being mostly overweight, I know full well what will happen if I ever succumb to such lazy thinking again.

An almost anorexic gal climbs onto one of the treadclimbers just a bit in front of me. Her legs and feet are a dizzying blur as she gears up to speed instantly without so much as a how-da-ya-do warm up. She's tall and weighs maybe ninety pounds dripping wet - half of what I weigh, so what do I expect. The lighter the load, the faster you move.

“Only ten minutes to go, no one would know if you stopped now,” I hear. I know it's not me but that dang Demon voice in my head trying to sabotage me yet again. I refuse to listen. “I would know, you butthead, and that would never do.”

Why risk entertaining such a bad habit now, after all I've done, after how far I've come? Quitting early just isn't my style. I know how much better I look and feel without that extra 130 pounds. Even with my chronic pains, the effort's well worth it. The pains are far less and I'm much healthier now.

Onward.

33:17: My Demon is hard at work begging me, demanding, stomping his foot to get me to stop now “before it's too late.” “Too late for what,” I snarl? Demon doesn't come up with a good enough answer, so I press on, eyes clamped tight to shut out the elapsed time's red-dot display.

36:28: Just a few more minutes. “You can do it,” I encourage myself.

“Don't be a fool. No you can't,” hisses Demon.

37:01: Only 59 more seconds of this misery. Rest assured, I will never forget that dang I-pod again.

I see myself punch the cool down button. Am I crazy or what? Adding five more minutes onto this treadmill torture for good measure is insane, but I do it anyway - just because I can, thinking, “Take THAT, Demon.”

I always make sure to get my daily walking workout in no matter how hard it is, no matter what.

How about you? You know there is no REAL excuse.

Do whatever has to be done. It's always your choice.

by Laura Dion-Jones Casey
P.O. Box 10876
Chicago, IL 60610
312-933-7325
February 16, 2007 ©
http://www.poundbypoundonline.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Dion-Jones_Casey

A Short Lesson On Body pH And It's Importance To Your Health!

How Body pH Can Affect Your Energy Levels

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE; WE ARE BIO ELECTRICAL ENGINES
In order to accomplish all the many millions of complex functions that occur over the course of the day, your body has to be able to communicate with itself… all the way down to the cellular level. And do you know how it does this? Through pulses of electricity. That's right, electricity.

Your body operates on an electro magnetic current. Believe it or not, all of the organs in your body emit these fields of electrical current. In fact, nerve signals are nothing more than electrical charges.

What creates this electrical power in your body is a very fine balance that exists in your bio chemistry. And of all the systems in your body that depend on this delicate, bio chemical balance, one of the most important is your blood stream. This is where pH comes into play. But what is pH?

WHAT PH IS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALL YOUR BODY FUNCTIONS
PH is a scale that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale ranges from 1 to 14 with 1 being very acid, 7 neutral and 14 very alkaline.

So what does pH have to do with you and your blood? Well, the pH of your blood is extremely important. The ideal pH level for your blood is right around 7.35 and your body goes to enormous lengths to maintain this level.

Why? Because if your blood pH were to vary 1 or 2 points in either direction, it would change the electrical chemistry in your body, there would be no electrical power and in short order you would drop dead. As you can see, maintaining the right pH level in your blood is pretty important!!

With this in mind a good way to avoid upsetting this delicate bio chemical balance would be to take a look at those things that can compromise the maintenance of the ideal pH level in your body. And what is the main culprit in this case? The answer is the creation of acid in your body.

Before we look at what causes acid, here's a graphic example to give you an idea of what can happen in the blood when your pH drops to less than ideal. Red blood cells are how oxygen is transported to all the cells in your body.

As red blood cells move into the tiny, little, capillaries, the space they have to move through gets pretty small. In fact, the diameter of the capillaries gets so small that the red blood cells sometimes have to pass through these capillaries one red blood cell at a time!

Because of this, and because it's important for the red blood cells to be able to flow easily and quickly through your body, they have a mechanism that allows them to remain separate from each other.

This mechanism comes in the form of the outside of healthy red blood cells having a negative charge. This causes them to stay apart from each other, sort of like when you try to push the negative ends of two magnets together. They resist each other and stay apart.

Unfortunately, acid interferes with this very important mechanism in a pretty frightening way. Acid actually strips away the negative charge from red blood cells. The result is that your red blood cells then tend to clump together and not flow as easily. This makes it much more difficult for them to flow easily through the bloodstream.

But it also makes it harder for them to move freely through those small capillaries. This means less oxygen gets to your cells. Acid also weakens the red blood cells and they begin to die. And guess what they release into your system when they die? More acid.

I could describe a whole list of processes that occur when your system becomes and remains acid but I think you get the idea. The point is that aside from the acid that is secreted into your stomach to aid digestion, acid in your body is bad. Really bad.

In regard to producing energy in the body, here's an easy question for you. What do you think happens to a person's energy level if over time their system becomes more and more acid, their biochemical balance is disrupted and their red blood cells can't deliver oxygen and nutrients as efficiently to all their cells? The answer is simple. Their energy level drops. Dramatically.

Are you beginning to get the picture here as to the importance of pH in your body? Good. Now let's take a quick look at what causes acidity in your body and then look at steps you can take to get your body pH back to an ideal level.

WHAT CAUSES ACID IN THE BODY
The primary cause of an acidic condition in your body is from what you put in your mouth. In other words, what you eat and what you drink. And it isn't how "acid" something may seem when you eat or drink it. It has to do with what is left over when you digest it.

Specifically, does eating or drinking something leave behind an acid or alkaline "ash". For example, I don't know about you but I love seafood. Scallops are one of my favorites. However, when your body digests scallops, it leaves an extremely acid ash. In fact, scallops are one of the most acid foods you can eat.

Unfortunately, a lot of the things most people put in their mouths create an acid ash. These include alcohol, coffee and a lot of flesh protein in your diet. Interestingly enough, stress also tends to create an acid condition in the body.

STEPS YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY TAKE TO IMPROVE YOUR PH
Fortunately, it is pretty easy to immediately change your pH for the better and make it more alkaline. The first step is to understand which of the foods you are eating and the drinks you are drinking are acid and which are alkaline. Then it's simply a matter of eliminating some of the more acid foods you are eating and adding in more alkaline foods.

However, before you start, it's important to get a baseline of what the pH is in your body so that you can see how you are improving or if you need to continue to eliminate more acid foods and add in more alkaline ones.

You can do this by testing the pH of your saliva on a regular basis. This is really simple to do. More details on how to do this are provided on some web pages I have created for you to help you out. A link to these pages is provided below.

In addition to decreasing the amount of acid foods you eat and increasing the amount of alkaline foods you eat, one of the best ways to immediately begin changing your pH is to drink "green drinks".

You can make these by simply adding a powder that is made up of a whole host of vegetables that are highly alkaline to a glass of water. Information on suggested green drink powders to use is included on pages that I have a link to below.

RESOURCES WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE
Clicking on the following link will take you to some pages I created that have more information on alkaline and acid foods, how to test your own pH and what to look for in green drinks.
http://www.ajpip.com/resources/site_map.htm

Start taking the steps described above and you may very well find your energy levels increasing over time. Mine certainly have.

- by Andy Long

After years of extreme fatigue, severe digestion problems and frequent sickness, Andy Long now enjoys energy levels that allow him to windsurf in 30 mph winds for 3-4 hours at a time.

He now shares with others what he did to completely regain his health through his health related web sites and newsletter.

To see a list of the topics covered in Andy's newsletter, click on the following link: http://www.ajpip.com/rbopi/ancrb.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Long