Top 10 Ways to Jump Start your Weight Loss
1. Eat protein at every meal, including breakfast.
2. Eliminate wheat- and flour-based products for the time being. And yes, that definitely includes bread and pasta.
3. Eat unprocessed foods. Ninety percent of what you eat should be a combination of (in this order of importance) raw vegetables, steamed vegetables, whole grain, lean protein, and maybe a few fruits if necessary.
4. Reduce starch to one portion a day, and don’t eat that portion during your evening meal. Best choices are beans, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal.
5. Don’t overdo fruit: one a day maximum, and only the low-sugar, high-fiber variety. Apples, pears, plums and berries all are good choices. For now, fruit should be eaten alone or with something light, like low fat nuts. Lose the fruit juice completely.
6. Reduce or eliminate dairy for the time being, especially cow’s milk. Exceptions: reasonable amounts of low sugar, fat free yogurt.
7. Lose the booze. Despite what the “studies” say, you lose no health benefits by giving up alcohol (including wine). There is nothing essential in alcohol that you can’t get in fruits and vegetables without all the bad side effects that go along with it.
8. Stop using vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower and corn. The supermarket kind is highly refined, and it oxidizes easily when heated, contributing to arterial plaque. Use olive oil instead, and apply it to food after the food is cooked when possible.
9. Watch which types of fat you’re eating. The amount of fat you eat is probably less important than the kind of fat you eat. The worst are fried foods, margarine and foods that contain hydrogenized or partially hydrogenized oils. The best is omega-3, found in fish and flaxseed oil.
10. Obsessively drink water: At least 8 ounces for every 20 pounds of bodyweight you’re now carrying around, each day. Every day. No excuses.
Health and Fitness
Methods to Stay Healthy While You Are at Work
It may be difficult to stay healthy when at work. Infectious diseases can easily spread from one co-worker to another. Stress is a very common factor among the employees. Your interaction with people who are sick might not be easily avoided.
Be sure that you regularly wash your hands. Your hands are the most common distributors of infectious agents. You will transmit diseases from one co-worker to another. Your family might also be put at risk. You have to remember to wash your hands from time to time. Wash your hands when you have performed a task that has significantly dirtied them.
Use soap and water to effectively clean your hands. Use antibacterial soaps for a more positive result. At times, using hand sanitizers will already be enough. Be aware of proper hand washing techniques. There is also a method for putting on hand sanitizers and making sure they work.
Take time to clean your office area. Remove clutter from your cubicle. Throw out things that are considered garbage. Think about reducing the number of items present on your desk. Make it a habit to disinfect the top of your desk, your computer’s keyboard, mouse and all other things that you frequently touch and use.
Germs can live in items that have been left unattended for some time. Molds might even grow on moist areas that are not regularly cleaned.
Take care of your health by eating a healthy diet. Don’t make a habit out of skipping breakfast. Do not forgo eating breakfast even if you are running late. Manage your time better so that you will have enough time to sit down and eat a hearty meal. Make sure that you have fruits and vegetables included in your diet. Avoid foods that have too much sugar and fat content. Do not miss your meals no matter how busy you are at work. Proper time management will lead you to a healthier lifestyle.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Make yourself stop smoking. Smoking might reduce your immunity and can make you less healthy. This can be a very difficult thing to do but you can at least try. Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. Discipline can be the only thing that you will need.
You may see that you have coworkers who are sick. Avoid these people as much as possible. If avoidance is not an available option, you should make use of methods that will protect you. Boost your immunity with good diet, exercise and the right supply of dietary supplements. Get enough sleep so that your body will have time to repair itself.
It may be necessary for you to wear a mask when you or your coworkers are suffering from the flu or another infection that can be transmitted via air droplets. Avoid skin-to-skin contact for some conditions. File to take a sick leave if you are feeling under the weather. You will help your coworkers by not exposing them to the bacteria or virus that you are carrying with you.
Fillings Get Smaller…and Smaller
We all remember going to the dentist, opening wide, and listening with held breath while he examined our teeth for decay. “Please, no cavities,” we prayed.
With his prickly instrument in hand, our dentist probed every tooth, looking for “soft” spots where decay had invaded our once hard, pristine dental enamel. And when the point found its quarry, a tiny spot of decay, he would nod and say, “We’ve got a small one here. We’ll watch to see if it grows into something.”
No longer. Fast-forward to 2004, and the prickly instrument takes a back seat to a high-tech laser probe that lands a preemptive strike in the battle against decay.
