Archive for June, 2008
Posted on June 30, 2008 Comments here (7) ♥
I’ve slowed down posting a bit because I was too stressed out. It has been one step forward and two steps back. All along I’ve been too obsess with my weight. If I don’t lose any pounds over two weeks I feel bad. One of the 9 tips I wrote for lose weight successfully was graphing the progress. The main point is to see the big picture and not to worry so much about the small gain. But right now the big picture doesn’t look good, so I need to adjust it.
I found a better graph that will urge me to take actions now and I don’t have to wait for weeks or months to know where I’m heading. I’m getting direct input of how I’m doing now base on a 5 day average. The graph has 2 lines, one for the daily weigh in and one for the 5 days average. You can downloaded it from Jeremy’s blog. It’s a spreadsheet.
In term of habits, I take a lot of actions but never think of it as changing the attitude. One of the difficult thing to do is to love myself even though I’m fat. Have you ever read an article where they suggest that you should send lovely thought to yourself, telling yourself that you’re gorgeous or hunky? Come on, being overly positive won’t help me lose weight! One thing I agree with, is that the voice inside you can help you or prevent you from losing weight. By asking the right question your brain will align with your desire to determine your actions and the outcome.
If you look into a mirror telling yourself you’re fat and ugly. How can you have any energy left to deal with the weight loss? You end up feeling bad and your brain will suggest to eat something so you’ll feel better. If you tell yourself for example, “I look good/OK, but I know I can look better. How can I improve it?” Your brain will suggest something else, taking actions rather than eating more food.
Posted on June 19, 2008 Comments here (3) ♥
A guest post from anti-aging straight talk
So many people are getting on board with the ideas I express in my Report - it’s fantastic that others are making the changes they need to feel younger and live a longer, healthier life. After all, what fun is it to live a long life if you’re uncomfortable and unhealthy?!
One of the biggest things you can do to reverse the effects of aging isn’t to pick the right face cream or go to the right plastic surgeon! Quite simply, it’s to eat the right things. Of course, it’s more complex than that - and you can get into as much detail as you want when reading my findings - but one of the most basic and healthy things to do is to look at what you’re eating. The bloggers over at BeautyEditorPost have this to say:
“Fruits, veggies, green tea along with foods that are loaded with anti-oxidants are a good bet. It has been suggested that eating small amounts 3 to 5 times a day is the best way to go.
Foods rich in anti-oxidants … neutralize the free radicals that are responsible age related troubles, such as memory loss, heart disease, cancer, and help win the battle against oxidative stress (too many free radicals) that are responsible for these conditions. ”
And keep in mind that your body needs 1 gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight, and if you exercise - which you should be! - you may need to increase the amount of protein.
Additionally, drink lots of water each day. A good guide for this is to remember your body needs half your body weight in ounces of water each day. And no, these numbers don’t take into account the water in your coffee or tea!
Posted on June 17, 2008 Comments here (1) ♥
If you’re looking for weight loss diet review, dietdebate UK is a good place to start. The website offer free and unbiased diet reviews, the benefits and disadvantes of each diet. It has also polls which allow visitors to rate the effectiveness of each diet. As for now, dietdebate UK has 18 diet reviews but that’s good enough to get you started.
You do want to do some research before venture out on any diet. I used to be one of people who don’t. Just because other succeed with certain diet, it doesn’t mean it’ll suit you too. Take Atkins diet for example. I know some people have great success with it, especially guys. But from my experience, it’s difficult to sustain and I needed to drink massive amount of water. If not careful, your health may be on the danger even before you’ve completed the diet program. Please, choose the plan wisely.
Do you want to see yourself slimmer? There is such a service listed on Dietdebate UK website. It’s a great motivational tool if you’ve never been thin in your whole life. You send in a picture of yourself and they’ll make you look slimmer! Dietdebate UK will be launching a diet forum soon. A meeting place where you can find support, help, and inspirations!
Posted on June 15, 2008 Comments here (3) ♥
Don’t wait until you get sick until you do something about it.
What do you know about cancer?
Most of us probably don’t know much about it unless you’re sick or know someone who has cancer. We may associate cancer with the sun, smoking, and drinking habits. We read in the news that eating certain types of veggies and fruits will help prevent cancer and other diseases. All of this comes down to having a very good immune system. Such habits as drinking and smoking lower the immune system immensely.
How to boost your immune system
Stop thinking about food as just something delicious and start to understand that food is much more important than that. Fruits and veggies contains lots of anti oxidants which are good for your body. It help you to heal and repair damages, and fighting other bad cells. Some countries use a lot of herbs that are proven to be immune boosting. Herbs can protect and stop healthy cells to develop into cancer cells. Some of the powerful herbs are galangal root, lemongrass, cilantro, ginger, garlic, onions.
What can you do more?
