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Suzanne Gudakunst Top Secret Fat Loss Secret Review – Lose Fat

Top Secret Fat Loss Secret by Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst is extremely enlightening. This program contains information regarding the research she has done about fat loss, the human digestive system and colon since 2002, and how these two issues have a direct impact on one another. Now, she has published her results about the reasons why you need to take care of your colon system before you can achieve permanent fat loss.Click Here For Top Secret Fat Loss Secret Instant Access Now!The connection between people with recurring obesity and colon conditions are clearly emphasized in the report. The guide is a great resource for people searching for effective ways to lose weight, especially stubborn belly fat. The author has developed natural treatments from herbs and extracts so that you could get rid of these plaques and parasites from your system permanently. Once you start using her top secret fat loss plan, you will immediately begin to feel healthier from within and lose weight at the same time.Based on her study, she discovered that the reason why most modern day medicine, diet patch, healthy foods, prescription drugs and other organic foods don’t work in this scientifically amazing era is that they were intentionally designed not to. The truth is our foods have been filled with unnatural things that were not supposed to have. It is very frustrating and disappointing fact to know that in a desire of looking for ways to make us healthy, this is the same reason that cause diseases and increase mortality rate.All the information revealed in this program are real eye openers with regards to the risks of the toxic accumulation that is taking place inside our bodies that is caused by eating processed and unnatural foods. The author knows her stuff very well and an expert in her chosen field, she was able to impart all the details in a way that readers can easily understand.Get a copy of Top Secret Fat Loss Secret right now. Individuals who have tried her natural treatment methods has already benefited tremendously, improving their condition and fat loss results quickly. Click Here For Top Secret Fat Loss Secret Instant Access Now!

Why you Should Detoxify your Body Before Dieting and Fat Loss?

Our body is full with toxic material that cause severe long term damage, and need to be removed in order to maintain a healthy life. The process of getting rid of the toxins is called detoxification. This process is taking place each day in our life and it is on of the most important processes in nature.

Modern life expose us to many toxic materials and causing unwanted accumulation of toxins in our bodies, so it is necessary to actively help our body to maintain the detoxification process.

The toxic materials come both from outside and from within our bodies. Many internal process can produce harmful substances such as free radicals. Other harmful materials come from the environment, in the air that we breath and the food that we eat.

High level of toxic materials act as a burden on the body internal secretion system and finally causing to internal poisoning. The secretion organs can’t stand the load and the toxin accumulate in the body, entering to the blood stream, build up in the cells and in the digestion system and disturb the normal intake of important nutrients. eventually they weaken the immune system and used as a good medium for bacterial and algae growth.

The toxins accumulation causes over-weight problem due to unbalanced food processing, and metabolic malfunction, high levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood stream, problems in the digestive track, tiredness, high blood pressure, pain and more.

so in order to loss weight and getting the dieting program and fat loss strategy to work, you must detoxify your body first. How to do it? well the poison disposal is actually a natural process, and you just need to help your body carry it on efficiently. The process is happening mainly in the liver, the kidneys, the skin and the digestion system. the toxins are chemically changes and secreted outside. The combination of healthy food, dieting, drinking a lot of water and using medicinal plants, it is possible to put your detoxification system into action in no-time.

So if you planning a fat loss program, here some recommendations to start the detoxification process:

- Artichoke – help for the liver process. and help to the disposal of fats and cholesterol.

- plums – rich with antioxidants, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, iron and more. it can give a great aid in enhancing the digestive system and more.

I’ll discuss other kind of good medicinal plants in future articles.

The 10 Rules of Fat Loss – How They Can Help Take Off the Weight

If you are trying to lose weight, then you know how hard it can be. There are so many diet plans and programs out there that it is hard to determine which the best one for fat loss is. The purpose of this article is to give you the 10 rules of fat loss. When considering any weight loss program, check it against these 10 rules. If the program incorporates a majority of these rules, you can feel assured that it is a decent program.

1. Eat 4-6 small meals a day. These meals should consist of healthy foods, not processed prepackaged foods.

2. Make water your main drink of choice. The more water that you drink, the better your body functions. Try to consistently drink 6-8 glasses of water per day.

3. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It doesn’t matter how busy you are, there is always a way to find time for exercise. Get up 30 minutes earlier each morning to fit in an exercise routine.