Make way for “Minimally Invasive Dentistry.” The mouthful of words means simply that dentists no longer allow dots of decay to advance into large craters. Armed with the ultimate in high-tech sleuthing, they now set out to find decay–at the earliest possible moment.
“Now we can absolutely eliminate many large fillings that lead to cracked teeth, crowns and other more invasive treatment,” says Dr. Daniel J. Deutsch, of the Washington Center for Dentistry in Washington, DC.
Here’s how it works: The dental decay finder touches the surface of every tooth, each time flashing a digital score that reports the presence of decay.
A tooth that scores above a certain number–has at least the tiniest dot of decay.
And getting at the teeny offending area involves another technological wonder. A gentle dental “sandblaster” uses tiny particles to whisk away decay in layers. The area gets filled in with a tooth-colored liquid that hardens in seconds under a special light.
Patients walk out of the office with tiny fillings.
“And the best part,” says Dr. Deutsch, “is they have treatment with no needle and no drill
Phytochemicals for Your Immune Health
My mom used to dress the dinner plate in full matching regalia; yellow squash nestled next to green asparagus. Red and yellow peppers tossed around the salad added spectacular color. Now dear mom knew these foods were healthy and she loved to decorate my plate with the colors of the season; but did she know that these wholesome foods contain phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals are the active substances in plants that give them their color, flavor, odor, and protection against plant diseases. Phytochemicals work as powerful antioxidants, which can increase our resistance to disease and boost immunity.
While most research focuses on the anti-carcinogen effects of phytochemicals, the results are equally important to those who just want to boost their immune system or help reverse the aging clock.
Scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRC) rated 60 fruits and vegetables for potency of antioxidants, which stabilize cells and help fight the damaging effects of free radicals, which are molecules that weaken the immune system. Antioxidants can help keep cancer, heart disease and other degenerative conditions at bay.
The top scoring fruit in the HNRC study was blueberries followed by strawberries, prunes, black currants and boysenberries. The deeper the color, the better for you. Many of these antioxidants also have anti-inflammatory properties, and some naturally reduce blood cholesterol.
It’s important to fill your diet with all the colors of the food rainbow. Eat the blues, reds, purples, oranges, yellows, and greens.
Fresh or Frozen Produce?
It’s okay if you don’t have time to steam your own fresh veggies, studies by the FDA and the University of Illinois show that frozen fruits and vegetables are nearly as nutritious because they can wait to be picked until they’re at the peak of freshness.
Fresh produce is usually picked early, before it’s ripe and fully nutritious, so that it ships well.
But if you’re lucky enough to grow your own fruits or vegetables, or you can buy straight from a farm – then that’s where you’ll find the most nutritious fruits and vegetables!!!
What about supplements:
The value of most supplements is, at best, ineffective. The power of phytochemicals seem to be lost when removed from food. Except if you’re fortunate enough to find a high quality ‘greens drink’.
Drinking one glass of a quality ‘greens drink’ supplies more than 5 servings of powerful, phytochemical rich nutrition.
Other Phyto Foods :
Phyto foods come in many varieties and for all palates. Among the most common sources are:
FRUITS: Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, cherries, citrus fruits, grapes, kiwi fruit, lemons, mangoes, melons, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, plums. GRAINS: Barley, cornmeal, whole grain, quinoa, brown rice, wheat germ. NUTS and SEEDS: Flaxseed (a small brown seed used in cooking), macadamia, pecans, sesame seeds, walnuts. VEGETABLES: Asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, cauliflower, corn, eggplant, dark leafy greens and lettuces, mushrooms, onions, green and dried peas, sweet and hot peppers, white and sweet potatoes, pumpkin, soybeans, watercress, winter squash, tomatoes. And a host of others.
The Magic of Pain Free Good Health
Has the use of aromas and herbs, only recently been appreciated for their healing, and recuperative qualities? Most certainly not.
Aromas had been used for medicinal, spiritual, and magical purposes going back as far back as Egyptian times 3000 B.C. Even further back in time 5000 B.C. the Tassili cave paintings showed women wearing fragrant flower garlands. There are frequent mentions of the use of potions throughout history – Pliny the 1st century Roman historian, mentions in his Natural History narrative, 32 remedies prepared from roses, 21 from lilies, 17 from violets, and 25 from pennyroyal. Ancient Indian cultures used sandalwood for genito-urinary infections.
Nostradamus, at the age of 21 received a licence, having studied in Montpellier France, to practise medicine. One of the formulae which he used as a remedy for several conditions, has survived to this day, and was compounded of rose petals, cloves, lignum aloes, and the dried roots of iris and sweet flag.
