Antioxidants are an amazing arthritis relief treatment, since they are readily available, low in cost, and quite effective. They are in all fruits and vegetables. Most people are always looking for that magic bullet to cure arthritis and over look the amazing antioxidants. Antioxidants are effective in many inflammatory conditions such as bursitis, sprains, and rheumatoid arthritis. Since most diseases arise from inflammation, antioxidants can be there to stop the start of disease. But you must used them consistently, whether as a supplement or as a food
In his book, Pain Free, 1995, Luke Bucci, Ph.D. recounts,
“After taking four grams of vitamin C daily for several months, Dr. J. Greenwood reported that he had ‘cured his lower-back pain.’ He started recomm
Jan 11, 2010
5 Habits To Highly Effective Six Pack Abs
To get a six pack abs and achieve fitness, you should not only have a proper diet but also a proper exercise or abs workout routine. But to many people, exercise may not be their cup of tea. Many may have thought about going doing abs workouts but never get started. For those who get started, they may be sabotaged by bad exercise habits.
In order for you to get started and get on with exercising you have to create an effective habit for your abs workouts. The reason why we have to do this is that humans are being of habits and only when something becomes ingrain that we will get into doing that something naturally. Thus, if you want to start doing abs workout naturally to get six pack fast, you have to develop the right habits of exercising.
The trick of developing an exercising habit is not just doing abs workouts for 3 to 4 times a week but doing it everyday. Consistency is key – consistent action done every day is likely to become a habit.
In order to keep you from being bored, do not do the same physical activities every day. Alternate the kind of abs workouts that you do, for example, you can have a running session and then alternate it with resistance training. The idea is to do some physical activities that you like every day and alternate them.
To keep you going, you can give yourself a challenge for the next 30 days or 45 days. These are the minimum number of days that you need the action of going out to exercise becomes an action that is well ingrain in you. You have to do it every day without any break in between else you would have to start from zero again. Again, the idea is to make this a consistent action so that you would not start looking for an excuse to skip a session.
There 5 ways which I am going to share with you so that it can help you plan and develop your abs workout or exercise habits.
1. Have a fix time
Always fix a time where you will go and do your exercise. Timing is not important, it can be early in the morning, during your lunch hours, in the evening before dinner or even late at night 1 to 1.5 hours after dinner.
When you are new at this workout routine and you do not have a fix time for exercising then you will never have time or intention of starting any exercise and making it a habit.
2. Be consistent
Once you have decided to take on the six pack abs challenge and decided on the number of days it will be, be consistent at doing it, that means you must do it everyday and not find any excuse for not doing it.
When you are new, there may be days that you are tempted to just not do anything and starting looking for excuses not to do it. When this happens at the time when you are suppose to exercise, just count to 10 and go get change at the same time and step out of the door and start doing what you need to do.
3. Set a reminder
You can set an alarm to remind you that it's time for exercise. There many ways that you can do this – use the alarm in your mobile, your PDA, an email alert or can even be just an alarm clock. When the alert come on, get out of the door immediately to start at doing your exercise, do not delay for even a minute.
4. Make it interesting and enjoy it
Always plan and make your abs workout routine interesting and varied. This way you will be more motivated.
Learn to enjoy the environment that you are in when you are exercising. If you are outdoor, enjoy the scenery, the fresh air, the clear sky, the serenity of the surrounding, etc.
Never, never associate pain, boredom, waste of time with exercise, you will just shy away from it.
5. Have a goal and reasons
Have a goal and reasons for exercising, like lose belly fat by 10 pounds so you can fit into the tight jeans and skimpy bikini, get six packs in 60 days so you can head down to the beach to show your ripped mid-section etc. Make sure the goal is realistic and the reasons strong as they will help to drive and motivate you.
In order for you to get started and get on with exercising you have to create an effective habit for your abs workouts. The reason why we have to do this is that humans are being of habits and only when something becomes ingrain that we will get into doing that something naturally. Thus, if you want to start doing abs workout naturally to get six pack fast, you have to develop the right habits of exercising.
The trick of developing an exercising habit is not just doing abs workouts for 3 to 4 times a week but doing it everyday. Consistency is key – consistent action done every day is likely to become a habit.
In order to keep you from being bored, do not do the same physical activities every day. Alternate the kind of abs workouts that you do, for example, you can have a running session and then alternate it with resistance training. The idea is to do some physical activities that you like every day and alternate them.
