Realgoalgetter Health Blog

Five Popular Herbal Supplements Americans Love

2009-12-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

The Top Five Herbal Supplements Americans Love to Take

The trend in America now is to live healthier. If you turn on the TV or open a magazine, chances are that you will see an advertisement for something to better your health, whether it is the latest diet craze, the newest workout equipment, or the latest supplement to improve some aspect of your health.

You may buy organic fruits and veggies and eat free-range meat. Americans are also totally into herbal supplements. Here is a brief overview of some of the more popular varieties.

Garlic has been used as a seasoning in food for years, but now people are looking into its health benefits as well. It is most popular for hear conditions such as high cholesterol and hardening of the arteries. It is also being explored in uses such as boosting the immune system and reducing blood sugar levels.

Whole garlic is also used in a variety of herbal remedies as well. The juice can be used as an antiseptic and to prevent skin conditions, and the syrup can be used for asthma, coughs, bronchitis, and other lung disorders. Some people are hesitant to take garlic, as when taken in large quantities it can leave a person’s skin with a garlicky odor.

Many people are looking for energy supplements, either to spur their workout to the next level or to help them burn calories to lose weight. Ginseng has taken over part of this niche. It is common used to increase stamina and energy, as well as an anti-stress treatment.

It also has some anti-inflammatory properties that can make it useful in treating other conditions. Some people are also researching possible aphrodisiac qualities, which may cause it to be included in sexual performance enhancing drugs. The whole herb is also said to be useful for stomach issues, nausea, and lack of appetite.

Gingko Biloba is most widely known for improving memory, and most people choose it for that quality alone. However, it also can help increase the efficiency of your metabolism, making it a good partner for those who are looking to lose weight. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it an overall good choice for better health.

Traditionally, the seed from the Gingko Biloba tree was used for the treatment of asthma and other breathing disorders. Lately, though, scientists have been studying extract from the leaf itself. It shows some promise in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, depression, short-term memory loss, and many others.

Echinacea has been hailed as the treatment for the common cold and flu for its possible anti-viral properties. It is often found in herbal cold remedies and lozenges, and works well as a general immune system booster.

As an herb, Echinacea has also been found to be useful for boils, cancer, syphilis, and impurities of the blood because of its antiseptic properties. It has also been used as an aphrodisiac. Use caution when using Echinacea though, and use sparingly – taking Echinacea for more than 6 weeks at a time can cause a person to develop sensitivity to ragweed.

St. John’s Wort has been known to be nature’s antidepressant, and is often used for treating depression and anxiety. It can also be used in helping to treat stress-induced insomnia. Some people have found that it is also helpful for treating upset stomach and indigestion.

As a whole herb, St. John’s Wort has also had a variety of other uses, from being an expectorant to break up mucous, to treating diarrhea, depression, and jaundice. It has also been used for children who experience nighttime bed-wetting problems.

It is helpful to do more research before adding herbs to your routine for health. In some cases supplements will do the job, in others the whole herb is traditionally used. Yet in other cases liquid extracts are found to be the most effective as they are the most concentrated.

As with any change in your routine, adding herbal supplements to your diet should be thoroughly discussed with your health care professional before proceeding. Different herbs can affect people differently – what works for your best friend can have severe effects for you. If in doubt, stop taking the supplement and speak to your doctor.

How To Choose The Right Weight Loss Program For You

2009-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

With all the hype surrounding Losing Weight how do you know if a Weight Loss Program is for you? And will it work for YOU? There are so many to choose from.

Five Ways to Determine if a Weight Loss Program is Right for You

With the constant onslaught of messages from the media about the latest fad diet and that perfect weight loss plan, it can be hard to know which way to turn.

It seems like every day, someone new is promising some kind of weight loss miracle – the one plan you have been waiting for all of these years.

How do you know which plans are worth trying and which plans are just a waste of your time?

The truth is that there is only one person who knows the perfect diet plan for you – and that it YOU. When you find the right diet for you, you will be able to stick with it and succeed. So, learn to drown out the background noise and evaluate diets on their merit specifically for you.

The first thing you need to consider is the food that the diet requires you to eat. Do you like it? Will you eat it? Some people are tempted to think that if they choose a diet that relies heavily on food they don’t like, they will skip meals and lose even more weight. That plan is one destined to fail.

If you don’t like the food on a diet, you may be able to make it through a few days of skipped meals and skimpy portions, but you’ll soon find yourself making a run for the fast food drive thru or gorging on chocolate bars to make up for the eating you have missed.

Instead, look for a diet that matches your style of eating and lets you have some variety. For instance, if you are a vegetarian, the Atkins Diet is probably not your cup of tea, and a dyed-in-the-wool meat and potato person is not going to be happy on a raw food diet.

Remember, you’re not trying to punish yourself – you’re trying to find a new, healthy lifestyle you can live with.

Next, find out what kind of activity is required to maintain the diet, and decide if you can commit to it. Some diets don’t want you to exercise at all during the first few weeks, which is enough to put a fitness buff over the edge.

Alternatively, if a diet requires you to exercise for an hour a day, and you haven’t been off the couch in months, you need something with a slower start.

The third thing to ask yourself is if you have enough time for the diet. The menus for some diets require you to do some pretty extensive meal planning and make you spend a lot of time in the kitchen chopping and cooking.

When you’re working 40+ hours a week, raising a family and are used to depending on the local delivery service, this addition to your schedule may be enough to lead you to diet failure. If you like to cook, these kinds of plans are fine.

If you need to diet on the go, consider a diet that relies heavily on prepared and packaged food.

One question that people often neglect to ask themselves is whether or not they can afford a diet plan. Diets that involve eating packaged meals for every meal can be extremely expensive, and protein only diets can take a serious bite out of your budget as well.

The object is to make you, not your pocketbook, thinner, so choose a plan that fits your budget.

Last but not least, ask yourself if you are really ready to diet. If you can look at the diet as an exciting step towards a new life, you are probably ready to make the commitment and get it done.

If you are dreading day one, binging the night before, then maybe you are not in the diet frame of mind yet. Set yourself up for success by dieting when you are inspired to stick with it.And that may not be now . . .

Al Smith

Al Smith writes for and publishes The Realgoalgetter Ezine and The Realgoalgetter Blog. His articles deal mostly with goal setting, self improvement, and motivation. Get some free reports, ecourses, and ebooks at FREE Ezines, Reports And Ebooks.

Some related articles:

Are You Getting Enough Fiber In Your Present Diet?
5 Simple Steps To Eating healthfully On The Go
Eating Healthy And According To A Preset Eating Plan
12 Weight Loss Secrets To Successfully Lose Weight

Energy Tip - Why Eat More Raw Foods?

2009-01-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaYeah. So Why Should I Eat More Raw Foods?

Because cooking takes so many nutrients and vitamins OUT of food, you automatically start feeding your body what it needs when you reduce the cooked foods and start eating more uncooked, nutrient-rich foods. A raw carrot has exponentially more nutrition than a cooked carrot. Therefore more “ENERGY” to you.

Cooking also alters the chemistry of foods, often making them harder to digest. Why do we have so many digestive problems in this country? Because we’re putting foods into our bodies in a form that we weren’t designed to absorb.

High fiber, high water content, fresh produce abolishes constipation of the bowels, cells and circulatory system. Obstructions are cleared and blood flow increases to each and every cell in the body.

Enhanced blood flow is significant for two reasons: as mentioned above, 1 - blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to living cells, and 2 - carries away their toxic metabolites. (the residues of metabolism)

Obesity is endemic in this country. The diet industry is more profitable than the oil companies. Why? Because the way we eat and prepare our food practically guarantees that we’ll overeat.

Psychologists tell us that we overeat because our souls are hungry. But in reality, our bodies are hungry, even though we may feel full. When you start giving your body the nutrients it craves, overeating will cease, and watch your energy soar.

Eating raw foods is a boost to your metabolism as well. It takes little energy to digest raw foods, and it’s a healthy process.

Rather than spending energy to rid itself of toxins produced by cooking food, the body uses its energy to feed every cell, sending vitamins, fluids, enzymes and oxygen to make your body the efficient machine it was intended to be.

Hence abundant energy reserves are saved for you to use in other ways . . . like living fully and passionately every day!

You’ll naturally stop overeating, because your body and brain will no longer be starving for the nutrients they need. A starving brain will trigger the thoughts that make you overeat. The brain and the rest of your body don’t need quantity; they need quality.

So, the moral of this story is this, increase your intake of living, water and nutrient rich foods and your energy abundance will amaze you!

Walking For Easy Weight Loss Exercise

2008-10-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Almost anyone anywhere can benefit from walking for exercise. You may see in the news that people are getting bigger and bigger, and some of these people are so obese that they cannot exercise in the traditional way. A good start for them is Walking.