The ancient Greeks also contributed to the origins of herbal medicine. Dioscorides, a military doctor was the author of De Materia Medica a book on herbal medicine, which was the foundation of all subsequent books for a further 1600 years. Galen another Greek doctor also wrote a major book on herbal medicine De Simplicibus in the 2nd century which was used up to the middle ages by the Islamic physicians.
The word of herbalism was carried to Europe via the crusaders, and the texts were translated into Latin, which when printing was developed, the information became more widespread, though only if you could read. So herbal folklore passed on from generation to generation, by word of mouth. In the 16th century John Gerard published in 1597 the “Herbal or General Historie of Plantes”. He had been greatly influenced by the great medical scholar Paracelsus.
Now in recent time the medical fraternity is becoming aware of the benefits of some of these ancient methods, and in the United Kingdom some areas are becoming available on the National Health System.
Coaching for Optimum Health and Wellness
You are not feeling well. You are overweight, and as a result are low on energy. You are not sleeping well and are unproductive at work.You are a sugar addict, pre-diabetic or are already a Type II diabetic. You are a woman in menopause with significant symptoms that are debilitating. Or, you are a man who is overweight, has high cholesterol, low testosterone, or a possible heart condition. The list goes on. You have tried everything, been everywhere, and nothing helps or has worked for the longer term.
Except, coaching yourself to YOUR optimum health & wellness.
How can you do this?
Coaching yourself to great health is a relatively new phenomenon in healthcare and is now going mainstream. People become healthy through coaching and working one-on-one with a coach initially to identify and solve the issues that cause their health and wellness problems. This is accomplished by connecting the mind and the body with very specific methods and solutions that over time truly heals.
There are a variety of approaches that are used in this process. For instance, some programs focus on creating bio-individual health & wellness programs for clients that treat the mind, body, and overall behaviors that make them sick. It is a process that can take 6 months or more, which is quick, considering that for most of us it took a lifetime to get where we are. The success lies in learning how your mind and body really function. This leads to significant changes in your thinking, which changes your behavior, which changes your health….long term.
A successful program usually involve these areas:
- Primary and Secondary foods
- Nutritional habits
- Specific meal programs
- Targeted supplements
- Metabolic analysis
- Physical exercises
And this is just the beginning of this amazing journey you will take to reach your goal to getting healthy. Within these areas are specific tools and methods that hone in on emotional and physical issues that are the root causes of sickness and ill-health. And the remarkable changes begin to emerge, and take hold, and become a new way of life!
What this truly means for you is less visits to your doctor, and a better quality of life in every way. You feel amazing, look wonderful, and your life is truly reflective of this in every way. It is a snowball of optimum health & wellness that YOU take charge of and control. You become pro-active instead of re-active, and that alters your life destiny forever!
Cosmetic Surgery In Five Minutes
Cosmetic surgery is increasing in popularity and this is because it is becoming readily available to people across the country. More clinics, cheaper fees, better aftercare and more advanced procedures, but does this mean more people should have it.
Cosmetic surgery is like any other product if there’s a need for it then it’s suitable. But there are some important things to consider when you are looking into cosmetic surgery. There are a few things everyone should ask themselves when they are planning to go under the knife. The first question you should ask yourself; can you take the complications and consequences of cosmetic surgery. This because there are considerations that have to be taken like any other health treatment and because there are specific drugs involved people need to think about how they are going to bare up after the procedure.
The emotional and social impact will also force people to think more seriously about their plans to change part of their bodies. Different jobs such as those dealing with the external parts of the body is not much an issue; Rhinoplasty for example is one of the more straightforward procedures and healing time is usually short and swift. Other procedures can be more complex and require more healing time as they can involve some internal parts of the body.
Larger procedures will also require larger doses of drugs as they can be too painful without the aid of drugs. Patients will have to be healthy and fit enough to endure the pressure of these drugs on the system if they want to go through with the operation.
Age is also an important part of cosmetic surgery. Whilst certain procedures have become popular with younger people looking to boost their confidence and change parts of their body they are not happy with. On the other hand there are also plenty of older generations looking for added vitality to their life through a younger looking appearance. Younger people are generally in a better state of health to deal with the treatment but with the technological advances of such procedures the recovery rates are becoming increasingly shorter and this opens the door to many more patients.