4. Eat slowly. Stop gobbling your food at mealtime. Slow down and chew your food thoroughly. This not only gives your stomach time to send the signals to your brain that you are full, it also aids in digestion.

5. Drink green tea. This drink has many health benefits including antioxidants and can help you lose weight.

6. Prepare meals at home. Get off the eating out merry go round. Fast foods are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic in the world today.

7. Avoid all sweets. This includes all of those fat free foods out there. Sweets will make you gain weight regardless if they are fat free or not.

8. Cut back on the condiments. Adding too many condiments to your food will add calories. Try to eat your food as plain as possible.

9. Learn to stop eating before you feel full. If you eat until you feel full you will have eaten too many calories in one meal. Stop eating when you are satisfied, but not full.

10. The last rule is the most important. Once you have reached your weight loss goal, maintain it. Do not fall back into your old unhealthy habits.

Keep in mind that the above rules are not just a “fad” diet. Change your way of thinking about food and you can change your lifestyle. Food is meant to be fuel for the body and nothing else. It is not meant to be a comfort or filler for a void in your life. Food is meant to help our bodies operate efficiently.

Follow the above 10 rules of fat loss faithfully and watch the pounds just disappear. Keep up your healthy habits and you will have a long, healthy life.

All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website as long as the author’s name and all website links remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Top 10 Online Resources for Fat Loss

 

Slim is in and there is no better of way of getting into shape than with a daily exercise and diet regimen. Women are now turning to drastic measures to shed off excess fat and become slim in just a few weeks. No matter what your trusty magazines tell you, there is no shortcut to good health. So, stop believing in all those products that claim to help you “lose while you snooze” and others that promise to help you control your cravings for food. Get real and do some research online to find out the secret to slim bodies. Here is a list of top 10 online resources that can help you get started on your way to slimness.

1. Mike’s Calorie And Fat Gram Chart – This is a good place to start with and is your one stop information source on various foods that we consume on a daily basis. This particular site aims to resolve all your weight loss queries. Foods are divided on the basis of their protein, carbohydrate, and cholesterol content so as to help you choose foods for your daily diet based on their calorific and nutritional value. You can even find links to other resourceful websites for more information on fat loss and fitness.

2. Lillie Ross Souper Weight Loss Secrets – This is an interesting ebook written by a Mississippi grandmother, Lillie Ross who knows some amazing secrets to permanent weight loss. The author advocates two very basic weight loss theories – either eat less than you burn or burn more what you eat. She has discovered golden ways to increase the metabolic rate naturally. She has included several yummy recipes that make you feel full and satisfied without consuming a lot of calories. You can try her magic home-made soup recipe to lose 9 to 17 pounds in just one week.

3. Weight-By-Date, for Windows – This website is extremely important if you are already on a weight loss plan. With simple but useful features like goal planning, calendar-style data entry, graphs, and real-time statistics, you can easily keep track of your weight on a daily basis.

4. Hoodia – This site is for you if you wish to lose weight fast with Hoodia that is know to suppress cravings and reduce your appetite.

5. Weightwatchers – This site contains invaluable weight loss information and millions of people look up to this site for advice and support.

6. National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases – If you are looking for practical tips on weight loss, then this site is just for you.

7. DietLinks.com – This particular website is loaded with fat loss information and contains diet news along with an extensive directory of links to aid in your weight loss mission.

8. Collected weight loss tips – This site has it all – from diet advice, motivation tips and cooking tips to lifestyle advice, low-cal foods, and exercise.

9. “Lose Some Damn Weight” Weight Loss Program – This one is a unique program on weight loss that hardly costs you anything but delivers amazing results.

10. Shape Up America! – This again is a wonderful website that has plenty of information to help you get in shape.

Keys to a Fat-loss Diet

KEYS TO A FAT-LOSS DIET

As most doctors and nutritional experts will tell you, the concept of â??calories in, calories outâ? is fundamental to any kind of weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you have to consume less energy than you are using. However, there are many other aspects to weight loss including hormone level, metabolism and proper micro-nutrient nutrition. All of these factors can affect the caloric expenditure of the body. In this article we will list some of the ways to increase the amount of energy the body uses daily and how to burn those calories through training.