No matter what the reason for this overweight problem, there is always a way out. A lifestyle change is usually necessary. Some may even feel it has become hopeless, but there is usually plenty of help much closer than they could have imagined.

Walking for exercise is so simple almost anyone can do it. If you have problems walking from your house to your mailbox, you can still lose weight. You simply start out by walking to your mailbox and back.

The next day, you go a few steps more. As the days go by, you add a little more to your walk. Soon you’ll find that walking for exercise was something that you should have been doing a long time ago.

You may start walking faster and change your pace every few minutes to make it more interesting.

You don’t need to buy expensive equipment to do it, and you can do it any time you can find the free time. Walking is a habit you will truly enjoy once you have cultivated it.

I would recommend walking for exercise for anyone, young or old. If you have children, you should start them walking when they are young. Build the habit early.

Don't tell them that they are walking for exercise, make it fun. Take the walks with them and spend quality time together. See your neighborhood from a different perspective.

If you live in a bad neighborhood, or at the top of a high-rise building in the middle of the city, it might be harder for you to go outside and walk. You may want to walk the stairwells once in a while.

No matter what the environment, there are still places you can walk somewhere during each day. If there’s a park nearby, you can take your children there for a leisurely walk.

Walking for exercise is so much easier when you have great scenery and interesting conversation to go along with you.

If you do your walking by yourself, go out by yourself a CD player or mp3 player so you have some easy listening, or motivating talk programs.

The key is to enjoy your walks and look forward to making it a regular part of your day.
Al Smith
Al Smith writes for and publishes The Realgoalgetter Ezine and The Realgoalgetter Blog. His articles deal mostly with goal setting, self improvement, and motivation. Get some free reports, ecourses, and ebooks at FREE Ezines, Reports And Ebooks.
Some related articles:
Are You Getting Enough Fiber In Your Present Diet?
5 Simple Steps To Eating healthfully On The Go
Eating Healthy And According To A Preset Eating Plan
12 Weight Loss Secrets To Successfully Lose Weight

See you next time.

Weight Loss Exercises Must Lead Your Weight Loss Plans

2008-09-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Lets face it – our country is filled with overweight people who want to be thin. We try all kinds of things, from weight loss diets to lose weight exercises, but nothing seems to work for many of us. The fact is that we just can't seem to keep the weight off.

Even if we use the best exercises to lose weight, we tend to not be able to stick with them. Sometimes it starts off with an extra treat on the weekends. Other times, our resolve breaks down all of the sudden. Whatever the reasons, our diet plans and our lose weight exercises tend to lose steam eventually.

The only way to make your weight loss exercise really stick is to be fanatically dedicated to losing weight. This means that you must live every day as if weight loss were your most important priority. You have to start exercising at least three times a week and do both cardiovascular and weightlifting exercises.

You have to eliminate junk food completely from your life, not even snacking on it on special occasions. Your weight loss exercise must be complemented by a good, healthy diet.

In my opinion, you should avoid fad diets altogether. Maybe some of them work, maybe some of them don't, but there is one thing that we all know: a good, sane, healthy diet works for everyone.

All you have to do on top of your lose weight exercise is to eat lots of vegetables, some grains, proteins and only healthy fats. You don't have to cut out fat entirely – if you use olive oil and other vegetable oils, you should be just fine.

Perhaps you won't lose weight quite as quickly as on the Atkins diet, but you will be much healthier long term.

The most important thing, and the cornerstone of any weight loss plan, is the lose weight exercise routine. You have to be sure to vary your exercises. Doing just one type of cardiovascular activity can do a lot to help you lose weight fast, but you will get even better results if you can switch it up from time to time.

Your weight loss exercise needs to include muscle building routines. When you can build lean muscle, it helps you to burn fat faster and more efficiently. It makes you stronger, makes your posture better, and helps you in your lose weight exercise workouts.

Don't lose your focus. Center your weight loss plans around a good solid weight loss exercise program.

Al Smith

Some related articles:

Nutritional Advantages Of Juicing Fresh Fruits And Vegetables

2008-06-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Nutritional Advantages Of Juicing Fresh Fruits And Vegetables Regularly

Juice And Jump for Joy! Did you know that juice can actually be considered a natural water source and provides the body with protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that can be absorbed quickly and efficiently. Fresh juice also contains necessary enzymes, and pigments such as carotenes, chlorophyll, and flavonoids.

Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables provides numerous nutritional advantages that are extremely important to health and weight loss. In addition, diets containing a high percentage of uncooked foods are significantly associated with weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and lower blood pressure.

Your appetite finds a raw foods more filling. Cooking can cause the loss of up to 97% of water-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Uncooked foods and their juices contain more vitamins and other nutrients, they are more satisfying to the body, so it does not feel starved for nutrients. This means the metabolism will keep running efficiently and help to keep your weight loss efforts headed in the right direction

Juicing kick-starts your body's digestive process and enables quick absorption of high-quality nutrition, which can result in increased energy. This is one of the great advantages of achieving weight loss through improved nutrition.

Fresh juices, combined with a well-balanced diet will provide you with the energy needed to burn more calories, fat, and provide you with the fuel you need for physical activity.

However, juicing does remove the fiber from these nutrient-dense foods. So be sure to include an appropriate amount of fiber-rich foods in your daily diet. Juicing should be a complement to a well-balanced healthy diet, not a substitute.

So with a little planning and creativity, juicing could enhance your well-balanced diet and add some zest and energy to your day. The internet is a great resource for juicing recipes and information.

Raw foods and their juices are a great health booster, and books and magazine articles, that are popping up all over, are touting their benefits and offering awesome recipe ideas.

Al

Kevin Gianni On Health Habits - The Renagade Health Show

2008-05-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

This week has been a week for meeting old friends. Since I signed on to Twitter, I have been making connections with people I haven't run into for some time.

One of these is Kevin Gianni. Somehow because we got so darn busy, I kind a lost track of him. Now, a couple of years later, I see he is producing a daily health show online. It is called The Renagade Health Show and he shares some great information. FREE.

Yes, you are reading that right, FREE. I recommend that if you are seriously interested in great and bountiful health, go over there right now and check it out, maybe even sign on to get his daily updates.

Today's show is about developing daily health habits and you can see him here at:

The Best Formula for Health and Diet Success
- The Renegade Health Show Episode #50

There are some powerful episodes that can help us gain energy, lose weight, increase our fitness, or just overall improve our health and well being. I signed up right away.

How Do I Get Healthier Foods Into My Diet And Still Enjoy Eating?

2008-05-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is a great topic, I hear people talking about this all the time. I would like to eat healthier but I don't like most of the "healthier" foods.

I don't want to eat salads all the time. And I don't want to look like a "health nut" at work.

Here is an article that addresses just how easy it is to fit a few simple foods into our diet and feel better almost immediately.

I Hate Eating Healthy Food in My Daily Meals - What to Do About It?

Do you find it so difficult to eat healthy food? And find that eating healthily isn't that easy? After all, there are so many temptations out there. I'm one who once had trouble eating healthily and hated it very much. The truth is eating healthy is not difficult. The problem is that we are made to believe that fast foods and processed foods are convenient. We are also led to believe they are inexpensive; however, it costs a lot to our body's state.

Don't be disheartened. Today, we have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to choose from. Just visit any major grocery chain and you'll find an abundance of exotic and healthy foods from around the globe. Not only it's fun to try new foods, it is quite easy to incorporate healthy foods into your lifestyle.

Let's take a look at some of the world's healthiest foods and how you can incorporate them into your life.

FRUITS:

Today let me introduce you to apricots. Apricots are often being overlooked, but these delicious fruits provide vitamins and fiber that can help regulate your blood pressure and maintain regular bowel function. Apricots are available either fresh or dried. All you need is to consume one handful of dried apricots or one fresh apricot each day, and you will have enough nutrients.

Bananas, although common, are rich in potassium and provide a quick energy boost. You can either select bananas that are fully ripened or are going to ripe soon. Bananas ripe at a fast paced and a fully ripened banana contains the highest level of starch, which can be converted into sugar in our body.

Bananas are an excellent choice for people with hypoglycemia and are one of the most affordable and convenient fruits on the market. Incorporate them into your morning cereal or grab one or 2 during your tea break. They taste great mixed with other fruits such as watermelon, berries, mandarin oranges, etc.

Do you like blueberries? Did you know they can help to reduce inflammation? If you suffer from arthritis or other aches and pains, eat a handful of blueberries. Add them to your favorite cereal, oatmeal, or include them in a yummy fruit salad.