There are other habits to prevent cancer. Some tips from healthmiracles.net:
- Throw out your microwave
- Stop wearing underwire bras
It may sound far fetched, but read this article habits to prevent cancer to understand it better. Of course, there are always research and studies that prove the microwave is harmless. Anyway, it doesn’t feel natural to use a microwave to prepare or heat the food and you really don’t need to use it either. Plus, some expert says heating/cooking your food in a microwave will decrease the nutrition value more.
Underwire bras can cut or prevent blood to flow nicely throughout your breast tissue. This makes me wonder why people in some country are more prone to breast cancer.
And last, don’t forget to exercise. Keep fit and healthy by getting some fresh air and going out for a walk daily.
This should not be about worrying or fear of getting cancer, but taking some control of your health and habits in order to stay healthy and minimize the chance of getting a disease.
Note: I’m not a doctor, so always consult your doctor first!
Posted on June 12, 2008 Comments here (9) ♥
Get rid off the feeling of time flying by and that you haven’t accomplish anything. Write down you goals for June now!
We all know that if we want to accomplish something we need to setup some short term goals. How do you setup your short term goals? By days, weeks, or by how much is getting done? I find that doing monthly goals is the best. It takes 30 days for habits to form and it’s a nice pace to achieve the goals. When the 30 days are over, it’s best to keep reinstate the goals or make a new one. By setting up monthly goals you’ll have something to remember and be proud of yourself once the year is over.
I haven’t been feeling so well lately because of the weather changes. I let a few weeks slip by but no more, I’m taking action! For this month I’m setting up a few goals:
- Walk outside for at least 20 minutes a day to keep my blood flowing nicely throughout my body and my lymph
- Weight lifting at least 2 times a week to get stronger bones and muscles.
- Going vegetarian full time for immune boosting properties. Better immune help to prevent disease!
I believe going vegetarian outweighs far more benefits to the health and the environment we live in. I’ve never heard of any vegetarians getting sick. Maybe vitamin deficiency if not careful. But heck, it’s better to prevent disease than worrying about not getting enough vitamins!
[tags]monthly goals, set up goals, vegetarians, vitamin deficiency[/tags]
Posted on June 3, 2008 Comments here (13) ♥
This is a guest post by Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard the term fatty acids. But, do you understand what they are and how the right ratio will improve your heart health? I intend to clear up the confusion.
Types of Fatty Acids
There are numerous types of fatty acids. I am focusing on omega 3 and omega 6.
Unsaturated Fats
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are both unsaturated fats. To improve cholesterol levels, you want to replace the saturated fats (i.e. lard, shortening, ice cream, cheese) in your diet with unsaturated fats.
What does “omega” mean?
Most of you are familiar with the saying “alpha to omega”, in other words, beginning to end. The “omega” indicates which carbon has the first double bond on the carbon chain when you start counting from the omega end. For omega 3, the first double bond is on the third carbon from the omega end of the carbon chain. I know you were wanting to review a little biochemistry today!
Essential Fatty Acids
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are also essential fatty acids.
Essential fatty acids are necessary for cardiovascular health, but our body cannot synthesize them. You can only obtain essential fatty acids through the foods you eat.
Omega 3 (Linolenic Acid)
To keep things simple, I am going to use the acronyms ALA, EPA, and DHA. These are all types of omega 3 fatty acids. If we consume a food containing the omega 3 fatty acid ALA, our body will convert it to EPA and DHA. Studies have shown a link between EPA, DHA, and heart disease. More studies are needed to understand ALA’s relationship.
Sources:
Oils - Canola oil, Soybean oil, Flaxseed oil (good source of ALA)
Seeds and nuts - flaxseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds
Vegetables - avocados, some dark leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, mustard greens, collards)
Fish (good source of EPA and DHA) - salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, albacore tuna, lake trout, herring
Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid)
I am going to throw in more acronym’s - GLA and AA - omega 6 fatty acids. Linoleic acid is converted to GLA and on into AA by the body. Researchers are finding indications of a link between GLA and EPA, in relation to heart health and reduced blood pressure. High intake of sugars, alcohol, trans fats, and various other factors can inhibit the conversion from linoleic acid to GLA.
Sources:
Oils - Sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, flaxseed oil
Seeds and nuts - flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts
Meat - chicken, beef
For optimum heart health, the ratio between omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 should be between 1:1 and 4:1. A practical example of what a 1:1 ratio means, for every 3 ounces of beef you eat, you would need to eat 3 ounces of tuna (I do not mean in the same meal!). The ratio for the typical American diet is 11:1 to 30:1. This poor ratio is linked with heart disease, among several other health issues.
Bottom Line:
For heart health, increase your intake of foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, while cutting back on omega-6 fatty acid sources. For example, switch from corn oil to canola oil, increase the number of meals you eat that contain fish each week, and grab walnuts instead of pistachios.
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