SUPPLEMENTS

Hormones are chemical messengers that send signals between cell groups by way of the blood. The control center for hormones in mammals is the hypothalamus. The release of hormones is dependent on signals received from the central nervous system. Hormones are made up of proteins and serve as the regulator for many of the functions in our body such as metabolism, libido and strength. The excretion and absorption of hormones is vitally important for the human body. However, as we age, hormone levels drop off significantly. This is one of the reasons why older people have such a difficult time maintaining muscle mass and shedding fat. Therefore, it is important to supplement with hormone support products such as DHEA. Studies show that supplementation with DHEA and similar compounds can significantly improve hormone levels in the body.

Metabolism is the sum total of the chemical reactions in the body. As a general rule, the more lean body mass a person has, the higher metabolism he or she will have. The BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate, is a measurement of how many calories a person burns throughout the day if they are engaged in complete sedentary behavior (ex. sleeping.) The goal is to increase the BMR, so more calories are burned up while resting. In addition to hormone support, there are various ways to speed up one’s metabolism. Many fat loss products contain phytochemicals, non-nutritive plant chemicals found in vegetables, like green peppers, that have protective or disease preventive properties and have also been shown to increase the metabolic rate.

Caffeine is one of the staples of fat loss supplements. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and sometimes causes a slight increase in heart rate. This causes more calories to be used up by the body. If you are sensitive to caffeine, look for a product with CLA, which has been shown to reduce body fat. CLA is conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid that has been shown to exhibit antioxidant properties and reduce body fat in animals. Most CLA supplements are derived from sunflower and other vegetable oils.

DIET

Another key to increasing metabolism is to eat more often throughout the day.

Consistent caloric intake will increase BMR. However, make sure that you are not overeating. If your BMR is 2000 calories a day, do not eat more than that if you want to lose weight. Split those calories up between four or five meals in a day. The other benefit to eating regularly is to keep blood sugar at consistent levels throughout the day, keeping energy levels at constant levels without â??crashing.â? Eating throughout the day will also help the body to receive the nutrients necessary to repair the body from the training you will be engaged in.

Lastly, most people focus on macro-nutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and water), when dieting. Obviously, getting the right combination of these major nutrients is important. However, micro-nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, are often ignored by people looking to lose weight. Proper micro-nutrient nutrition is key in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most people are not getting the essential vitamins and minerals, much less the 40 grams of fiber recommended by the USDA Food Pyramid. Taking a good multivitamin along with eating the right types of food (complex carbohydrates instead of sugar) is absolutely necessary in living a healthy lifestyle. See our list of everyday health supplements for some more ideas. 

TRAINING

As for cardiovascular training, when fat loss is concerned, it is best to stick with high intensity interval training (HIIT). Interval training would include walking at fast speeds on a treadmill (75% of your maximum heart rate) and then reducing the speed to a much slower rate. Alternate between intensities and you will see much better results than walking or running at a constant pace, according to recent studies out of East Tennessee University and Laval University. Also, try various forms cardio such as jumping rope, swimming, boxing or whatever best suits you. Remember, if you are bored with a routine– change it. This will increase the chances that you are engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise.

A higher percentage of lean body mass is a must for increasing metabolism. This means that weight training is an essential part of any good weight loss program. Weight training stimulates protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and can burn many calories when done properly. Increased strength, muscular endurance, stress reduction and an overall reduction in blood pressure are also some benefits from weight training. Make sure the training is done properly and at somewhat of an intense level. High intensity + good diet = low fat. It could be a good investment to hire a personal trainer at your local gym to show you how to properly engage in certain exercises. Be sure to stretch thoroughly AFTER lifting and before you hit the cardio. Heated muscles are will exhibit more flexibility and will reduce the possibility of injury when stretch ing. Also, your force production in the muscles will decrease if you stretch too much before lifting. A quick warm up on the cardio machines followed by a small bout of stretching is enough to ensure a good weight training session. More thorough stretching and cardio should follow the weight training. Stick to these dieting and training principals and youâ??ll be on your way to losing that excess body fat and living a healthy, long life.