VEGETABLES:

These vegetables, such as broccoli, garlic, onions, and tomatoes, offer the most health benefits. Broccoli can be eaten raw, steamed, baked, boiled or even grilled. Besides consuming it as a side dish, it can also be added to a salad, mixed in with a casserole, or eaten with a variety of fresh veggies. There are many scientific studies that have proven broccoli has the potential to prevent cancer. That fact alone should make you want to eat it on a daily basis.

Garlic has a pungent odor and spicy taste and it can be added to soups, stews, salads, side dishes, and more. Garlic can be eaten raw but most people have a hard time eating a raw garlic clove. Hence to incorporate this healthy food to your lifestyle, when cooking with garlic, be certain to add it to the dish just moments before serving in order to obtain the health benefits it offers.

One of the most versatile vegetables is the tomato. It can be eaten raw, cooked, steamed, grilled, baked, juiced, or pureed. You can add tomatoes with nearly every type of food. But most importantly you can just eat a fresh, juicy tomato. Nothing tastes better than that. You can also add a few slices to your favorite sandwich or cut into wedges and serve with a salad. Tomato pasta sauce serves as a very good food too!

by Eden Danielson

Eden Danielson is the author of detox and fasting site at eDetoxify.com. Combining both Asian and Western philosophy, Eden Danielson has helped many people by giving them health consultation to make their lives better and healthier through natural health philosophy. Visit eDetoxify.com to discover the health philosophy that lead many people to a healthy life.

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

Anti Aging - Enzymes And Raw Food

2008-04-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Enzymes and Raw Food – Can You Cheat Time and Stay Young for Longer?

I’m going to be a bit radical here, but know that I’m only encouraging you to question and think and ideally do your own research, both theory and practice. I’m pretty confident that you’ll thank me for it.

WHAT IF THE SO-CALLED ‘AGING PROCESS’ WAS A CHOICE?

Clearly, we can’t stop time from moving on. When we have a birthday, we are another year older. That’s a fact that, for the moment at least, we cannot change. But what if the weakening organs, bones and tissues and all the 'usual' signs of old age were not actually a part of the aging process we've come to accept as 'normal'?

Have you ever considered that these conditions are simply symptoms of us mistreating our bodies over the course of our lives to date? Wouldn’t our senior years be a whole lot more fun if we were pain and disease free and could jump around with the energy and vitality of a teenager?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

That this is a crazy, impossible idea borne out of fantasy? Or are you willing to open your mind and accept that actually, if you treat your body right and nourish it properly, it may in fact be possible? And this is where Enzymes come in...

In his book Intuitive Eating, Dr Humbart Santillo MD writes:

"A human being is not maintained by food intake alone, but rather by what is digested. Every food must be broken down by enzymes to simpler building blocks. Enzymes may be divided into 2 groups, exogenous (found in raw food) and endogenous (produced within our bodies). The more one gets of the exogenous enzymes, the less will have to be borrowed from other metabolic processes and supplied by the pancreas.

The enzymes contained in raw food actually aid in the digestion of that same food when it is chewed. One can live many years on a cooked food diet, but eventually this will cause cellular enzyme exhaustion which lays the foundation for a weak immune system and ultimately disease."

Put simply, we are born with a finite supply of endogenous enzymes. It should be enough to last us a lifetime based on current life expectancy, but if we don’t supply some exogenous enzymes through our diet, we will use up our original supplies and that’s when we become susceptible to the accepted ‘signs of old age’ including premature death! And the fact is that when we cook our food, we kill all enzymes instead of allowing them to boost our immune system, our brain function and our energy levels.

Another doctor, Edward Howell, has written a book called Enzyme Nutrition. In it, he says:

"Humans eating an enzyme-less diet use up a tremendous amount of their enzyme potential in lavish secretions of the pancreas and other digestive organs. The result is a shortened lifespan (65 years or less as compared with 100 or more), illness, and lower resistance to stress of all types, psychological and environmental. By eating foods with their enzymes in tact and by supplementing cooked foods with enzyme capsules we can stop abnormal and pathological aging processes."

THESE SCIENTISTS ARE NOT CRACK-POTS WORKING ALONE

The raw food movement is gathering pace and the practice is becoming more mainstream now. In her book You Are What You Eat, Gillian McKeith places raw or living foods at the top of her list of Good Foods and has a section entitled The Case Against Cooking.

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that you switch overnight to a 100% raw food diet. Though plenty do and never look back, it's not always wise. Instead I would give the same advice as Gillian in urging you to eat something raw with every meal.

Just before I sat down to write this, I ate a yummy Quinoa Avocado Salad which other than the cooked quinoa was loaded with raw, enzyme-, EFA- and nutrient- rich foods. I ate it on its own, but you could serve it alongside a piece of grilled chicken or fish instead of dead, heavy, sugar-rush potatoes which do little more than bloat you up. Find the recipe on my Blog at Claires Blog.

by Claire Raikes

Claire Raikes is a Wellbeing Coach, Speaker and Writer who 'cured' herself of a chronic, disabling and potentially life-threatening bowel condition without the use of steroids, surgery or any other traditional medical intervention. She now shares her passion for natural and vibrant health through coaching, speaking and writing about the importance and power of a truly healthy diet.

She publishes a free weekly eZine, In Essence and is compiling an eBook of Healthy Fast Food with 25% of the proceeds going to The Cancer Project, a charity set up by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and nutritionists to educate the public on the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival.

If you have a recipe you would like to submit, visit www.LiveInEssence.com for further details. To book Claire to speak at your event, email her at Claire@LiveInEssence.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Healthy Eating For Weight Loss And A Long Life

2008-04-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

Eating is a wonderful thing. It is also necessary for keeping you alive and healthy. But with the hectic pace of life today, it’s hard to keep to a healthy eating schedule.

It seems so much easier to snack and hit up fast food joints, rather than eat a healthy diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, and fish, while cutting down on saturated fats, trying to eat less salt, while getting more active and drinking plenty of water without skipping breakfast. Sounds so difficult even when you say it fast. (GRINS)

But you already know that, don’t you?

Price is a factor as well. The cheap food at the takeouts that tastes the best also happens to be the same food that clogs your arteries, and makes you fat. Oh the irony!

Why does a soy dog cost five bucks, when street meat only costs two bucks? Is the life of a bean curd worth more than that of a pig? Life is just full of mysteries.

However, healthy foods are really more inexpensive in the long run.

If you can’t exercise regularly, and you can’t quit smoking, at least you can try your best to start eating healthier.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Eat a good breakfast.

How many times have you been told it’s the most important meal of the day? The reason: because it is! And by the way, beer for breakfast doesn’t count.

2. Eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and veggies.

Eating healthy is all about routine and finding things that are healthy but tasty as well.

3. Eat regular meals.

Snacking has been the downfall of many a healthy person. Try to avoid unhealthy snacking, like deep fried butter and pork rinds, and replace it with a fruit bar or muffin.

4. Eat moderate portions.

If you are going to eat fatty, sugary foods, at least keep the portions small. There is no such thing as good or bad foods, only choices that are right or wrong for you.

5. Quit deep frying everything.

Instead, try baking, broiling, grilling, poaching, roasting, steaming, stir frying etc.

To make things easier, try reducing foods instead of completely eliminating them. Balance your food choices over time and recognize your eating pitfalls.

You should try eating 2-4 servings of fruit, and 3-5 serving of vegetables each day, while basing your meals around complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Eating healthy can be so beneficial and so easy. Really, all you have to do is just decide to take the leap and start your life headed in a new, healthy direction. It is so much easier than you think.

Al Smith

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Lifestyle Choices - Set Goals for Losing Weight Permanently

2008-04-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the race is on for those of us who want to look great on the beach this summer. Another couple of months and vacation time will be upon us. More than a few of us will be taking some actions to lose weight that we may have gained over the winter. Or, maybe over two winters . . .

The key to weight loss is smaller portions. Always has been. Portion control is necessary in these days of "supersizing". Eat less than you burn up. Sounds easy but hardly no one does it. We are growing into an obese society overall here in North America. (Check out our Portions For Life program.)

Losing weight can be achieved in various ways, but healthy habits are necessary if you want to lose the weight and have high energy permanently. That weight that you gained did not just appear yesterday, it probably built up over months, maybe even years.

Weight gain is in most cases a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices. You can roughly calculate the amount of calories your body needs a day and when you stay close to that number, you will probably have few weight issues. But for the rest of us that indulge in fast foods, candy, other high calorie and high fat foods, the weight accumulates slowly over a longer period of time.

Losing weight, especially losing weight permanently can only be achieved if the right goals are set, and then the goals strategies and results are monitored closely. You can only manage what you can measure so keep an eye on your progress. Build up those daily, habitually healthy actions and you will consistently hit your mark.