With the technology and science advancements of the past decade cosmetic surgery has become a lucrative and successful industry and one that has made it easier than ever to make changes to areas of your body you are not currently happy with. For more information consult a doctor or a clinic.
Five Practical Tips To Stay Fit In Winter
Staying healthy in winter is tough. It’s the gloomy time of year when most people rather stay indoors. Because it’s colder during wintertime, we tend to eat more, as this a way for our bodies to stay warm. So by not going outside and by eating (too) much we gain weight and lose stamina and strength. This opens up the door to the flu and colds. Also, the lack of sun and daylight can cause seasonal depression.
So what to do when winter gets the better of you? These tips might help you stay fit in winter.
Exercise
If you don’t want to go outside, this is no reason not to exercise. Practicing yoga or going to the fitness studio will get you the indoor exercise you need. Yoga is also good if you suffer from winter depression.
Basically, any form of exercise is beneficial, because moving and sweating make our brain produce endorphins, a happy hormone.
Playing in the snow, or shoveling the driving lane is healthy exercise too, however it’s wise to be careful not to overdo it with shoveling snow, since it’s hard labor and in the cold you could risk a heart attack. So shovel slowly and wisely.
Other good exercise in winter is skiing or snowshoe hiking.
Get plenty of fresh air
Because of the cold we tend to keep the windows shut and this reduces air circulation. Lack of fresh air makes us susceptible to disease too. So get out of the house, preferably during daylight. Walking the dog or taking a brisk walk in the park for half an hour or more can work wonders. Whatever happens, don’t stay in the house all day. Fresh air and exercise are good for the immune system and blood circulation
Enjoy the daylight
Daylight is vital to our immune system and holds off depression. If you’re lucky you can catch some sunlight as well. This might compensate the general lack of vitamin D we suffer during wintertime.
Drink plenty of water and tea
Because it’s colder we heat the house, we get dehydrated. The problem is that we usually don’t recognize this in winter. But if your skin is dry and scaly, it’s a tell-tale sign you’re not drinking enough fluids.
Green tea and co. are packed with antioxidants and will help strengthen the immune function and regulate skin moisture.
Healthy diet
Eating more in winter doesn’t mean eating fat or over eating. Plenty of veggies, fruits and fish are recommended.
Fresh vegetables and fruits are full of antioxidants and vitamins that strengthen the immune system. Fish is protein rich, have plenty od vitamins D and E to compensate the lack of sun during winter.
How Healthy Is a Juice Diet?
In a world where people are always trying out the newest diet craze or the newest fitness routine, I wondered if the juicing trend was all that it was cracked up to be. Are there real health benefits? Do you lose weight? Can you hurt your body doing it? All of these questions are things that I hoped to find out, and who knows, I might even try juicing myself. The following article looks at the benefits of juicing. If you decide to join the juice craze then you need to consult your medical professional and talk to them about your health and your goals. Also, make sure that you have medical insurance just in case you need it along your journey.
The juice craze has been gaining popularity ever since the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead premiered. In this film, Joe travels the United States in an effort to see how Americans eat and how it affects his healthy. While traveling he committed to juicing for 60 days. By the end of his journey he not only lost weight but had dramatically improved his health, brain functionality, and even energy levels. Now if you are like me, 60 days sounds like a really long time. Most programs now vary between 3-10 days. If you decide to go further than that it is imperative that you consult your physician. So even though this documentary shows great success, are you still skeptical? There are many more benefits that you can achieve from juicing.
One of the major benefits of juicing is to introduce your body to fruits and vegetables. Most people today are not eating the amount of servings that the USDA actually recommends. As a culture we plan our meal around the meat and past instead of adding those things to vegetables.
Also by juicing you are allowing all of the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables to immediately enter you blood stream since they are in the form of a liquid and do not have to go through the slow digestive process.
Speaking of your digestive process, yours is probably operating at a much slower rate than it should. Dairy and meat can actually clog it up and make it hard for your body to cleanse itself and absorb any other nutrients. By juicing for a few days you allow your body to push these toxins through your body and prepare it for all of the nutrients that you will bring it.
Now the benefit that everyone wonders about, yes there are people who report actual weight loss. Some people claim to lose a pound a day. You will be losing fat weight and water weight mostly. Not everyone operates the same way so above trying to lose weight you should look at this cleanse as a way to improve your health and if you lose weight then that is an excellent added bonus.
Like we said earlier, before you start you should consult your physician and make sure that you have medical insurance just in case. Also it is important to prepare your body a few days in advance so that you do not feel the withdrawal from food as bad. Happy Juicing!