Sean Covell,

BestSupplementGuide.com

Fat Loss vs. Weight Loss

See if you agree with the following statement. Fat loss and weight loss are essentially the same thing, interchangeable.
If, like many people, you said yes, you guessed wrong. Fat loss and weight loss are not the same thing at all. In fact, they are not even close.
If you browse the diet book section of your local bookstore, or surf the Web, you will see that most books and diet programs contain the words weight loss in their title or subtitle. Most diet programs are about weight loss, which is the incorrect approach to this whole area. As a trainer and author specializing in healthy fat loss and fitness, I recommend you only concern yourself with taking off excess fat.
Here is why. Weight is good, not bad; you do not want to lose weight, and most importantly for your health, you do not want to lose muscle. Our weight is made up of tissue, muscle, bone, blood, fat, water, and the rest of our physical body. Muscle, like every other component of our physical make-up, is most important. And fat is also a necessary, vital part of our physical make-up.
It is excess body fat that is the big problem. Having excess body fat, being fat, increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, hypertension and many other serious diseases. And perhaps most serious of all, if you can get more serious than a heart attack or a stroke, is that excess body fat is being linked to many more types of cancers than previously known.
Excess fat is bad news and that is what I urge you to focus on, fat loss. The following is so important it bears repeating: you do not want to lose weight. That is just a convenient way of avoiding the word fat. Fat has ugliness attached to it. No one likes to be called fat or think of themselves as fat, so we say overweight, portly, rotund, chubby and use other phrases like take off pounds, lose weight, or take off inches.
We can play word games, deny it and dance all around the fact that we are fat and we have to lose fat. But it is more effective and realistic to just face up to the job at hand, which is to lose excess fat. And in fact, once they take 100 percent responsibility for doing just that, many people become highly motivated and do the job more quickly and easily.
In my many years working in fat loss and fitness, I have learned what I believe is the best way to take off excess fat fast, healthfully and permanently. And that is through adopting a balanced, plant-based diet of whole, fresh, natural foods, and doing daily exercise.
The type of program I recommend is simple and ferociously effective. It does not include diet foods made with reduced fat. No low carb, no carb nonsense. No fat blaster pills. No processed, packaged foods delivered to your door. No meal replacement shakes or herbal remedies that melt fat away. I strongly urge my clients and readers to stay away from all these bogus and often dangerous weight loss approaches. Unfortunately, they are unending and many people are eager to buy into magic bullets or shortcut ways for losing fat.
It is legitimate to ask why is a balanced, plant-based diet of whole, natural foods so effective at losing fat. The answer is simple and irrefutable: there is no more effective way to lose fat permanently than to cut out all the fat that comes with eating animals and animal food products like dairy and eggs. And permanently eliminating all refined, processed and fast foods from your diet. These are loaded with sugar, salt and added fats, including hydrogenated fats/oil, one of the worst substances you can put in your body. Put even more simply, we are what we eat.
That is the difference between fat loss and weight loss, and the difference between the approach I recommend and all the books and programs touting weight loss.
If you are interested in permanently, healthfully losing all the excess fat you want to lose, I urge you to adopt a balanced, plant-based diet of whole, fresh, natural foods, without meat, poultry, fish, dairy products or eggs.
When you do this, along with getting daily exercise, you will really start to see the excess fat on your body melt away. Healthfully and permanently.