First of all, you need to realize that your extra weight has accumulated over months or years and therefore you will not be able to lose it within a few weeks or a few months, especially if we are talking of more than 20 pounds.

Generally physicians all over the world say that a healthy rate of loosing weight is about 6 pounds per month. So when to get started, set an achievable goal, set yourself 5 pounds for every month until you arrive at your goal weight.

Losing weight permanently often means a change in lifestyle and especially bad eating habits. You will most likely not be able to drop poundage when you keep eating what you are eating, even if you cut it down. You need to eat to live, not live to eat. Find out what foods will help you in your weightloss goals.

If you include fruits, vegetables and grains into your daily routine, you will seldom be hungry and you will lose weight. Changing to the new healthier eating habit will not only help you lose weight, you will also live a healthier life, and gain more energy. More vitamins and minerals from nutrient dense foods will enter your system regularly so that your body will thrive and energize.

Also know that the temptation to go back to old habits will be there, but setting goals for permanent weight loss gives you the motivation to resist those temptations.

This does not mean that you should never eat a piece of candy or have dessert. There are first of all very yummy, healthy desserts and every once in a while, when that chocolate is calling your name louder than ever, you can have a piece or two.

Excluding food that you love completely can risk your whole diet. If you indulge in one or two small pieces every once in a while will first, satisfy that sweet tooth and second, prevent you from getting to the point where you will eat a whole bar of chocolate and ruin your diet.

Set a goal to reward yourself. When you have reached one of your long-term goals, go ahead and give you self a reward. Make it commensurate with the size and difficulty of your goal.

Rewards have positive effects on our motivation to keep up certain behaviors and since there is not really anybody else who will reward you, do it yourself. Treat yourself to that new smaller outfit, or maybe a trip to the spa.

One very important goal in your permanent weight loss is certainly more exercise. Eating less food and keeping to those nutrient dense varieties, and exercising on regular basis is the key to keep the weight off.

A more fit you will burn more calories and also you will feel much better about keeping up the routine and the healthy lifestyle. Yes, it can be hard, but if you set reachable goals, you can build the daily habit.

Fit that exercise in your daily routine, no excuses. Start slowly and you will not only see the results, you will also be able to permanently keep that weight off.

If you too are taking action to get down to a healthier weight, check out our Portions For Life program.

Weight Loss Motivation Revisited

2008-04-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

4 Effective Ways To Encourage Yourself To Lose Weight

A lot of people quit in the middle of a weight management program because they have lost their weight loss motivation. After a few weeks of dieting and exercising, it is normal for people to start losing some interest in what they are doing.

In fact, during the first few weeks of a weight reduction program, a lot of people would decide that they do not want to continue because they are no longer interested.

If you are one of those people who have lost their enthusiasm about their weight program, you should find a weight loss motivation. Remember that if you quit, you will never be able to shed off that extra weight off your body. Besides, if you have already invested money in your weight reduction program, you investment will simply go to waste!

Setting reasonable expectations
According to weight loss trainers, you should keep your expectations reasonable and realistic so that you will not lose interest easily. Focusing on short-term goals is very effect when it comes to motivating people to continue with their program.

For instance, you set a goal of losing at least two pounds per week. Since losing two pounds in a week is very realistic and easy to attain, you will be motivated to work towards that goal.

Aside from focusing on short-term goals, you should focus more on your activities rather than your weight. If you give your whole attention on the amount of calories that you eat versus the amount of calories that you burn during your daily exercise routine, you would mostly be more motivated to go on with your program.

Having an ideal body image
To keep you in the right track, you should keep an idea body image for yourself. Having that mental picture of yourself looking slim and healthy is a powerful weight loss motivation for you.

If you need some visual image, find somebody whose body you admire and keep a picture of that person in your room. Tell yourself everyday that someday you will look like this person. The power of suggestion always work especially when you repeat it constantly.

Working with a partner
One of the best ways to motivate yourself you continue your program is to have a partner. If you do your diet and exercise all by yourself, you will easily get bored and then stop.

If you have partner who is also into the same weight loss program, dieting and exercising becomes a social affair so you are less likely to lose interest. According to studies, working out with a partner or a team is more effective. Having a support group where you can share your diet and exercise troubles is a good way to keep toy interested.

Rewarding yourself
Rewarding yourself for your achievements is a weight loss motivation. Set a goal for yourself and once you achieve that goal treat yourself to something that you have always wanted to.

For instance, if you have been planning to go to the spa and relax, make that as your reward for yourself. Tell yourself that if you achieve your goal for the month, you will treat yourself to the spa.

by Andy Jefferson

HowToGainMuscleMass provides weight management information and expert articles. To find out how to lose body fat permanently, even in your mushiest spots, without drugs, without supplements and without messing up your metabolism, visit http://www.howtogainmusclemass.com/ for Free Underground Weight Loss Tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Jefferson
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Some related articles:

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5 Simple Steps To Eating healthfully On The Go
Eating Healthy And According To A Preset Eating Plan
12 Weight Loss Secrets To Successfully Lose Weight

Veggie Colors Will Tell How They Can Help You!

2008-03-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Can These Veggies Save Your Life?

Would you like to live a long time? Most of us would.

Would you like to be healthy and disease free? That’s a pretty easy question, since the alternative is being sick and miserable.

So how do you go about it? One simple way to be leaner, healthier, and full of energy is to do what grandma told you—eat your veggies.

Why? Because vegetables are full of chemicals that your body uses to fight disease and stay healthy. These are things that you can’t get anywhere else.

Plants are made up of chemicals. Some of the chemicals help the plants fight off viruses, bacteria and pests. It turns out that these same chemicals help our own bodies in countless ways.

The details would fill a book, but here are a few examples:

Purple: plums, prunes, raisins, and other berries — these fight off cancer, heart disease and help your memory.

White: garlic and onions — these help fight cancer and infections, and they lower blood pressure.

Orange and yellow: peaches, sweet potatoes, and carrots — fight cancer and heart disease.

Green: broccoli, peas and cabbage — help your vision, fight heart disease and reduce risk of cancer.

Red: beets, apples, and tomatoes — lower risk of prostate and lung cancer, and help your circulation.

So how do you go about it? It’s simple. Pick by the color. Eat a variety of colored fruits and vegetables, and you can’t go wrong.

And it’s particularly important if you are trying to take off weight. When you are reducing calories, you need to pack in all the nutrition you can. And these colored gems are the way to do it.

By Dan Curtis

Dan Curtis, M.D. can help YOU lose weight. Sign up for our free newsletter: Dr. Dan’s Super Weight Loss Tips, Tricks and Secrets. It's free! Click here http://www.superweightlossplan.com/newsletter/

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

Brain Power - Are You Keeping Your Brain Well Nourished?

2008-03-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Do you ever stop to think how hard your brain works for you every Day? Most of us do not consider the importance of our brain while we focus on the rest of our body. Your brain is the most essential organ and yet it is the organ least cared for.

You need not study hard or become a bookworm to boost your mental faculties. Just a few smart tricks, techniques, habits, changes in diet, lifestyle and behavior could energize your grey matter and get the best results from your brain.

Here are some thoughts to help your brain stay healthy and alert.

1. Physical exercise strengthens your brain. Exercise benefits your brain cells. The blood vessels inside your brain dilate and increase blood flow when you engage in regular exercise. Exercise helps to excrete toxins and allows oxygen and other nutrients to flow into your brain strengthening your brain cells.

2. Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Skipping breakfast affects your brainpower and performance at home, school or work.

3. Kick-start your brain with problem solving in the morning so that it wakes up and is all ready to go when you start. Why don’t you start off your day with a crossword puzzle or sudoku from your morning newspaper? Your brain needs these teasers to be more efficient during the first few lazy hours in the mornings.

4. Research backs up the support in favor of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is the best brain food. Omega 3 fish oil is not just healthy brain food for babies. It's also an essential brain food for children, adolescents and adults. The EPA and DHA in fish oil seems prevent dementia.

5. Here is a trick to remember something important for the next day – read and review over the matter needed for the next day before you go to sleep the previous night. While you sleep your brain does its sorting and filing for you and stores it for you. When you think about it the next day your brain supplies this information fresh out of its memory cells.

6. Did you ever get stuck with a small detail when your brain just stops and you experience a mental block? Try darting your eyes from side to side. You would be amazed at the results! What is the reason behind this? Everyone has a left and right hemisphere in the brain. They communicate constantly on a daily basis throughout your thinking process.

