5 Sure Fire Ways to Lose weight Fast
By Mason Wee | August 7, 2008
If you are desperate for ways to lose weight fast - it is up to you to make the changes and learn what you have to do to make it work. Firstly, there are no quick fixes. Secondly, you need to break a sweat to lose weight. Although, it may be difficult at first, but if you allow yourself time to slowly add changes to your lifestyle, your fat loss efforts grow into you. Hence patience is the key. Below are 5 ways to lose weight with now -
1. Go easy on the alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are packed with calories but no important nutrients. It is recommended that if you choose to drink alcohol, you should limit yourself to no more than one standard drink a day. Plus, you should aim to have at least two alcohol free days a week.
2. Switching to wholegrain can melt your gut. Researcher compared two groups of over weight dieters - 1 group swapped white bread and pasta for whole wheat products while the other ate the same number of calories as the first group but didn’t make the switch. Although all dieters lost about 10 pounds in 3 months, the whole grain eaters dropped twice as much abdominal fat. The study authors credit the extra fiber and anti oxidants in wholegrain, which helps control inflammation and insulin (a hormone that tells your body to store belly fat). The point here is, get into the habit of eating wholegrain products, fruits and veggies for that fiber boost!
3. Eat more to curb cravings. Fiber can slow the absorption of foods, preventing peaks in blood sugar after a meal - and it adds bulk to foods which can help you feel full longer. Not only that fiber helps lower cholesterol levels, leading to a reduced risk of heart disease, a major complication of diabetes
4. Beware of ‘non hungry’ eating - become aware of your eating habits, the reasons you may be eating such as stress
5. Change your eating and physical activity habits in stages. Allow yourself plenty of time to make small changes to your eating habits, such as choosing reduced fat milk instead of full fat milk. When you’re comfortable with this, make another change. For example, snack on fresh fruit rather than biscuits. The same goes for exercise. Gradually increase the amount of physical activity that you enjoy and focus on these.
If you are committed to make a difference to your life, make the change now - but do it in stages, and again be patient with the results. Just focus on improving your health and let your positive actions take care of the rest. Lastly, eating sensibly and being more active are the best ways to lose weight fast.
Topics: Fitness & Exercise | No Comments »
Weight Gain in the USA
By Sara Mendez | August 7, 2008
Living on less than $18.00 a day for a family of four is insanely difficult alone, but now add living healthy on $18.00 a day and it becomes near impossible. This is the challenge families on food stamps are confronted with daily. In 2006 impoverished states such as Alabama, West Virginia and Louisiana have had growing rates of obesity
The average family of four can get up to $542.00 a month in food stamp assistance according to fns.usda.gov. While this may seem like a lot, when looked at over a 30 day period, this amount breaks down to about $18.00 a day to split between four people. Living on this strict budge is only made more difficult when trying to buy healthy items at the grocery store.
The typical middle class American family of four spends roughly $600.00 per month on food and more if the foods are organic, low fat, soy based or trans fat free. Often they do not think twice about spending a little extra money on an item if it will be healthier for them. For an impoverished family, the only thing they are worried about is stretching the budget as far as it will go, regardless of health benefits. For example, Ramen noodles are about ten cents a package which means a child can have one a day for a month for around $3.00. While parents are thinking this is a brilliant food item, they are not bothering to look at the nutritional values. One package of Ramen is equal to two servings. Each serving has 194 calories in it and 1960 mg of sodium (82% of our daily value). For many food stamp shoppers, fresh produce is a waste of money. If the item is not eaten right away it will go bad which means money was wasted. So instead they buy fruit snacks packed with sugar, pasta, rice, tacos and greasy chips. These are all things which can be bough for cheap and on a food stamp program and they will not go bad quickly.
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and his wife decided to raise awareness about hunger and poverty. So they tried living on $21.00 a week (the food stamp budget in Oregon for a family of two). The governor was in for a rude awaking. Gone were his organic foods, Swiss cheese, and lunchtime favorite Progresso low sodium soups. He would learn to make do with some cheap junk foods such as Cup O’Noodle, generic peanut butter and a half of banana. Workers from the Department of Health and Human Services offered him strategy, buy cheap staples such as Ramen, Cup O’Noodle, macaroni and cheese, beans and rice. All of these choices lacked nutritional value.
The Federal Nutrition Assistance Program brings nutritional education and a helpful diet for those on food stamps but it does not give more money to families to buy healthier products all it does is educate them which will hopefully help them make better nutritional choices. Dietary changes in schools have made it possible for children of low income families to at least get one healthy meal a day (lunch) and for those who qualify two healthy meals (breakfast and lunch), while they are at school.
There is no denying poverty and obesity are linked. It is difficult to fix one problem without fixing the other. Each problem also snowballs into other problems such as healthcare costs, disability cases, and unemployment. Obesity is not just one problem requiring one simple solution, it is a whole mess of problems which need multiple solutions.
Topics: Smoking | No Comments »
How To Follow Cholesterol Readings By A Diet To Lower Cholesterol
By Delynda Lardone | August 7, 2008
Cholesterol often gives everyone the wrong impression that it is all bad, but if we took the time to understand just exactly what is cholesterol, then we will be able to understand our cholesterol readings that we get from our doctor. Cholesterol can be good because it assists our bodies function properly and it can be harmful as well by clogging up our arteries. Understanding the distinction between the two will help us better able to manage our diet to lower cholesterol.