What Is The Mediterranean Diet

January 26th, 2010 AverageWeightForWomen No comments

The popularity of the Mediterranean Diet began with a rather simple equation: the people of Greece and Southern Italy tended to eat a diet rich in fat, yet had less cardiovascular disease than people in the U.S.How could this be?
The answer seems to lie in the Mediterranean’s reliance on the monosaturated fat known as olive oil.Olive oil forms the basis of Mediterranean cooking – it is the key ingredient in preparing everything from pasta to steak.Olive oil is also considered an antioxidant, so it can be effective in the fight against cancer.
However,following the Mediterranean Diet can be a challenge.While 40 percent of one’s total calories are derived from fat, dieters can only eat small portions of red meat.Even fish and poultry are de-emphasized, as are milk and milk products.
However,unlike other diets, the Mediterranean Diet allows you to eat a fair amount of bread and potatoes, and you can eat eggs as often as every other day.You can even drink wine in moderate amounts.
It should be pointed out that the Mediterranean Diet offers little in the way of saturated fat or trans fat.This means that dieters have to avoid certain oils as well as margarine,peanut butter, cakes and cookies.Dieters are also encouraged to cut the total amount of fat they eat each day.
A study conducted in France showed that people who had had at least one heart attack who planned their meals according to a Mediterranean diet were less likely to suffer from subsequent heart attacks than those who followed a typical diet recommended by the American Heart Association.
Another study conducted last year indicated that those who used the Mediterranean diet, exercised, and abstained from smoking were less likely to die than those who followed a traditional diet.
However, not all the foods found in a typical Mediterranean Diet are considered healthy choices. For instance,cheese-rich lasagna and ravioli can be roadblocks to weight loss.In addition,tiramisu and canolli can also cause an individual to pack on the pounds.
A number of dieticians recommend taking the best elements of the Mediterranean Diet and incorporating them into your lifestyle in order to achieve good health and weight loss.This means emphasizing vegetables in your diet, along with whole grains and nuts.
You might be surprised to learn that the average Mediterranean consumes red meat less than twice a week.If you’re following the Mediterranean path, you should also ban the butter and sugary snacks and opt for fruit when selecting a dessert.
But there are also other parts of the Mediterranean lifestyle which should be considered when you are attempting to lose weight.Mediterraneans tend to walk and bike a great deal, which contributes to their calorie-burning.In addition, meals tend to be a leisurely affair.As a result, the body has time for proper digestion.
A typical Mediterranean menu would include cereal and banana for breakfast; minestrone soup and a slice of garlic bread for lunch; and pasta primavera and berries for dinner.One of the great advantages to the Mediterranean Diet is that it is a feast for the senses the colors are bold, the flavors are enticing, and the aroma is unbeatable.
In addition to helping people lose weight, the Mediterranean Diet has been credited with improving longevity for people within the Mediterranean Basin.
Therefore, the diet is considered a healthy, life-giving alternative to a number of other diets that are on the market today.But perhaps the diet’s biggest selling point is the fact that dieters say it helps to satisfy their cravings – while enabling them to lose weight.
Therefore, a number of people see the Mediterranean Diet as the ultimate un-diet,a weight management plan that doesn’t scrimp on taste.

Losing Weight for Your Date? Don’t Fall for the Wrong Diet

January 21st, 2010 AverageWeightForWomen No comments

In the quest for a better body, the battle of the bulge, comes yet another quick fix diet book based on short term weight loss through high protein meals.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization’s (CSIRO) Total Wellbeing Diet book entered the Australian market over a year ago and topped the best seller’s list, dazzling the public with “scientifically proven” research.

Claiming to be not just a weight loss program, but also a diet plan for lifelong eating, the CSIRO

Total Wellbeing Diet has been criticised for a number of reasons.

The diet recommends 300 grams of meat per day of which is about double the quantity of meat recommended by other calorie controlled diets, not to mention the Australian government’s own recommendation of consumption of 65 to 100 grams of meat three to four times per week.

But before even looking at the health ramifications of eating meat to an even lesser degree, it is most interestingly noted that the Meat and Livestock Industry and Dairy Australia funded the CSIRO’s diet book.

No surprise then that beef, lamb, veal and dairy products all play a huge part in the make up of this meal plan.

Nutritionists Rosemary Stanton and Gyorgy Scrinis publicly criticised the CSIRO of prostituting itself to Australia’s meat and dairy industries suggesting the science the diet is based on to be less than credible.

“The CSIRO’s endorsement of a high-meat diet is perhaps an indication of the extent to which our scientists have taken on the role of consultants to industry in their bid to raise funds, and their willingness to deliver research findings that industry finds agreeable,” Stanton and Scrinis stated.

For a so-called “scientific” diet, the biased recommendations seem to pay no heed to the surmounting research that diets too high in animal protein can lead to a number of serious disorders including heart disease, increased cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and cancer.

The China Study, regarded as the most comprehensive study of diet, lifestyle and disease ever completed, linked the Chinese population’s low incidence of such Western health problems as obesity, diabetes, some cancers and cardiovascular disease to plant-based diets that were low in animal products.

Evidently the researchers of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet didn’t include the China Study in their research or chose to ignore it’s facts when creating a diet plan so heavily based on animal products.

Research from this important study confirmed the following information:

• Plasma cholesterol in the 90-170 milligrams per decilitre range is positively associated with most cancer mortality rates. Plasma cholesterol is positively associated with animal protein intake and inversely associated with plant protein intake.

• For those at risk for liver cancer (for example, because of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus) increasing intakes of animal-based foods and/or increasing concentrations of plasma cholesterol are associated with a higher disease risk.

• Cardiovascular diseases are associated with lower intakes of green vegetables and higher concentrations of apo-B (a form of so-called bad blood cholesterol) which is associated with increasing intakes of animal protein and decreasing intakes of plant protein.