Sometimes when this communication link or connection gets weaker for some reason you may experience a memory lapse. Darting your eyes helps to strengthen this connection to jerk your memory and bring back into focus that little detail you had forgotten all along. All it takes is 5 to 10 seconds to jolt your brain. Try it.

7. Good sleep, music, busy life and plenty of water are also factors that help in building your brainpower.

It is possible to boost your brainpower at any age. Try these strategies and you would start praising your brainpower in as little as two weeks!

Benefits Of Having Apples For Snacks

2008-02-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

Just about everybody has heard how eating apples regularly can improve your health in a number of ways. But, do you know why this is true and by the way, is it really true?

Here's a good article that explains some of the reasoning behind the 'rumor'.

Is an Apple a Day Really OK?

Young or old, there is probably a good chance that at some time in your life you have heard the phrase "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Is there any substance to this claim? Or, is it just a cute little saying that has managed to linger in our modern vocabulary?

What are Flavonoids?

In fact, Apples and other fruits have been shown to have health benefits primarily attributed to the antioxidant flavonoids they contain. Flavonoids are compounds that help protect various plants from pathogens, ultraviolet light, and other stress factors. Flavonoids are also responsible for the deep rich colors of many fruits.

What are Antioxidants?

A particular flavonoid that is found in apples is polyphenols. Polyphenols are phytochemicals that act like astringents and are the major source of antioxidants in apples. Antioxidants are a group of chemicals that help to neutralize a group of molecules called free radicals.

Free radicals, nasty little varmints that can damage cells and tissues, appear to play a part in the onset of heart disease and prostate, colon and other cancers. So, what does all this science talk actually mean? Well, a recent Canadian study has confirmed that apples just might help keep the doctor away. But some apples may do a better job than others.

According to the Canadian researchers some apples did pack more of a disease fighting punch than other apples in the study. Red Delicious came out on top with the most antioxidant activity of any variety.

From highest to lowest the order of antioxidant activity in apples was as follows:

Red Delicious
McIntosh
Cortland
Northern Spy
Ida Red
Golden Delicious
Mutsu
Empire

As this was a Canadian study, some of the apples that are more popular in the United States were not included. Popular varieties that were not in the test group included Gala apples, Granny Smith, Jonathan, York, Stayman and Rome.

However, I believe it would be safe to assume that these varieties also carry levels of antioxidants. The Canadian researchers also found that antioxidants were five times more prevalent in the apple skin than the actual flesh. So, wash but don't peel before you eat.

In addition to the Canadian study, three recent studies by research teams at Cornell University in New York offer a few other great reasons to make apples part of your regular diet:

Alzheimer's disease - In a study done on rats, antioxidants found to be abundant in apples seemed to protect brain cells against oxidative stress. This is a tissue damaging process that has been linked with Alzheimer's and other brain degenerative disorders.

Heart Disease - Some antioxidants found in apples could possibly lower the "bad" form of cholesterol. The process of lowering this cholesterol is similar to the mechanism that statin drugs use to help lower your LDL (low density lipoprotein).

Breast Cancer - Rats exposed to cancer causing agents and then given the human equivalent of one, three and six apples a day respectively over six months were up to 44 percent less likely to develop breast tumors.

What's the moral to this story? Fruits and vegetables CAN help keep the doctor away. There may be fruits with higher levels of antioxidants but in terms of fruit popularity, apples are second only to bananas.

Don't wait any longer, go grab your favorite apple and start getting healthy!

Michael Brooks
Copyright 2005

Mike Brooks is a life long follower and proponent of the fitness lifestyle. Mr. Brooks believes that being healthy is a choice and includes not only a proper diet but total fitness of the mind, body and soul. His column appears weekly at http://www.ultimatehealthreport.com.

Reasons To Exercise

2008-02-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

I just thought this would be interesting to those who are on the fence about whether to exercise or not. Check out these benefits!

Why Do We Exercise?
By Tracie Johanson

In this article we're going to focus on REASONS TO EXERCISE. Even though most of us know that regular exercise is "good for us", we may not be able to give the specific reasons WHY exercise is good for us.

First and foremost, before we start the list, let's just admit right up front that the main reason we exercise is to look better. Hey, there's no shame in that! Perhaps we want to look better for our spouse, or maybe we want to get into shape because we're looking for a spouse! Whatever the reason, our desire to look good is a major motivator.

Many of us want to look better.....for ourselves! When we engage in regular resistance and aerobic exercise, it changes our appearance for the better. Less fat, toned muscle, healthier skin, a bigger smile, and more "pep in our step" are all great reasons to exercise.

In addition to just looking better there are some real physical benefits to regular exercise!! So for those of us who are working out to just look great, consider these reasons to exercise a bonus:

* 1. Strengthens muscles
* 2. Strengthens bone
* 3. Strengthens ligaments
* 4. Strengthens tendons
* 5. Strengthens immune system
* 6. Improves muscle tone
* 7. Improves endurance
* 8. Improves strength
* 9. Improves self esteem
* 10. Improves confidence
* 11. Improves balance
* 12. Improves physical appearance
* 13. Improves physical performance
* 14. Improves glucose tolerance
* 15. Improves circulation
* 16. Improves memory
* 17. Lower risk of heart disease
* 18. Lower risk of diabetes
* 19. Lower risk of cancer
* 20. Lower blood pressure
* 21. Lower cholesterol
* 22. Lower risk of stroke
* 23. Lower risk of osteoporosis
* 24. Lower risk of osteoarthritis
* 25. Lower requirements for medication
* 26. Lower risk of injury
* 27. Lower bodyfat
* 28. Helps with sleep disorders
* 29. Reduces post-operative complications
* 30. Reduces frequency of illness
* 31. Prevent Alzheimer's disease
* 32. Prevents muscle loss
* 33. Increases metabolism
* 34. Eases symptoms of menopause
* 35. Healthier pregnancy
* 36. Fewer problems with childbirth
* 37. Reduces ovulation problems

Moderate weight loss - of fat, not muscle - and a healthy and active lifestyle (NOT dieting) have been found to lower health risks and medical problems in 90 percent of overweight patients. In addition to the exercise benefits listed above, fit people are eight times less likely to die from cancer than the unfit, and 53 percent less likely to die from other diseases. Fit people are also eight times less likely to die from heart disease.

So the next time we're tempted to just sit back and watch television instead of exercising, let's remember that there are a lot of reasons to drop the remote and get moving!

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Start the Day With a Bowl of Fruit Loops?

2007-11-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Start the Day With a Bowl of Fruit Loops

You see, the words "Fruit Loops" enticed you in here to see what the rest of the article was about. Maybe even that Fruit Loops had become the next great diet program and was the answer to weight loss.

Sorry to burst that bubble but we won't quite be traveling down that road.

Without exception, breakfast represents the first and, without question, the most critical meal in a normal day. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and will directly influence what your mood will be for the day and how productive you will be.

It sends the first message to your metabolism as to what you expect it to do and how hard it's going to have to work. Can your body call in sick or does it have to work efficiently for the next sixteen hours giving you good health and an optimum weight?

That's a big burden to put on just meal, especially one we approach still-half awake as we stumble to the kitchen. It is critical but your body is always up to the task.

Think of breakfast as the first position on an assembly line. If you don't put the frame of the car on the line at step one, the guy putting on doors at step two is not that important.

Did you know that over 50% of Americans are either overweight or obese? Of that group, an amazing 80% admit to skipping breakfast.

Without exception, it is the first approach most choose in trying to lose weight. Skipping a meal equals fewer calories equals weight loss is the formula that pops into the mind of someone desperate to lose weight.

Statistics clearly show that it doesn't or can't work otherwise those that did it would lose weight, which is the desired goal of the formula.

Why would anyone choose a method to try that you know will fail? The psychology behind that question sadly shows just how desperate and frustrated Americans have become to break this over-weight pattern.

I read a ton of literature on nutrition but far from consider myself an expert in it. Since I take full responsibility for my body and how I want it to look and act, I have spent the better part of my fifty plus years trying to understand nutrition and how it affects my overall health and appearance.

I have never read even one study or research report that even remotely suggests that skipping breakfast, or any meal helps lose weight. To the contrary, it directly contributes to gaining weight or maintaining an overweight condition.

Yes, it helps you to gain weight by skipping the meal.

Within 60 minutes of awakening in the morning, you must put calories into your body. You need to act and act rather quickly in turning on the key to your metabolism. It should be about 10-15 percent of the total calories your body needs to maintain normal activities.

For most adults, this will fall into the 250-400 calorie range.

It is critical to fall within this range, a King's feast of bacon, eggs, toast and juice is just as bad as skipping.

A cup of a whole-grain, natural cereal with skim (or reduced fat milk) is the perfect choice.