To keep you going, you can give yourself a challenge for the next 30 days or 45 days. These are the minimum number of days that you need the action of going out to exercise becomes an action that is well ingrain in you. You have to do it every day without any break in between else you would have to start from zero again. Again, the idea is to make this a consistent action so that you would not start looking for an excuse to skip a session.
There 5 ways which I am going to share with you so that it can help you plan and develop your abs workout or exercise habits.
1. Have a fix time
Always fix a time where you will go and do your exercise. Timing is not important, it can be early in the morning, during your lunch hours, in the evening before dinner or even late at night 1 to 1.5 hours after dinner.
When you are new at this workout routine and you do not have a fix time for exercising then you will never have time or intention of starting any exercise and making it a habit.
2. Be consistent
Once you have decided to take on the six pack abs challenge and decided on the number of days it will be, be consistent at doing it, that means you must do it everyday and not find any excuse for not doing it.
When you are new, there may be days that you are tempted to just not do anything and starting looking for excuses not to do it. When this happens at the time when you are suppose to exercise, just count to 10 and go get change at the same time and step out of the door and start doing what you need to do.
3. Set a reminder
You can set an alarm to remind you that it's time for exercise. There many ways that you can do this – use the alarm in your mobile, your PDA, an email alert or can even be just an alarm clock. When the alert come on, get out of the door immediately to start at doing your exercise, do not delay for even a minute.
4. Make it interesting and enjoy it
Always plan and make your abs workout routine interesting and varied. This way you will be more motivated.
Learn to enjoy the environment that you are in when you are exercising. If you are outdoor, enjoy the scenery, the fresh air, the clear sky, the serenity of the surrounding, etc.
Never, never associate pain, boredom, waste of time with exercise, you will just shy away from it.
5. Have a goal and reasons
Have a goal and reasons for exercising, like lose belly fat by 10 pounds so you can fit into the tight jeans and skimpy bikini, get six packs in 60 days so you can head down to the beach to show your ripped mid-section etc. Make sure the goal is realistic and the reasons strong as they will help to drive and motivate you.
Rewards That Work: Lose Weight Faster with Your Husband's Help
You want to lose your baby weight and chances are your husband would like that too. So why not recruit him to help you? Ask him if he would help you create meaningful incentives for you to lose weight. Here are some ideas to get you started – eight rewards your husband can give when you meet a weight loss goal. And the good news is most of these are absolutely free!
1. Laundry duty. For one week, your husband will do all the laundry. Of course, he may need some training on separating darks and using the gentle cycle for delicates, but with some coaching, he’ll do just fine!
2. Movie night. Have your husband rent a chick flick of your choice and watch it with you. No complaining or eye-rolling allowed. Light candles, make popcorn, and snuggle up under a blanket while you watch.
3. Household help day. Whatever you want done around the house from gardening to repairs to chores, your husband will be your servant for the day.
4. Massage and bubble bath. Have your husband draw a hot bath for you, complete with mountain high bubbles, candles and relaxing music. Then have him give you a wonderful, stress relieving massage afterwards.
5. Car wash. Your husband will have your car washed and vacuumed. No more cheerios crumbs for a few days!
6. Date night. Get a babysitter and enjoy a romantic dinner at one of your favorite restaurants.
7. Maid service. Ah, a clean house without lifting a finger!
8. Free time. Have your husband take care of the baby while you enjoy an afternoon off. Get caught up on scrapbooking, read a book, go to the store alone, watch a movie, have coffee with a girlfriend, whatever would re-charge your battery!
A few of these ideas probably sound pretty good to you. Does it sound crazy or presumptuous to ask your husband to do these things? Why not ask and find out? If you lose 10, 20, 30 pounds, chances are he would be more than happy to help you celebrate by serving you in some way that would be meaningful to you.
Today’s Action Step: Choose one or two rewards from the above list that would motivate you to lose weight. Ask your husband if he would be willing to provide some rewards for your hard work.
1. Laundry duty. For one week, your husband will do all the laundry. Of course, he may need some training on separating darks and using the gentle cycle for delicates, but with some coaching, he’ll do just fine!
2. Movie night. Have your husband rent a chick flick of your choice and watch it with you. No complaining or eye-rolling allowed. Light candles, make popcorn, and snuggle up under a blanket while you watch.
3. Household help day. Whatever you want done around the house from gardening to repairs to chores, your husband will be your servant for the day.
