Archive for March, 2009

Top Ten Ways to Loose Weight

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Whilst it is important to ensure that you’re not overweight and equally important to lead a healthy lifestyle, you certainly don’t want to get into bad weight loss habits, so deciphering the good advice from the bad is important.

The first thing you should do before starting any form of weight loss programme is to consult your doctor about the method of weight loss you are interested in. Your doctor can give you helpful advice and also perhaps give you a medical check to ensure that any programme you do start doesn’t have a negative impact on your health.

The following top-ten methods listed in this article are not suggested methods, instead this article aims to provide you with the information at hand to decide which methods are right for you and which method you should avoid. Weight is a very personal subject and some of the techniques listed in this article are for those people who are classed as morbidly obese and are not necessarily suitable for those who are just a little overweight. Again, getting a professional medical assessment is critical to your long term health and weight loss success.

Discover our top ten ways to loose weight:

1) Start to Exercise More

When you think about how you can loose weight, you generally think of two methods, the first is dieting and the second is exercising. Starting an exercise regime can be daunting for anyone who hasn’t been interested in doing sport much. When you’re overweight it can be even harder to motivate yourself to start.

Joining a gym can be a good method to motivate you to train, as the cost of the gym membership going out of your bank account on a monthly basis can hurt the wallet if you are simply wasting the money! This can be motivation enough to pack your gym bag. Another reason to join a gym is that they are a good place to get professional advice on exercising. Most mainstream gyms have Personal Trainers who can help and advice you and also design a fitness programme that meets your needs. Generally these fitness programmes are then assessed every few months to check on your progress.

The trick to keeping up any exercise routine is to set yourself realistic goals or challenges so that you will always having something to work towards, also it is important to keep the exercise fun. When training and fitness becomes a chore it is very easy for your subconscious to come up with any number of reasons not to exercise. As soon as you start skipping exercise sessions it becomes much easier not to stick to your plan.

2) Weight Loss Medication

The thought that you can take a pill to help you loose weight sounds fantastic in principle seemingly providing you with a ‘magical’ solution to your weight problems. However for many people who decide to use weight loss medication the risks and potential side effects can outweigh the benefits.

Without discussing the merits or disadvantages of particular brands it is important to consider that there could be side effects from taking these medications so doing so should only be carried out once medical advice is sort. Although this form of medication is freely available to buy from the Internet it is advisable to only take these medicines if they have been specifically prescribed by a doctor to treat your obesity condition as not only could you waste money on unnecessary medication you could be seriously risking your health.

3) Go on a Diet

The thought of going on a diet horrifies some people, but there normally comes a point when a person decides enough is enough they have to loose weight, therefore they must go on a diet! The question then becomes what diet to choose? There are hundreds if not thousands of different diet plans out on the market some much healthier than others, and some down right dangerous to your health.

No matter what diet you choose to go on there are some fundamental principles that you could consider when trying to loose weight by dieting. Firstly, calories in is offset by calories out. What this means is the fundamental thing controlling your weight is the number of calories that you consume though eating and the number of calories you use by either exercising or going about your daily life.

Typically a woman should consume 2,000 calories a day and a man 2,500 (although these are average figures). By reducing your calorie intake below these figures should, in theory allow you to loose weight. However, there is a something else to consider and that is your metabolism. Basically if you drastically reduce your calorie intake then your body can go into something called ‘starvation mode’ which effectively slows down weight loss as your body tries to ‘hold on’ to its fat stores. For someone who is trying to loose weight this obviously defeats to purpose. So the solution is to only reduce your calorie intake enough so that you loose a little weight, for example 1 pound per week is a sensible target which is achievable without starving yourself and more importantly is allows you to subtly change your diet to compensate for this, making it much easier in the long term to maintain the weight loss.

Nutrition is also an important thing to consider when picking a diet. You should aim to eat a healthy, nutritious diet which ultimately is well balanced. A well balanced diet is basically a diet that includes food from the five main food groups (but reducing Fat and Sugar), which are:

• Meat, Fish and Alternatives (Eggs, Beans, Pulses)

• Bread, Cereals and Potatoes

• Fruit and Vegetables

• Milk and Diary Produce

• Fat and Sugar

Any diet that is rich in fruit or vegetables is likely to be a healthy one. You don’t have to skip eating foods with fat and sugar totally. However you should be looking to reduce your intake in this area as we generally eat way too much from this particular food group.

4) Gastric Bands

A gastric band is a bariatric surgical procedure where a band is placed around the top of the stomach making it smaller in size so that the stomach fills up with food quicker than it would under normal circumstances. Gastric band (or Lap Band) surgery is a fairly drastic procedure best suited to those who are classed as obese on the BMI scale. Whilst there are potential complications and risks associated to any surgery the benefits can include a great deal of weight loss in some situations a person can loose up to 60% of their body weight.