I use 100% natural and safe Stevia to sweeten it just a bit. I use the Kashi Go Lean cereal as it does not have the additives of the commercial brands, cost no more and is high-glycemic as far as carbs go.

These break down over hours, thus fueling you longer. Low-glycemic carbs, such as white bread or sugary cereal spikes your insulin almost immediately but results in a quick crash to your system when the level drops in about an hour.

Very poor approach to the end goal of keeping your metabolism running at the same level all day, where the most efficient burning of calories is accomplished.

Another approach is to make breakfast all protein, which breaks down slowly as well and gives you a much fuller feeling until the next meal. Egg whites or a whey protein shake or even cottage cheese are great choices.

If you have time constraints and kids to get off to school, plan ahead and have natural breakfast bars available.

However you tackle it, don't make the number one mistake that keeps your body from giving you the optimum weight you desire. You must eat, and eat often.

Although it represents the topic of another article that can go into depth on it, the body is meant to "graze". By that I mean, that you should eat six or seven times during the day, each light in calories.

By doing this correctly, there is never the sensation of hunger, and the internal engine called your metabolism works at top level and is able to fully digest all food and burn and use each nutrient available.

Keep in mind, the total calories of the day still must be considered and stuck to.

The main point I wanted to address here is how critical it is to rev up the engine at breakfast, not hours later. It's like driving a high-performance, finely-tuned car for a sixteen hour trip versus chugging through the same sixteen hours in a misfiring, broken down Pinto, with smoke pouring out of the exhaust. So buckle up and get started.

Stay healthy and fit with good nutrition and plenty of exercise!

Stylish Swim wear and Juicy Couture sweats and accessories is just a click away. From your Swim wear Experts at http://shirleyandcompany.com

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

Ho Hum, Getting Tired, Should I Take A Nap?

2007-11-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Nap Today, Perform Better Tomorrow

A couple of new reports came out this week addressing sleep in our culture. Everyone knows that they feel a little cranky when they don't get enough sleep. It's therefore no surprise that sleep affects your mood. What may be surprising, though, is that scientists know very little about why that's true.

We understand quite a bit about why sleep disrupts your immune function, your metabolism and your ability to learn and remember things. I have discussed each of these in past articles. But we don't know much about how sleep regulates mood. An interesting new study published in Current Biology by Michael Walker, sheds some light on this subject.

A loss of reason

A complex brain circuit that involves both higher thinking centers and reactive centers controls your emotions. It's the higher thinking centers that separate us from other animals. We have the ability (although we don't always use it) to evaluate our responses thoughtfully, before just reacting impulsively.

In the new study, volunteers were either deprived of a good night's sleep or allowed to sleep normally. Researchers then looked at both their higher thinking and their reactive brain centers after presenting them with some emotionally negative images to stir their reactions.

They found that specific reactive centers of the brain acted the same whether or not the volunteers had slept well the night before. But certain higher thinking centers responsible for keeping those reaction centers under control, were much less active in the sleep deprived group.

The interpretation of this is that our 'gut reactions' are not really that affected by lack of sleep (at least in this situation) but our ability to reason and monitor those reactions is weakened, which can have all kinds of downstream consequences.

Is a longer workday productive?

Why is this important? Other studies show that we are getting far less sleep today than we did a century ago and throughout history. The advent of artificial light has extended the length of our daily 'productivity', but many argue that this is actually counter-productive.

By not getting optimal sleep, we are decreasing our ability to function efficiently the next day, and actually getting less done.

In fact, another study just released shows exactly that. In this one, researchers, Patricia Murphy and Scott Campbell, showed that napping is actually productive.

First of all, midday napping did not cause people to sleep less well at night, as many believe.

Second, midday napping improved performance on math, decision-making and reaction-time tests. This increased performance was true after the nap and lasted all the way into the next day, following the nap.

Many of us are so busy that we steal hours from our sleep to attempt to get more done. But science argues that we are not getting more done this way. We are actually reducing our ability to be creative, make decisions, work efficiently and cooperate with other people.

Perhaps a little more time invested in our rest could dramatically improve our career and personal relationships.

Master Brain Fitness techniques for you and your family. Your Brain Fitness holds is the key to unlock your maximum potential. Dr. Simon Evans and Dr. Paul Burghardt at BrainFit For Life put together the right ingredients in right amount to create the recipe for success.

Visit http://www.BrainFitForLife.com for FREE Brain Fitness resources.

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

Old Habits Die Hard - Hard Enough To Feel The Pain

2007-11-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Old Habits Die Hard - Hard Enough To Feel The Pain

Why is it so tough to quit something that is bad, usually it is something that is soooo good too?

You know what I mean; chocolate, alcohol, laziness, even what you eat for breakfast.

We all have habitual actions that we often feel a little embarrassed by, such as buying a chocolate bar and a can of coke every time you go to the petrol station to fill the car up...

That one used to be one of my worse habits, I just knew it was not good for me, but I just couldn't quit it. It was like I was on auto pilot.

Do you get home from work, immediately turn on the TV instead of doing your workout?

Do you go out on a Friday and Saturday night, just because it is the weekend, and then spend the rest of the weekend in bed regretting your excesses?

One of the biggest challenges as a fitness professional is to get my clients to change their eating habits so that it compliments their training efforts. One common hang up relates to breakfast, getting them to stop eating cereal based breakfasts is like putting a heroine addict through cold turkey!

The problem is our bad habits can cause us a myriad of health problems, such as weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, a weak immune system, and poor structural health. All of which cause a great deal of misery.

Brain researchers at MIT in the US have discovered that once a poor habit is established, certain neural patterns are created in the brain which ingrain the habit to becoming almost completely automatic.

We just don't even think about the action, we just do it. These patterns can be erased just as readily as they are created in the first place, BUT the patterns can be rekindled much quicker the next time round.

Obvious stuff really, when you think about how many people relapse back into a smoking habit, or poor nutritional habits.

Breaking habits can be tough though.

The fear of social alienation if you stop smoking (where will you get the office gossip from, if you are not smoking with your co-workers!). Not going out on a Friday night can cause a similar fear.

Not having that glass of wine with your evening meal each night, it has become so ingrained that you would feel uncomfortable if only water was available.

Thankfully there are solutions to these problems, and it is not just down to will power. Pattern breaking is simply a matter of becoming more conscious of each action that you take. A simple example:

Do you drive the same route to work each and every day? I bet on many days the journey to work does not even register, it is just like you are on auto pilot. You have no idea of how many cars cut you up, or even if you indicated at the right moments, or even indicated at all!

Breaking this habit is a simple act of deciding to take a different route to work. I have about 5 different routes to the gym and have actually gone further out of my way, just to get in a new route, it keeps me focused.

For the more serious issue of eating and drinking habits, simply get into the habit of stopping just before you consume something and make a judgment on the quality of the item you are about to eat or drink. I use a 3 point grade A, B or C type foods.

A's are your good clean foods like fresh fruit and veg, meat, fish and water plus some diary items like eggs too.

B's are not so good, slightly processed products including breads, pasta, cereal based products

C's are the junk food, including sodas, highly processed items like cakes, chips, burgers, pizzas etc.

This simple process makes me more conscious of my food choices, allowing me to make better choices and ones that compliment my exercise habits.

One other common poor habit is laziness or procrastination from exercise, this is because you may associate exercise with hard work, pain, or you have low self efficacy. To break this habit you may find it useful to find a purpose for actually doing your workouts...

Getting involved in a sport may just give the reason you need to start doing your workouts.

Rather than simply working out to lose weight, why not make your workouts more focused towards a sport, so that you improve your speed, agility, flexibility, balance and strength. You may just find that the side benefit is that you'll lose that weight after all.

One of my current clients came to me a few months ago with really poor motivation, the habit to workout just wasn't working. It was becoming a real struggle to get to the gym to do the workouts.

I simply asked her one question - has there ever been a sport that you thought would be just so cool to do? Immediately I saw a spark of excitement in her face, she told me she always wanted to do rock climbing, but never had the belief that she could do it. Fantastic we had just found her motivation.

Two weeks later after the change of focus and some adjustment to her routines, she joined a local club and got right back into the workout habit. 30 days later she had dropped a dress size and was really enjoying her time in the gym, plus doing great with the climbing too!

So you see habits can be broken down, simply by recognizing the patterns, then making a conscious decision to do or try something else. Yes it is NOT easy, but don't you think your life would be fuller, richer, more interesting if you didn't spend so much time on autopilot?

So start right now, decide what different route you are going to take to work tomorrow, stop yourself before consuming anything and really SEE what you are eating, and start making better exercise habits by changing the focus to an outcome that really excites you!