4. Massage and bubble bath. Have your husband draw a hot bath for you, complete with mountain high bubbles, candles and relaxing music. Then have him give you a wonderful, stress relieving massage afterwards.
5. Car wash. Your husband will have your car washed and vacuumed. No more cheerios crumbs for a few days!
6. Date night. Get a babysitter and enjoy a romantic dinner at one of your favorite restaurants.
7. Maid service. Ah, a clean house without lifting a finger!
8. Free time. Have your husband take care of the baby while you enjoy an afternoon off. Get caught up on scrapbooking, read a book, go to the store alone, watch a movie, have coffee with a girlfriend, whatever would re-charge your battery!
A few of these ideas probably sound pretty good to you. Does it sound crazy or presumptuous to ask your husband to do these things? Why not ask and find out? If you lose 10, 20, 30 pounds, chances are he would be more than happy to help you celebrate by serving you in some way that would be meaningful to you.
Today’s Action Step: Choose one or two rewards from the above list that would motivate you to lose weight. Ask your husband if he would be willing to provide some rewards for your hard work.
Healthy Eating For Kids
One of the most important things we do as parents is teach healthy eating habits to our kids. The best way to do that is by setting a good example. Our children like to emulate us, so if we are eating healthy then our kids are more likely to have healthy eating habits. Perhaps healthy eating is a new venture for the entire family and trying to convince the little ones to eat healthy foods has been a bit of a struggle.
First you need to know an important little trick, nutritionists have stated that in order for a child to try a new food they need to see it four or five times. This means that just because the avoided the broccoli at dinner tonight, doesn't mean that in a week or two they won't try it if you keep showing it to them at meals. You can also try making a rule, similar to what we have in our home, and that is called the "No Thank You Bite." Everyone at the table has to have one bite of everything on their plate. If they don't try it how will then ever know if they like it?
Knowing that kids prefer the sweeter things in life, try introducing them to the sweeter healthy foods such as corn, tomatoes, sweet peas, mandarin oranges, cherries and strawberries. You can also mix these sweeter foods with other healthy foods that may be less appealing such as brussel sprouts. Make an apple and brussel sprout side salad. Get creative and make it fun, give the dishes you create names that kids will think are funny.
You can also let your children help in the process of preparing meals, buying groceries and picking foods, let them come up with their own recipes. If your kids are apprehensive about trying the healthier foods consider playing food tricks. Chopping veggies and fruits finely and mixing them in their favorite dishes will help. Carrots can be chopped finely and mixed in with your favorite spaghetti sauce and so can spinach and broccoli.
If burgers are a favorite in your house, finely chop or puree veggies and mix them into the burger meat when you patty the burgers. Use turkey or ground sirloin as healthier alternatives to hamburger. Casseroles can also be a fun new dish. Casseroles are fun because you can throw whatever you want in there for a really healthy and tasty meal.
Other healthy eating options for kids can include making fruit breads, such as banana and apple. Use real fruit, even if you buy a premixed box, you can still add real fruits to enhance flavor and nutritional value.
Healthy eating habits for kids means kids that are not overweight and are healthy. The sooner you can start practicing healthy eating habits for the family the better, but know that it is never to late to start. Making healthy eating choices can help the entire family get in shape and trim down and decrease the risk of many diseases. To learn more about making sure your kids are eating healthy visit Healthy Eating for kids.
First you need to know an important little trick, nutritionists have stated that in order for a child to try a new food they need to see it four or five times. This means that just because the avoided the broccoli at dinner tonight, doesn't mean that in a week or two they won't try it if you keep showing it to them at meals. You can also try making a rule, similar to what we have in our home, and that is called the "No Thank You Bite." Everyone at the table has to have one bite of everything on their plate. If they don't try it how will then ever know if they like it?
Knowing that kids prefer the sweeter things in life, try introducing them to the sweeter healthy foods such as corn, tomatoes, sweet peas, mandarin oranges, cherries and strawberries. You can also mix these sweeter foods with other healthy foods that may be less appealing such as brussel sprouts. Make an apple and brussel sprout side salad. Get creative and make it fun, give the dishes you create names that kids will think are funny.
You can also let your children help in the process of preparing meals, buying groceries and picking foods, let them come up with their own recipes. If your kids are apprehensive about trying the healthier foods consider playing food tricks. Chopping veggies and fruits finely and mixing them in their favorite dishes will help. Carrots can be chopped finely and mixed in with your favorite spaghetti sauce and so can spinach and broccoli.