First, the good cholesterol has also known as HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein). This cholesterol is good in high amounts as it helps keeps our body and cell walls in good shape by carrying away the cholesterol from our arteries and heart and flushes them out of our system.
Our bad cholesterol is known as LDL cholesterol and it is also known as low-density lipoprotein. Its main goal is to clog your arteries as much as possible over a long period of time which can lead to you having a stroke or heart attack.
This is the reason why it is exceedingly important that you get a hold of a cholesterol reading to make sure that your cholesterol levels rest within the target range. When you acquire your reading there are three things you need to look at: HDL cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol levels, and total cholesterol levels.
When you go to the doctor to find your cholesterol readings, you need to know what the target range is for your cholesterol levels. Your HDL cholesterol analysis should be above the 45 and if it falls lower than 40 bad things can happen. Your LDL cholesterol analysis should be greater than 130 and if it gets above 160, you then should consider starting a diet to lower cholesterol. Results have shown that your total cholesterol should be under 200 and if it gets to 140, then you ought to discuss with your doctor.
To have your cholesterol assessed, you will want to visit your doctor and inform him you want to check your cholesterol levels. When you get the results, the doctor will either inform you that you are fine and within the target range, that you should consider starting on a diet to lower cholesterol, or that you should begin taking medication.
Once you understand all about cholesterol, you will feel more at ease when you acquire your cholesterol readings from your doctor. Just remember that you require more of the HDL cholesterol and you require less of the LDL cholesterol. Knowing your test outcome will greatly help you verify if you need a diet to lower cholesterol or medication.
Topics: Wellness | No Comments »
Finding Time For Exercising
By Tim Williams | August 7, 2008
People are very busy nowadays. Even if we know that we need to do something, we will say that we do not have the time to do so. However, we should be able to find the time to do so if we have the determination to do so.
When exercising is concerned, you may probably know that it is important for your health. However, you will still think that you are just too busy and do not have the time to do exercises. Yet there are always ways for you to find some time for exercising.
It is very essential for you to make exercising your first priority. Do you think you will do something if you think that it is not important? The answer is certainly a NO. As a result, you should make exercising an important aspect in your life such that you will have the determination to do it.
If it is possible, you should try to make exercising the first thing you do in the morning. It will be a lot easier for you to do exercise if you do so. This is because you will be disturbed easily when you are at work. The chance of being disturbed before you go to work is a lot lower.
There are also people who will try to do exercises after they leave the office. This can also be a good idea since exercising can be a good way of relaxing after work. However, if you are the kind of person who always work over time in the evening, you may not choose to do exercises after work since it will not work for you.
If you are the kind of person who will watch TV for a few hours every night. You should consider turning it off for an hour. You have to understand the fact that it is only an excuse to say that you are too busy. If you are just busy watching TV, you should watch less and start exercising.
You may invite your friends to do exercises with you if it is really possible. If you know that your friends will do exercises with you, you will probably treat exercising as your social activity and you will then have the motivation to do it.
You should also make exercising your hobby. This is very important since you will not want to do exercises if you do not love it. When exercising become your hobby and habit, you will tend to do exercises everyday.
Topics: Fitness & Exercise | No Comments »
Drug Addiction and Rehab
By David B Smith | August 7, 2008
For drug addicts with serious dependence problems, cure commonly begins by organising for what is known as de-toxification in a resident rehabilitation facility. Withdrawal symptoms can be grave and it is best left to such facilities that have understanding in handling them. Such services are generally established as rehab hospitals.
In the days gone by, rehab amenities were part of hospitals providing little in the form of comfort or moral encouragement for the patient. The ambience too used to be under-developed, dark and foreboding. Today, they are located in attractive and calm sites with a lot of greenery, sunshine and happy decor. Innumerable such rehab clinics have come up all over the nation.
Modern rehabilitation facilities take a all-inclusive style to addiction and make available both bodily and emotional therapies. For patients with serious drug dependency, a number of facilities are supplied such as, group therapy, physical exercise, suitable diet, occupation therapy etc. Individualized counseling is also suggested. Such comprehensive programs aid the patients in their recuperation from reliance on drugs.
Rehabilitation facilities come in two sorts - one founded on cutting-edge remedies and the other on spiritualism. The ones based on contemporary medicines
An addict stands a enhanced chance of recuperation if he is readied to come out into the regular world after the healing. Despite the encouragement received inside, both from fellow recovering addicts, staff and therapists, this can be made easier by getting the patient’s family as well involved in the therapy and healing course. It is therefore desirable that enquiries are made before hand as to how much of family contribution is stimulated by the treatment center before a decision is made.
Rehabilitation clinics provide an impression similar to that of a tight knit community. Patients are repeatedly stimulated to play a part in the way the treatment is run. It is somewhat like a small town outside, being run by its population.
Whatever your substance of choice, alcohol, cocaine, or methamphetamine, coming out of dependence on your own is not easy. That is why going to a recovery center is such a good idea. There you are treated with dignity and care with the effort on getting rid of your dependency.
Whether it is you or a precious one suffering from drug addiction, getting admitted to a recuperation amenity is a good way to getting therapy. They are expert and experienced to handle the problem and you will be among others with similar experiences to yours to give you moral support. Choose one with care and get rid of your dependence for good.
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