For those who are obese and have constantly struggled with their weight loss then gastric band surgery can help. As bariatric surgery is not necessarily the preferred method for all individuals this method should be fully discussed with a professional to get a firm understanding of both the benefits and risks of undertaking gastric band surgery.

5) Gastric Balloons

A gastric balloon is a silicone balloon that is placed inside a person’s stomach and filled with saline. This balloon then makes a person feel as though they are full up, making them less inclined to eat, forcing a person to eat smaller portions.

The gastric balloon is inserted into a person’s stomach using a fairly simple procedure- basically passing the balloon through the mouth, down the throat and into the stomach. The balloon is then filled and left to float freely in the stomach.

6) Eat Less & Drink More Water

Probably the simplest way to loose weight is to just eat less then you normally eat. Perhaps this means reducing portion size or making slight changes to your diet, such as not having second helpings of your favourite desert, but eating less on a regular basis will help you loose weight.

Substituting certain foods with other foods can help reduce calories and help you to loose weight. For example if you have a ham sandwich with full fat mayonnaise for lunch, substituting the ham for turkey, and full fat mayonnaise for low-fat mayonnaise can save you a lot of calories, whilst not really compromising the taste of your lunch!

7) Go for a walk

If you hate dieting and also hate the thought of having to go to the gym then you could consider going for a walk on a regular basis. Depending how much you weight and how fast you walk, you could burn off around 100 calories per mile that you walk. This may not sound like much but an hour a days walking could help you burn an additional 700 calories a week or the equivalent of a normal sized meal!

8) Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a state of concentration and relaxation where a patient enters an enhanced state of awareness allowing a hypnotherapist to suggest ideas and lifestyle changes to the patient. Basically hypnosis aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind.

Basically hypnosis can help you loose weight by allowing you to develop a new self image whilst also teaching you to be more relaxed about your weight loss (stress can lead to comfort eating).

You can find a hypnotherapist who can treat you directly or you can even find hypnotherapy CD’s and programmes online that are much cheaper than visiting a consultant.

9) Psychological Triggers

As fully committed to a diet or exercise plan that you are, sometimes your ‘mind’ can get the better of you. It’s natural to think that when you’re on a ‘diet’ you are somehow depriving yourself and making a sacrifice. These psychological ‘sacrifices’ can be difficult to maintain on a constant basis. Perhaps you’ve had a bad day and your will power is wavering. Therefore it is a good idea to implement some psychological techniques to help you make positive diet and exercise choices. There following tips can help you loose weight whilst bolstering your weight loss intentions:

• Use smaller plates- putting your food onto a smaller plate tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating a bigger portion

• Don’t feeling like exercising? Tell yourself to change into your gym clothes first and then decided. Sometimes once you’re changed you feel much more ready to exercise.

• Don’t cut out everything you love from your diet. Love chocolate? Try eating a couple of pieces once or twice a week as a treat instead of a bar a night! You’ll soon come to appreciate the smaller piece more and you’ll feel better if you start to loose some weight!

Remember there are many ways you can loose weight and by using psychological techniques this gives you another method to employ from your weight-loss arsenal.

10) Get a Tummy Tuck

For some people it can be almost impossible to loose excess weight in certain areas. For those who have already lost a great deal or weight or have had a baby it is possible to have a lot of loose skin around the abdomen area. This loose skin can be difficult to shift through traditional dieting or exercising. In these instances the cosmetic surgery procedure called abdominoplasty or tummy tuck could be used.

A tummy tuck is a cosmetic surgery procedure that is implemented to help make the abdomen area much firmer. When excess skin and fat from the abdomen area is removed this tightens the muscle of the abdominal wall.

As with all cosmetic surgery treatments a consultation with a profession is the best way of understanding what the procedure involves, what the risks are and how the surgery can benefit you.

Julie Samuel is an euthastic mountain bike rider, she is a strong advocate for healthly living and exercise, even if it means undertaking a weight loss procedure such as a

Body Detox Systems: Modern Day Superheroes

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Superman is every adult and child’s legendary superhero. What with his ultra powerful punches and impressive x-ray vision, no inventive villain will last. The body detox system is built much in the same way. It knocks off the evil toxins to stop it from wreaking havoc in the body’s natural processes.

Without you knowing it, each organ in the body detox system works hard every day to keep the body fit and healthy. Even in something as simple as breathing, the respiratory system already gets rid of the harmful carbon dioxide from the body. However, this natural body detox is often hampered by internal and external forces.

The good news is that there is something you can to do assist the body in its cleansing operation. Notice how you vomit when you have eaten something nasty? It is really just the digestive system saving the day for you. In this sense, it is time to call on the rest of the justice league superheroes to help superman in the fight against the wicked criminals.