If burgers are a favorite in your house, finely chop or puree veggies and mix them into the burger meat when you patty the burgers. Use turkey or ground sirloin as healthier alternatives to hamburger. Casseroles can also be a fun new dish. Casseroles are fun because you can throw whatever you want in there for a really healthy and tasty meal.
Other healthy eating options for kids can include making fruit breads, such as banana and apple. Use real fruit, even if you buy a premixed box, you can still add real fruits to enhance flavor and nutritional value.
Healthy eating habits for kids means kids that are not overweight and are healthy. The sooner you can start practicing healthy eating habits for the family the better, but know that it is never to late to start. Making healthy eating choices can help the entire family get in shape and trim down and decrease the risk of many diseases. To learn more about making sure your kids are eating healthy visit Healthy Eating for kids.
Jan 7, 2010
Finding the Best Green Tea to Drink
Today one of the most popular drinks in America is fast becoming green tea and for good reasons. Green tea is known for its taste and health benefits far and wide, including weight loss assistance, reducing cancer risks and adding antioxidants to your diet.
It is something of a challenge to select the best green tea, especially if you are new to the green tea world. Some of the best green tea examples available on the market today are found below. There are also some excellent ways to bring out the wonderful flavor through brewing.
Sencha green tea is one of the most popular types of green tea. As an introduction to the green tea family this is perhaps the best green tea since it is very economical and has the most recognizable taste of all green teas for sale.
Kabusecha is another choice and it considered one of the best green teas today. It remains a favorite with customers throughout the world because it is taken from the first and finest harvest. It has a signature scent that is a grassy aroma associated with the best green tea.
A Japanese green tea option is Myou-Kou which is a green tea that is deep steamed. This tea has a thicker, bolder flavor compared to the lighter green teas and is considered the most unique and best green tea available.
Brewing Your Cup of Green Tea
How green tea is brewed is half the enjoyment as any fan of green tea will tell you. Unlike your normal oolong and black teas it is unfermented so the brewing method is a little different for green tea.
When brewing the best green tea the one thing you need to remember is that the tea leaves need room to expand and add their health benefits to the water that they are infused in. To the flavor of the resultant tea can be hindered by tea bags or tea balls. Allowing the tea leaves to sit loosing in the water and steep for a few minutes is the best way to brew green tea and then is should be strained if desired.
A matter of taste and preference is the best way to find the best green tea. Try a number of different types to see which is your favorite green tea.
It is something of a challenge to select the best green tea, especially if you are new to the green tea world. Some of the best green tea examples available on the market today are found below. There are also some excellent ways to bring out the wonderful flavor through brewing.
Sencha green tea is one of the most popular types of green tea. As an introduction to the green tea family this is perhaps the best green tea since it is very economical and has the most recognizable taste of all green teas for sale.
Kabusecha is another choice and it considered one of the best green teas today. It remains a favorite with customers throughout the world because it is taken from the first and finest harvest. It has a signature scent that is a grassy aroma associated with the best green tea.
A Japanese green tea option is Myou-Kou which is a green tea that is deep steamed. This tea has a thicker, bolder flavor compared to the lighter green teas and is considered the most unique and best green tea available.
Brewing Your Cup of Green Tea
How green tea is brewed is half the enjoyment as any fan of green tea will tell you. Unlike your normal oolong and black teas it is unfermented so the brewing method is a little different for green tea.
When brewing the best green tea the one thing you need to remember is that the tea leaves need room to expand and add their health benefits to the water that they are infused in. To the flavor of the resultant tea can be hindered by tea bags or tea balls. Allowing the tea leaves to sit loosing in the water and steep for a few minutes is the best way to brew green tea and then is should be strained if desired.
A matter of taste and preference is the best way to find the best green tea. Try a number of different types to see which is your favorite green tea.
Save Yourself From The Dieting Madness
When people try to work out why diets almost inevitably fail other than in the short-term, they usually concentrate on the biological fact that the body will rebound with stored weight after it suffers food deprivation.
That theory is now so well-tested as to be certainly true to some degree. Accurate though it is, actually it is only of secondary value in explaining why obsessive dieting not only persists within our culture but is in fact on the rise.
The fundamental answers lie in the mind and until dieters are helped to unpick and re-frame the influences that trap them within anxious minds and overweight bodies, the only thing that will change is the name of the next fad diet.