• Colorectal cancers are consistently inversely associated with intakes of 14 different dietary fiber fractions (although only one is statistically significant). Stomach cancer is inversely associated with green vegetable intake and plasma concentrations of beta-carotene and vitamin C obtained only from plant-based foods.

• Western-type diseases, in the aggregate, are highly significantly correlated with increasing concentrations of plasma cholesterol, which are associated in turn with increasing intakes of animal-based foods.

In addition to the irresponsible recommendation of a high animal protein diet, the book boasts of a “major” scientific study.

This “scientific” research was a single sex study conducted on a mere 100 women, for a period of only 12 weeks. Half of the group ate the researchers’ preferred meat-centred, high protein and moderate carbohydrate diet.

The other half of the group was placed on a diet higher in carbohydrates in which some of the meat was replaced with pasta or rice.

It was noted that the two groups lost a statistically comparable amount of weight over the 12 weeks.

For the CSIRO diet book’s researchers to claim that this study scientifically proves a high protein diet to be most effective is an embellishment of the research findings. For the record, I am not a vegetarian, all my meat sources though are organic and I try to limit red meat to twice a week.

I only had to really open one page of this book to realise its inadequacies. It actually recommended margarine to butter. I challenge any scientist to debate the health benefits of a trans fat over organic butter.

Although it is possible that short-term results may be achieved by following the CSIRO’s Total Wellbeing Diet, it is evident that the serious health risks involved, especially in adapting the diet as an eating plan for life, outweigh the benefits this self-proclaimed leading dietary authority recommends.

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The Slim Fast Diet Plan – Have you Had your Chocolate Shake for Breakfast?

December 19th, 2009 AverageWeightForWomen No comments

Slim Fast and the Slim Fast diet plan have been around for more than 20 years now. Without a doubt they have become the most popular diet shake around. But, does this weight loss plan really work?

The Slim Fast Diet Plan

The Slim Fast plan is not difficult to follow. You have a Slim Fast shake for breakfast in the morning and another one for lunch. For dinner, the plan calls for a “sensible” meal. Sensible can mean many different things to people, but that’s another story.

You can also have two pieces of fruit each day as well as one of Slim Fast’s nutritional bars.

The shakes and nutritional bars can be purchased at any grocery store or Wal-Mart.

The Slim Fast diet plan also includes regular exercise and encourages you to drink 8 glasses of water a day. These are two important points and keys to success in any type of weight loss program.

Does the plan work?

The Slim Fast plan will reduce your daily calories to around 1200 if you eat that sensible dinner each night. This means that anyone should lose weight with the plan.

While you can definitely lose weight with Slim Fast, there are some drawbacks. Since this is a calorie restricted diet, you may not get enough vitamins and minerals to maintain good health. A multi vitamin could help.

The reliance on making yourself a sensible dinner can also be difficult. Because you have only had 2 shakes all day along with a piece of fruit, you’re going to be hungry. It’s very easy to get carried away at dinner. It will take some extra discipline to make it work.

The New Miracle Treatment for Women in Midlife and Beyond: a True Magic Bullet for Staying Healthy and Feeling Good