The best of luck

by Tim Goodwin

Tim is a fitness professional specialising in help the busiest people achieve more with their amateur sporting interests, and at the same time ridding them of excess body fat.

Based in Luxembourg, Tim writes about general fitness for keeping in shape, sports training for non professional sports people, goal achievement strategies and many other topics.

Visit http://www.getfit.lu/success.html to get a free 18 page report "How to lose weight even when you are really busy" containing a full 4 week program which you can start today!

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

Tomatoes Anyone?

2007-09-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't ignore this article when I read it so I decided to post it here. I absolutely love tomatoes, and I'll eat them just about anyway they can be prepared. Except for tomato soup that is.

I don't know how that came to be, except to say when I was young my mom used to feed tomato soup to us quite often, probably a "money" thing. She used to add milk to it and at the time I sure didn't like creamy tomato soups. Maybe that is it, I just got sick of having it too often.

Anyway, soup aside, I love tomatoes plain and simple, and wouldn't you know it they are terrific for you!

Why Do You Need To Eat Tomatoes?
By Riana D Lance

Do you eat tomatoes? Of course you have known that tomatoes are now eaten easily around the world. You can find tomatoes everywhere as part of fruits and vegetables.

Some experts said that tomato is known as a source of power of nutrition, as it contains a large number of vitamins and minerals that can support our body’s health.

Tomatoes have been first cultivated in Peru, and then brought to Mexico. Now, tomatoes are sold everywhere. In American grocery stores, tomatoes are often picked unripe, and ripened in storage with ethylene.

Which one is better, unripe or ripe?

Tomatoes that are ripened in storage with ethylene, plant hormone produced by many fruits and acts as the cue to begin the ripening process, tend to stay longer, but have poorer flavor than tomatoes ripened on the plant. They may be recognized by their color, which is more pink or orange than the ripe tomato's deep red.

Based on the nutrition content, red tomatoes have more vitamin A than green tomatoes. But in this case, green tomatoes have more protein.

If you eat tomatoes everyday, it is beneficial in preventing cancer to 50%. Tomatoes will fight different kinds of cancer and protect your heart from heart attack.

Why tomatoes are beneficial for health?

Tomatoes contain various kinds of ingredients. Here are some of them:

*Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants. It is beneficial to fight different kind of diseases, most of all to fight cancer.

*Fiber in tomatoes prevents diabetes, asthma, colon cancer, and lowers the amount of cholesterol from the body.

*Vitamin C and A, antioxidants which fight free radical. They fight against aging, soothe skin and hair.

*Potassium, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin have proven effect in lowering cholesterol level, lowering blood pressure and works against heart disease.

*Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to build bone.

*Chromium and biotin make the body's ability to process sugar and fat, which may improve fighting diabetes and help nerve function.

*Riboflavin helps with energy metabolism and fights against migraine headaches.

So, if you consume ripe, unripe or tomato-based food products (tomato sauce, tomato pasta etc.) all deliver many nutrients with multiple mechanisms of action to prevent you from different kinds of diseases.

About the author: Riana D. Lance writes about health in some publications. Twice a week she informs her health tips and knowledge in a newsletter. Subscribe to get your free twice a week newsletters so you can stay healthy for the rest of your life from Heathifica.com.

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

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Get Fit And Stay Fit This Summer!

2007-07-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

While most of you have probably been working out all winter long and watching your diets, the key now is to maintain exercise and diet throughout the summer and retain all those great results you have worked so hard for.

Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to stay fit this summer.

No matter what type of diet regimen you’ve been on, it may be a good idea to continue the diet until after the summer is over. Maintaining a healthy diet will enhance your ability to participate in all forms of sports and activities throughout the summer months.

Also, your diet will afford you the opportunity to continue to eat light, healthy meals as opposed to fried, fatty, and heavy foods during the summer.

Summertime is synonymous with barbeque. No doubt you will have your fair share. Stick to your diet and you will keep the pounds off, especially on those special occasions when outdoor barbeques entice you with foods and drinks which may add excess calories.

Continue your exercise routine throughout the summer.

During the hot summer months, your body will fair much better in the heat if you are in good shape. No doubt, you may engage in running, walking, or other strenuous exercises.

Therefore, continue your exercise program and you will benefit in the long run. Whether you spend time in your garden, swim, or bike ride – any physical activity will enhance your health and help you achieve your weight goals.

No matter what form of physical activity you do choose, whether it's cycling, hiking, swimming, gardening or hitting the gym, make it enjoyable. Have some fun! Also, you can turn it into quality time with family, or perhaps some quiet time to de-stress after a busy day.

Keep active and continue your diet regimen throughout the summer so that you will look your best at all those patio parties. After all, you’ve worked very hard over the long winter months to achieve your goals. Now is the time to stay that way.

I read a great post over at the Burn The Fat Blog today. Check it out and see how others keep slim and trim after losing unwanted fat. The article is about women but it is very useful to men also. Keep the faith!

Weight Loss Discipline - Are You Really In Control Of Your Driving Forces?

2007-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Appetite versus Diet - A Tough Battle

Our bodies are complicated machines, not unlike an automobile. The way that we treat it, is the way it will perform. Feed it high grade nutrition and it runs well. Feed it low grade and it will sputter and stall, and you will have trouble starting it again.

Most of the operation of the body is done automatically. You don not have to think about it. Just put it in drive and let it run. While in drive, the autonomic nervous system is in control of most of the operation.

The nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, and the endocrine or hormonal system all run smoothly, until the driver (you) disturbs it with emotion or activity. and, even then it adjusts to the circumstances.

Two bodily functions operate outside the normal, automatic, operation. Sex drive and appetite consume much of our daily time. Though, they may affect the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine systems, they are for us to control.

Sex and appetite are driving forces in our bodies. They produce cravings, and sometimes overpowering desires. Appetite and sex drive are present in us for two important reasons. They are necessary for survival of the individual and survival of the species.

Either one of these can spiral out of control. You are the driver of this human automobile. You must control thee urges. The body does not automatically turn of these cravings or desires. This is the first thing you must realize about a diet.

You must control the cravings, the same ones that were needed by our ancestors and still needed by poorer nations in the world today, to keep the species growing.

Appetite is a strong urge to overcome. We exist today, because our ancestors got fat during the good times , so they could survive harsh winters or droughts.

Today, in our modern American culture, food is plentiful. Food can be bought with little money, although the less expensive food is generally,of a poorer quality. Again, you are the driver. You decide when to stop or go. You decide where or when to turn.

There is no magic pill to make your body lose weight. If you are not committed to a diet plan, you will not succeed.

There have been diet aids, in pill form, to help you over the years. In the 1960's and 1970's amphetamines were given out rather freely by the medical community. These worked well for many people. But amphetamines had the risk of being habit forming or even addicting in some cases.

Strict control by the DEA ( Drug Enforcement Agency ) changed the ease of distribution of amphetamines. Then a new generation of diet pills were marketed by pharmaceutical companies. They were less effective and less addicting.

Around the same time, the herbal industry was experimenting with herbs and combinations of herbs for appetite suppression. The main ingredient in the formulas was ephedrine, in one form or another. Again,government regulations put a stop to the use of this ingredient a few year ago.

There has been many new herbal blends, developed over the last couple of years, to help suppress appetite. Perhaps, the most effective ingredient to have come out of these discoveries is Hoodia gordonii . It comes from a a cactus in southern Africa. Studies show that it actually curbs appetite and has not shown any serious side effects to date.

What you need to do first, is get your head right. Decide what you want to do and when you want to do it, as far as diet goes. Develop a healthy eating plan.

It should be a well balanced diet. It should contain foods that you enjoy eating, and foods you continue to eat for a long period of time. There are healthy, tasty, healthy meals that you can have delivered to your door, at a reasonable cost.

You may want to add a herbal, like hoodia gordonii to aid you in your diet. Most importantly work out your diet plan before starting. Decide when you are going to do it, then do it. Adding an exercise regimen to your diet program would be a good idea.

by John Markus

Written by John Markus at http://www.feelmorelife.com John had been a pharmacist for 33 years. His wife has type I diabetes. Also, his eight year old granddaughter has diabetes. He and his family have been dealing with these type of problems for a long time. Tough at times, but successfully in end. John has also been studying exercise and nutrition and their effects on the human body.

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

Prevent Weight Gain Or Increase Weight Loss By Doing This . . .

2007-05-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Received an informative newsletter from Chet Day this morning (I have been getting his newsletters for years and they always have something to say), here's a taster of an article on how eating slower benefits weight loss, and then a link to the rest of the article below.

Slow Eating May Prevent Weight Gain
by Craig Weatherby
Courtesy of Vital Choice Seafood

Last May, we profiled the Slow Food movement, which started in Italy in reaction to the arrival of McDonald’s in central Rome, and has been gaining American adherents. (See 'Slow Food’ Movement Gains Momentum'.)