At The Weight Foundation we have launched an awareness campaign concerning a disturbing escalation of the Food Industry's hard sell, which we call Meal Stealing. Extra pressure is piling up on the millions of people already suffering confusion and panic regarding what they should do next about their growing dieting and weight worries.
And the attack on promoting unhealthy habits coincides with the release of our new 3 Small Steps self-help system, designed to be a collaborative solution towards assisting problem dieters worldwide to regain self-control against all of the influences supporting obsessive dieting.
Meal Stealing is a dramatic way of visualizing the commercial pressure creating the dieting culture, with strong emotional and cultural pressures completing the dieter's unholy trinity of beliefs and behaviors.
Consumers are used to seeing sex, fashion, love and status being used to sell food - and the food companies can and will quite naturally do everything within the law to promote themselves.
However, we are now seeing more and more attempts not just to squeeze certain foods on to the menu but also to force themselves further in as major dietary staples.
In the States, where snack food and out-and-out junk has for a number of years sought to displace traditional and balanced meals from the household menu, the trend is even more advanced than it is the UK - but this market is rapidly catching up.
The Weight Foundation identifies three specific areas which illustrate the trend. The first concerns breakfast cereals, the advertising of which has traditionally been about the choice of start-up fuel early in the morning. However, many commercials now present packaged cereal as an all-day food option.
Another example is the attempted re-branding of flavored noodles from being a snack into the status of a traditional food staple. This is a progression down the same road already well-traveled in the US, where a TV dinners mentality has become semi-legitimated by time alone.
A third area is that of convenience shopping. A typical example is that of the multi-role juggling of a modern homemaker. Her delayed and late evening food is shown as something like ice cream or chocolate, or even alcohol in place of food altogether, naturally on special offer that week in her local convenience store.
The Weight Foundation does not support suggestions that the law should be changed to clamp down on food advertising, concentrating instead on developing strategies to assist individuals to make more informed choices about their eating habits and lifestyles.
That theory is now so well-tested as to be certainly true to some degree. Accurate though it is, actually it is only of secondary value in explaining why obsessive dieting not only persists within our culture but is in fact on the rise.
The fundamental answers lie in the mind and until dieters are helped to unpick and re-frame the influences that trap them within anxious minds and overweight bodies, the only thing that will change is the name of the next fad diet.
At The Weight Foundation we have launched an awareness campaign concerning a disturbing escalation of the Food Industry's hard sell, which we call Meal Stealing. Extra pressure is piling up on the millions of people already suffering confusion and panic regarding what they should do next about their growing dieting and weight worries.
And the attack on promoting unhealthy habits coincides with the release of our new 3 Small Steps self-help system, designed to be a collaborative solution towards assisting problem dieters worldwide to regain self-control against all of the influences supporting obsessive dieting.
Meal Stealing is a dramatic way of visualizing the commercial pressure creating the dieting culture, with strong emotional and cultural pressures completing the dieter's unholy trinity of beliefs and behaviors.
Consumers are used to seeing sex, fashion, love and status being used to sell food - and the food companies can and will quite naturally do everything within the law to promote themselves.
However, we are now seeing more and more attempts not just to squeeze certain foods on to the menu but also to force themselves further in as major dietary staples.
In the States, where snack food and out-and-out junk has for a number of years sought to displace traditional and balanced meals from the household menu, the trend is even more advanced than it is the UK - but this market is rapidly catching up.
The Weight Foundation identifies three specific areas which illustrate the trend. The first concerns breakfast cereals, the advertising of which has traditionally been about the choice of start-up fuel early in the morning. However, many commercials now present packaged cereal as an all-day food option.
Another example is the attempted re-branding of flavored noodles from being a snack into the status of a traditional food staple. This is a progression down the same road already well-traveled in the US, where a TV dinners mentality has become semi-legitimated by time alone.
A third area is that of convenience shopping. A typical example is that of the multi-role juggling of a modern homemaker. Her delayed and late evening food is shown as something like ice cream or chocolate, or even alcohol in place of food altogether, naturally on special offer that week in her local convenience store.
The Weight Foundation does not support suggestions that the law should be changed to clamp down on food advertising, concentrating instead on developing strategies to assist individuals to make more informed choices about their eating habits and lifestyles.