December 19th, 2009 AverageWeightForWomen No comments

When you first saw the title of this article, you immediately thought it was hogwash, right? You were a bit disappointed, too, because doctors are supposed to be honest, and discuss only the treatments that have been scientifically proven to work; and everyone knows that there is no such thing as a miracle treatment that keeps you healthy as you age. But, here’s the thing: we are telling you the truth. First, let us tell you what this miracle treatment can do.  It can help you to retain your memory, and possibly even prevent dementia, or at least postpone it for years.  It can prevent you from falling, the most common cause of injuries to those of us who no longer even count the number of candles on our birthday cakes.  It can, in some cases, keep you from getting arthritis in your knees, and if you already have it, keep you up and moving.  It can keep your heart healthy, and if you already have heart disease, it can get you back to feeling great. It can prevent some cancers. If you have diabetes, or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, it can, in some cases, make them go away, and at the very least, it may allow you to lower your dose of medication for each of these three.  It can help you to breathe easy. It can keep you buff and help your sex life. It can help you sleep better, suppress your appetite, and even increase your metabolism. And it can improve your sense of wellbeing, keep your mood positive, and increase how long you live.  We know you’re still doubtful because if such a thing really existed, it would be on TV constantly and all over the internet, and you would’ve probably bought a huge amount of stock in it.  But in fact, it not only exists, but all of the effects mentioned above of our miracle treatment have been scientifically proven!Human beings were meant to move. Every aspect of our bodies’ functioning is geared toward that. On the flip side, movement and mobility are very important to the quality of life. What does this have to do with the miracle treatment? Easy — the miraculous new treatment for all our ills, particularly those accompanying the aging process, is movement.  Because of all the negative connotations, we won’t call it exercise or any of those other clinical-sounding names, like “workout” or “physical activity.”  It really does all the things we said it can do. In fact, a recent study that followed more than 2500 people over the age of sixty for an average period of twelve years found that those who were fit from regular and adequate movement, whether they were overweight or not, had a significantly lower death rate at a young age than those who were not fit. Here are the specifics. The official recommendations, released in 2007 by the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine, for the amount of physical activity necessary to improve and maintain our health include not one, but three different types of exercise:  aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening activity, and balance/flexibility training.  These are the recommendations. 1) Aerobic activity of moderate intensity for thirty minutes a day, five days per week — Go for a walk or climb those stairs in your building — anything goes here as long as you do it for thirty minutes; 2) Muscle strengthening activity including eight to ten exercises involving the major muscle groups, with eight to twelve repetitions each, at least twice a week — Use free weights, a barbell, or a machine that simulates weight lifting by resistance;3) Balance and flexibility activity at least two days a week — do yoga, pilates, or Tai Chi. And be sure to stretch. So now you know about the magic bullet for staying healthy. But, even though you know you need to stay active, sometimes, the whole idea of getting up and actually doing it is overwhelming. It is particularly hard to find the time when most of us have such a busy lifestyle. But there’s even more good news about our miracle treatment. For those who hate the gym, workouts , jogging and barbells, there is an alternative called “Exercise Lite”.Several years ago, a very interesting study was done at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas.  255 volunteers were divided into two groups. One group went to the gym regularly for a standard workout. The other group tried to integrate regular physical activities into their usual daily routines. They would walk up stairs instead of taking an elevator, clean their own houses and apartments, work in their own gardens; in other words, they took every opportunity to do the maximum physical activity with their daily activities.  After six months, both groups had improved their fitness levels, lowered their blood pressures, and lost fat.   But, after two years, only those in the group that had incorporated fitness into their routines were more likely to maintain their fitness level. Exercise lite worked and kept on working!To receive the full health benefits as we mentioned above, you need to do at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic (cardio) exercise each day.  With exercise lite, you can break it down into 10-minute segments so that the cumulative time is still 30 minutes a day. If you only have a couple of 10 minute breaks a day, go walking for those breaks and then take a quick walk before or after work.  You want to shoot for 15-20 minute miles, and you want to get your pulse rate up but still be able to have a conversation.  If you garden, you need to do it while moving around a lot, in other words, active gardening. Same thing goes for housework. The vacuum can be your best workout buddy!  One easy way to do exercise lite is to wear a pedometer, a little meter you wear on your belt that records your steps. With the pedometer you want to aim for 10,000 steps a day. Most important, make it fun and you’ll keep doing it.  Do things you like. Find a class that is fun or start riding your bicycle or swimming. Get some great music and use it for your activity. If you need support, grab your friends and family to do an activity with you.  And remember, don’t tell yourself that you are doing the dreaded “exercise”; fool yourself and have it become a normal part of your daily life.Before starting any exercise program, check with your doctor!©2008 Janet Horn, M.D. and Robin H. Miller, M.D.Author Bio          Dr. Janet Horn is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, with training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She spent many years on the fulltime faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she published articles in medical journals on her research interests, including sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and women’s health. She started her solo private practice in 1990 while continuing to teach as an Associate Professor of Medicine on the part time faculty at Hopkins. She has been selected by Baltimore Magazine as one of the “Top Doctors in Baltimore” and by the Maryland Daily Record as one of the “Top 100 Women in Maryland.” Dr. Robin Miller, in addition to being an experienced Board Certified Internist, is also an Integrative Medicine specialist, having trained with Dr. Andrew Weil as a Fellow at the University of Arizona. She is the founder and medical director of Triune Integrative Medicine, an innovative medical clinic in Medford, Oregon. She is an award winning medical correspondent on regional and national television, radio, and the internet. She is an award winning medical correspondent on regional and national television, radio, and the internet, the author of a health book for children, Kids Ask the Doctor, and a board member of The National Association of Medical Communicators, a society of medical journalists in all media.