Take note of every helpful body detox tip for you to accomplish to aid each body detox system in your body.

SUPERHERO #1: THE LIVER. The liver does most of the job by purifying the blood. It sifts everything and anything from dangerous chemicals to bacteria. It also makes the bile that supports the detoxification process. To assist the liver, you have to start a body detox diet composed of fresh fruits, uncooked vegetables and sterilized water.

SUPERHERO #2: THE SKIN. The skin is the body’s largest organ. This outer jacket is like a shield that prevents toxins from the outside to penetrate the body. Through perspiration, the skin also expels harmful substances out. So go and sweat it out! Dance, jog, run, exercise, or enjoy sauna with friends.

SUPERHERO #3: THE LYMPH GLANDS. Under the skin is a net of pipe-like structures that allows the lymph fluid to travel in the body, take a pit stop in the organs, and dump off the toxins for eradication. The appendix, the tonsils, and the spleen are part of body detox system. Don’t tell your surgeon to cut if off!

SUPERHERO #4: THE BOWEL. Do you feel that sense of relief after you have released the tension in your body? The bowel feels just as lovely every time it does so. However, some food products can get stuck there and turn into toxic monsters. The bowel needs your help! Get into a high-fiber diet. Pound whole flax seeds and eat them up like your regular oatmeal.

SUPERHERO #5: THE KIDNEYS. If the bowel take cares of the solid waste products, the kidneys are in charge of the liquids. However, the kidneys are put in danger when you rely too much on synthetic medications. Juice up and drink up by concocting your very own fruit or vegetable cocktail and help the kidneys flush out toxic residues.

Now you see that even superheroes need a bit of help sometimes. As they say, we all get by with a little help from our friends. Help your body get rid of the unfriendly substances and get into a healthy and natural body detox regime.

John Khu is a health enthusiast and author of a new eBook titled “Body Detox Tips”. He is devoted to educate others on the benefit of body detoxification. He is also the owner of the website called www.BodyDetoxTips.com which provides complete and up-to-date information.

Brain Tumours and Their Complementary Treatments

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

What It Is

Brain tumours are slightly different from other forms of cancer in that there are over 100 types of different tumour. Some of these are malign, whilst some of them can be malignant.

Like all cancers, a brain tumour occurs due to an abnormal growth of cells. Brain tumours can affect any part of the brain, and can also be found on the inside of the skull.

They can also consist of primary tumours (tumours which start in the brain) and secondary tumours (tumours which have started in another part of body and have spread to the brain).

Causes of Brain Tumours

All cancers are essentially caused by a number of factors, and we know that toxins in the body, oxygen deprivation, an acidic pH balance and a weak immune system can all be to blame.

However, when it comes to brain tumours we know that there are a few specific factors that can lead to their formation. Generally, brain tumours are more common in older people, although they can occur in people of all ages. As well as that, a history of cancer in the family will make it more likely to become victim to a brain tumour. Although less likely, radioactivity has also been proven to influence the growth of brain tumours.

Brain Tumour Symptoms

There are countless symptoms associated with brain tumours. The most common symptom by far is a headache or a series of headaches. Headaches can be particularly painful, or they can seem quite normal. Most people visit the doctor when they have suddenly started experiencing headaches with greater frequency or intensity.

As well as headaches, other common symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fits, memory loss and drowsiness. An increase in the pressure in the head, known as raised ICP, is another common symptom. This is caused by a brain tumour growing and putting pressure on the inside of the head. However, we should clarify that all of these symptoms can be symptoms of less serious conditions, so although they should be checked out, none of them should cause undue alarm.

Conventional Treatments

The type of treatment required depends on the stage of the brain tumour. Surgery is often required to remove the tumour, but this will be dictated by the position of the tumour. Sometimes the tumour can be too near to a very sensitive area and it can therefore be too risky. If it is not possible to remove the whole tumour then sometimes only a part of it is removed, but this can still help.

Surgery can be very risky, and it can also lead to infection and bleeding in some cases. Due to the proximity of the surgery area to crucial parts of the nervous system, it can also lead to partial paralysis of the face and vision loss.

Radiation and chemotherapy are also options when it comes to treating brain tumours, but these come with harsh side effects including loss of hair, drowsiness and nausea.

Radiosurgery is also used to treat brain tumours. This involves directing powerful beams of radiation directly at the tumours, killing them without damaging the rest of the surrounding area. However, this can also lead to headaches and fatigue.

As all treatments can sometimes lead to problems with speech, thought and vision, they may often require some sort of follow-up treatment as well as the initial treatment.

Alternative and Complementary Treatments

One of the most effective alternative treatments that we know of is actually one of the simplest, and it comes in the form of a diet. The Budwig Diet is a specially-formulated diet designed specifically to beat cancer in a natural but powerful way, with no side effects.