Jan 6, 2010
Should you Drink Caffeine Free Green Tea
A tea isn’t completely devoid of the extra kick if it states that it is caffeine free. Not all of the caffeine can be taken out by the decaffeinating process only most of it. As with any other type of tea, green tea naturally contains caffeine. It is a relatively easy process to remove the caffeine from your tea, but there is a little more to it than you might think.
Caffeinated or Decaffeinated?
Start off with some background. The well-known black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea are just a few of several types of tea. The most caffeine is found in black tea, while green tea is in the middle and white tea has the least. Coffee contains more caffeine than tea. One half or a third of the caffeine in coffee is found in a cup of tea.
It is rather surprising when you consider some general facts about tea plants. Caffeine will be stronger the smaller the tea leaf. A higher caffeine content is also in the tea leaves that are fermented longer. However, according to some sources the health benefits of green tea is ruined by the decaffeination process. So while you may be able to find comfort in a warm cup of green tea that is caffeine free it is a no-win situation.
You will want caffeine free if you have a problem with caffeine. Caffeine green tea is not completely devoid of caffeine, so you should keep this in mind if you have a severe reaction to any amount of caffeine. Which means you should probably stay away from teas altogether.
Caffeinated or Decaffeinated?
Start off with some background. The well-known black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea are just a few of several types of tea. The most caffeine is found in black tea, while green tea is in the middle and white tea has the least. Coffee contains more caffeine than tea. One half or a third of the caffeine in coffee is found in a cup of tea.
It is rather surprising when you consider some general facts about tea plants. Caffeine will be stronger the smaller the tea leaf. A higher caffeine content is also in the tea leaves that are fermented longer. However, according to some sources the health benefits of green tea is ruined by the decaffeination process. So while you may be able to find comfort in a warm cup of green tea that is caffeine free it is a no-win situation.
You will want caffeine free if you have a problem with caffeine. Caffeine green tea is not completely devoid of caffeine, so you should keep this in mind if you have a severe reaction to any amount of caffeine. Which means you should probably stay away from teas altogether.
5 Fad Diets to Avoid
There are so many fad diets out there these days that attract people with there fast weight loss and celebrity lifestyle image. The fact is that nearly all of these diets only really offer short-term weight loss solutions and can be extremely unhealthy. Iv'e put together a list of 5 popular fad diets - along with reasons NOT to try them!
Detox Diet
Claims to lose a stone in 10 days, defeat cellulite, give glowing skin and no more bloating. This diet is meant to compliment other detox methods such as massages, colonic irrigation, saunas, fasting etc. Food such as fish, meat, eggs, dairy, wheat, salt, sugar etc are banned, while fruit, veg, beans, seeds, nuts are allowed. This results in a lack of nutrients, lowered immune system, a temporary weight loss, mainly water. It can lead to yo-yo dieting, nausea, sickness and headaches. It is said to causes food cravings, resulting in eventually giving up! It can also cause eating disorders and there is no good evidence of it actually working!
Low Carb / Atkins Die
The aim of low carb diets is to force the body to use its own fat as its main energy source. This produces something called ketone bodies to fuel body parts that can not use fat as an energy source such as the brain and red blood cells. This puts you in a state of ketosis - resulting in smelly breath and side effects like fatigue and nausea. These diets do produce short term results, which actually come from loss of muscle tissue and water. They are not a long term weight loss solution and are unhealthy if sustained.
Detox Diet
Claims to lose a stone in 10 days, defeat cellulite, give glowing skin and no more bloating. This diet is meant to compliment other detox methods such as massages, colonic irrigation, saunas, fasting etc. Food such as fish, meat, eggs, dairy, wheat, salt, sugar etc are banned, while fruit, veg, beans, seeds, nuts are allowed. This results in a lack of nutrients, lowered immune system, a temporary weight loss, mainly water. It can lead to yo-yo dieting, nausea, sickness and headaches. It is said to causes food cravings, resulting in eventually giving up! It can also cause eating disorders and there is no good evidence of it actually working!
Low Carb / Atkins Die
The aim of low carb diets is to force the body to use its own fat as its main energy source. This produces something called ketone bodies to fuel body parts that can not use fat as an energy source such as the brain and red blood cells. This puts you in a state of ketosis - resulting in smelly breath and side effects like fatigue and nausea. These diets do produce short term results, which actually come from loss of muscle tissue and water. They are not a long term weight loss solution and are unhealthy if sustained.