The five-point mission statement of Slow Food USA encapsulates the purpose of this grass-roots movement:

* Stewardship of the land and ecologically sound food production;
* Revival of the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture, and community;
* Invigoration and proliferation of regional, seasonal culinary traditions;
* Creation of a collaborative, ecologically-oriented, and virtuous globalization;
* Living a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life.

Implicit in the last goal – and the Slow Food movement’s very name -- is a desire to pay greater attention to the act of eating: an approach that the research we’re reporting today suggests could help halt this country’s fast-growing obesity/diabetes epidemic.

Following up on our story about the weight control benefits of using smaller dishes and bowls to achieve portion control – see 'Portion Control for Weight Control' – we’ve found substantial evidence that it makes sense to savor food more slowly than Americans typically do.

Advice posted on the National Institutes of Health Web site, under the heading “Get The (Fullness) Message” puts the point succinctly: 'Changing the way you go about eating can make it easier to eat less without feeling deprived.' (NHLBI 2007)

This line refers to the fact that it takes about 15 minutes for your brain to receive hormone-borne “I’m full” signals from your gut. So it’s logical to presume that eating fast lets you eat too much before you’re fully aware of it.

For instance, all of the few studies on the subject suggest that people eat more when they are doing other things at the same time, such as talking, reading, or watching TV (Liebman M et al 2003; Salmon J et al 2000).

But only recently has anyone looked for links between the rate at which people eat and the risk of becoming overweight.

Slow Eating . . . continued

Permanent Weight Loss Strategy Goes Beyond The Physical Aspect

2007-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

The Three Bodies of Permanent Weight Loss

The following words may seem taboo: weight loss is easy!

We have just been going about it the wrong way. Almost all of the products and diets on the market today miss key components to achieving permanent weight loss. Almost all of them only focus on the physical body - what we eat, how much we eat, when we eat and how much we exercise.

If that is all that is necessary, then why have you not achieved your ideal weight? Why do diets and pills have a success rate of less than 9%? The reason is simple: there is a missing link to permanent weight loss.

The physical aspect of weight loss is only one third of the equation.

There are three separate aspects that must addressed for permanent weight loss, and I like to refer to them as the three bodies. The physical body is the first. The other bodies for weight loss are the missing links; the mental body and the emotional body.

The mental body includes your eating habits, orientation and perception of food. The emotional body includes the emotional reasons you eat, your attitudes toward food, and the underlying reasons you are overweight.

When you work with all three bodies, it makes weight loss easy!

Imagine sitting on a stool with only one leg. How long could you balance yourself? That is what it is like attempting to lose weight while only focusing on the physical- it becomes a balancing act and a struggle to stay upright!

If you find a stool that is steady with three legs, there is no balancing act at all. It is easy to comfortably sit on a balanced stool! When you have a plan that focuses on the physical, mental and emotional bodies of weight loss, you feel comfortable and secure, and your success rate dramatically increases from that of diets alone.

It is important to understand why the mental and emotional bodies play such a large role in weight loss. If making a change was as easy as simply stating the desire, we would all be ultra-healthy, thin millionaires with the perfect partners.

How many times have you made a New Years resolution and had it fall through? Because we are creatures of habit, change can sometimes be difficult. When you want to make a change, sometimes it feels as though you are pushing against something inside of yourself. What you are pushing against is your unconscious (AKA subconscious) mind.

Let’s talk quickly about the unconscious mind. The unconscious works very differently than the conscious mind. For example, when you think about not being allowed to eat cheesecake, it makes the unconscious mind want to eat cheesecake even more because you are thinking about cheesecake!

The unconscious does not know that cheesecake is bad because it only understands pictures and emotions, so all it sees is cheesecake! The more you think about not wanting the cheesecake, the more and more appealing it becomes until finally… well you know what happens.

In order to easily avoid “bad” foods and cut down on or totally halt cravings, it is important to work with the “language” of the unconscious mind.

While I could go into much more detail, I also want to briefly discuss the emotional body of eating.

There are two types of hunger - biological and emotional, and it is easy to tell the difference. Biological hunger comes on gradually and patiently, while emotional hunger comes on suddenly and feels urgent.

Underlying feelings such as self-loathing, hopelessness, sadness, or worthlessness are often at the root of emotional hunger. Less intense emotions such as boredom can become a culprit as well. Whatever the underlying emotion is, eating is simply masking what is going on in your life.

When you notice that you are experiencing emotional hunger, instead of asking “What should I eat?”, a better question to ask is “What is eating me?”

Start keeping a list of those feelings and thoughts and find a way to resolve them!

There are so many modalities that can help you let go of negative emotions and beliefs, such as psychotherapy, hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Techniques, Time Empowerment (my personal favorite), and Body Alignment, just to name a few.

In my personal practice, I find that having multiple modalities in my toolbox greatly increases the amount of change I can help a client achieve. If you are looking for assistance, you may want to seek someone skilled in many modalities as well.

In summary, when you work with all three bodies of weight loss- the physical, the mental, and the emotional- you greatly increase your chances at achieving permanent weight loss and you feel much better!

Weight loss can be totally easy if you approach it in a way that works with you, instead of against you!

by Pete Pantaziz

For continued advice on learning about all three bodies of weight loss, I highly recommend visiting my website at www.YourEmpowermentSource.com. We have also included a free law of attraction meditation download on our site.

Pete Pantazis, PhD(c) has become a recognized leader in the practical application of self-empowerment techniques and hypnosis. He is the President of YES! Your Empowerment Source™ (formerly known as The Pantazis Group), one of the nation's fastest growing companies in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Hypnotherapy. This year, hundreds will benefit from Pete's goal-oriented sessions in weight loss; smoking cessation; career advancement and relationship troubles; emotional issues like depression, rage, and anxiety; and even some physical issues as well.

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

Water, The Elixir Of Life

2007-05-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

7 Reasons Water Should Be Your Drink of Choice

We know water is good for us, but with soda, juice, coffee, tea, energy drinks, and other drinks so readily available, it’s hard to make the decision to choose water.

Drink more water because . . .

* It keeps skin looking great.
If your skin looks tired and unhealthy, so do you. Staying properly hydrated removes all the toxins that build up in you skin, and helps prevent it from drying out.

If you have the opposite problem; puffy bloated skin, lack of water is likely your problem too. When skin doesn’t get water, it retains what it already had, leaving your skin cells full, puffy, and not too attractive. If you want to look beautiful, you should keep yourself hydrated.

* It’s cheaper.
Sure, if you buy bottled water, it’s about as expensive as soda, juice, and coffee. However, some studies are showing that tap water is usually as clean and safe as bottled water, and costs a whole lot less.

If you have a problem with the taste of your tap water, buy a filter pitcher or one that attaches to the faucet. It still costs a lot less.

* For a healthy heart.
When you’re properly hydrated, your blood is thinner and easier to pump. This means your heart has to do less work and ultimately lasts longer. Studies have shown that people who drink plenty of water have fewer heart problems.

* Reduce toxic build-up.
Sure, it sound’s like something from a bathroom cleaner commercial, but you have toxins in your cells too. Some come from the environment and others you produce yourself. Either way, they’re in your body and you need to get rid of them.

Just like you use water to flush your toilet; your body uses water to flush out toxins. Getting rid of this waste helps you function more effectively and feel better.

* There's no sugar added.
While fruit juices may contain many nutrients, they also contain a whole lot of sugar. This is especially true for many bottled juices from the grocery store. This sudden burst of sugar triggers your insulin response and makes you tired and sluggish.

It also helps to convert that sugar to fats faster. Sugary sodas will produce the same reaction and they usually contain no nutrients at all.

* Caffeine is a diuretic.
So why water? Why not drink diet soda or coffee all day? These drinks contain caffeine, which actually causes you to lose water throughout the day. You retain some of the water content of the beverages, but not as much as when you drink pure water.

You can try decaffeinated beverages, but the best way to use the water you drink is to get it pure and clean, with no chemicals added.

* Energy Boost.
Think you can’t get through the day without your morning caffeine boost? Well water can give you energy as well. Your body is made up mostly of water. It loses it throughout the day, so you have to replace it for your body to work efficiently; particularly the heart and digestive tract.

As mentioned earlier, water helps your body work better by getting rid of excess waste. The more efficiently your whole body is works, the better you’ll feel and the more energy you’ll have. Maybe enough energy to skip that cup of coffee.

So go ahead, skip the vending machine, go to the faucet, and get yourself a nice, refreshing glass of water, and you will absolutely be doing yourself a Big Favor.