This diet is based on the principle that all cancer cells, including those in brain tumours, require glucose in order to grow. By reducing the amount of glucose in the blood, the cancerous cells cannot grow. This therefore requires the patient to reduce their sugar intake completely, preventing the cancer cells from growing and strengthening the immune system at the same time to fight them.

The Budwig Diet is one of the most effective alternative therapies, but we can also recommend a number of other alternative treatments that can be used to treat brain tumours. One of the most effective is known as bio-photonic light treatment. This is when natural UV rays are used to target the cancer cells directly, killing them over a period of treatment with no damage to the rest of the body.

High body-temperature therapy is another of the most effective alternative treatments that sees high success rates. This involves the heating of the body to produce a special type of sweat that is packed full of harmful toxins. Reducing the level of toxins in the body provides a completely natural way to treat the cancer.

But there are many more types of alternative therapies for brain tumours, including emotional healing, SCIO therapies, ultra sound and massage therapy. These can all be used alongside the Budwig Diet, and due to their natural properties there is no limit on which types of treatment can be used alongside each other to increase the chances of destroying the cancer.

The Mariposas Clinic is a wellness center and clinic specializing in alternative and complementary treatments for cancer and other serious illnesses. For more information on their treatments, please visit http://www.mariposasclinicspain.com

How to Spring Clean Your Diet

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Remember back about two months ago when you promised yourself that you would go on that diet starting the first of the year. Didn’t work and you didn’t stick with it. Here is a remedy to get started again.

Find the largest garbage can you can find and use it to rid your kitchen of all the garbage your have been eating.

We will start with your Refrigerator:

Toss Out:

High calorie spreads, salad dressings, dips, and condiments- Nacho cheese dip, blue cheese salad dressing, mayo and all of your potato chip dips.

Yogurt with fruit on bottom- It has more sugar than just about anything else in the fridge.

Extra beer- Ok so you may need one after a hard day at the office. Unless you are entertaining, only chill a couple at

a time. If you don’t keep it around you’ll be less likely to overdo it at night when you get home from work.

Replacements:

To replace your hugh calorie spreads, dressings and condiments- Bring in a few varieties of sasa, vinaigerette dressings and mustards. Other low-carb steak, barbecue and cocktail sauces that are free of added sweeteners.

Replace your Yogurt with fruit on the bottom- Go with the sugar free, plan variety mix inyour own fresh fruit and nuts for flavor. Or Greek, which has extra protein.

Bring in lean protein such as chicken breast, turkey breast, fresh fish and RED MEAT. Yes, I said RED MEAT, lean RED MEAT. Purchase in bulk at a wholesale grocery, split up the family size packages into the amount that you would ear for one meal. Package into smaller bags and freeze this will save you money.

Load up on fresh uncut veggies and fruit. Broccoli, Spinach, Apples, Green/Red/Yellow Peppers, Apples, oranges and what ever is in season. Buy only what you can eat in one week so your produce doesn’t go bad.

Get yourself a large water pitcher with water filter and keep it fullat all times to keep uyou from buying those plastic water bottles. Everytime you fill up your water glass top off your pitcher and keep it at arms reach in your fridge.

Let’s work on your Pantry:

Toss Out:

Trash any product which claims to be “trans-fat free”.

Go through your breakfeast foods, especially your kids. A quick rule to remember is: Never buy cereal with more than 10 grams sugar or less than three grams of fiber per serving. A no-no is Pop-Tarts, it has more than 40 ingredients. Also, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, you shouldn’t eat that item.

And finally the biggest culprit snacks and sugar drinks- Get rid of all chips, pretzels, cookies, candy and any bottles of soda or tea you have in the fridge.

Replacements:

Keep or replace partially hydrogenated or fully hydrigenated oil. No exceptions.

Items to replace for breakfeast are: Multi-Gran Cheerios, Special K Plus Protein, Wheaties, Post Grape-Nut Flakes, Kahi 7 Whole Grain Honey Puffs and Post Honey Bunches of Oats.

Stock up on rolled oats and canned beans- Eat the oats(Not Instant Oatmeal) with eggs for breakfeast and have beans as a side dish for lunch or dinner. Aim for a serving of both of the lean, high-fiber, nutrient options almost every day.

Nutritious Snacks: Raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios are good for you in small amounts. Also, plain microwave popcorn without the butter.

Tea: Green tea is the most talk about but black and white are just as potent. Compunds in tea may fight cancer, heart disease, depression and fatigue. If caffeine bothers you get decaffeinated tea. Tea is also good for your brain improving concentration and memory. Just do not add sugar.

I hope this will get you started for spring and also motivate you to start a exercise program so you can get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

If you found this article helpful. You can visit our website for more nutrition and fitness ideas: http://www.NutritionFitnessGuruToday.com