Jan 5, 2010
Drinking Water Scams Revealed
Read this article before you consider paying for your drinking water. Wouldn't it be nice to stop poisoning ourselves with polluted or unhealthy drinking water? I, for one, felt that I would love to find a source of safe inexpensive drinking water. (Ideally, I'd love to turn on the tap, and out it would flow!) Whether it's curing cancer with magnets or herbal wonder-remedies or Vioxx, we've all seen the fantastic claims people make about their health products AND about how your whole life will be changed! I can tell you right now that 90% are frauds. You may even have fallen prey to some of these scams, selling you the latest fad. Me too. I've bought so many kinds of drinking water, I can't recall. (If a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes "the truth"). Finally, after many disappointments I got FED UP. I decided to get to the bottom of this desire we all have to make sure that our most basic nutrient -- water -- will keep us healthy, not make us sick. I checked out endless commercial websites and a number of university and government sites; and I was dismayed at what I repeatedly found: --Outdated information or info repeated from other websites --Wild and sensational claims --No research --No refunds, etc. I already knew that we can't trust our tap water because of the presence of up to 2000 contaminants. Specifically, I found: a) Bottled Water: a real mish-mash of quality, often no more than filtered tap water sold at outrageous mark-ups, and at quite an environmental cost. b) Reverse-osmosis and distilled water: completely ignored the medical evidence of the dangers in the ongoing drinking of water that is void of minerals, acid in nature and oxidizing. I quickly realized that these products were either useless, overpriced or potentially harmful long-term. And the companies were smiling all the way to the bank. Nevertheless I was able to find products that were well-researched and legitimate: water ionizers and certain filters. I found two websites providing comparisons of reliable water purifiers: Water Filter Comparisons and Water Purifier 101 (While the first of these sites does not address the problem of acidity in drinking water, it is straightforward in its assessment of what various water filters do.) I hope that you're not misled by false claims, and take a look at objective comparisons, for the sake of your health.
Jan 4, 2010
What's so economic about the economy of care?
In recent years, the concept of "the economy of care" has been used to resuscitate a longstanding feminist debate on the inequitable distribution of domestic responsibilities between private households and the State, on one hand, and between women and men, on the other.
The reframing of this debate in terms of the economy of care is no coincidence, rather it stems from the importance of the economy in the configuration of all aspects of life in the context of capitalist societies. The concepts of efficacy, efficiency and rationality are the basis for all public policy; they channel our productive efforts and even have a major impact on the most trivial decisions of daily life.
In this context, the debate on the distribution of domestic responsibilities is linked to a notion of economy of care that makes reference to a rather undefined set of goods, services, activities, relationships and values related to the most basic and essential needs entailed in the existence and reproduction of people in our societies.
The concept of "care" invokes all those elements that nurture people in the sense that they provide us with the physical and symbolic elements necessary for our survival in society. Thus, care refers to the actions and goods by which people are fed, educated, kept healthy and able to live in a suitable habitat. Associating the term "care" with the concept of "economy" implies a concentration on those aspects of care that generate or contribute to the generation of economic value. In other words, the economy of care is particularly interested in the relationship between how societies organize the way in which people are cared for and how the economic system works.
The following article offers a brief review of the principle elements of this relationship and what it implies in terms of equity. (1)
The reframing of this debate in terms of the economy of care is no coincidence, rather it stems from the importance of the economy in the configuration of all aspects of life in the context of capitalist societies. The concepts of efficacy, efficiency and rationality are the basis for all public policy; they channel our productive efforts and even have a major impact on the most trivial decisions of daily life.
In this context, the debate on the distribution of domestic responsibilities is linked to a notion of economy of care that makes reference to a rather undefined set of goods, services, activities, relationships and values related to the most basic and essential needs entailed in the existence and reproduction of people in our societies.
The concept of "care" invokes all those elements that nurture people in the sense that they provide us with the physical and symbolic elements necessary for our survival in society. Thus, care refers to the actions and goods by which people are fed, educated, kept healthy and able to live in a suitable habitat. Associating the term "care" with the concept of "economy" implies a concentration on those aspects of care that generate or contribute to the generation of economic value. In other words, the economy of care is particularly interested in the relationship between how societies organize the way in which people are cared for and how the economic system works.
The following article offers a brief review of the principle elements of this relationship and what it implies in terms of equity. (1)
Metabolic Syndrome; Treatment
The best way to prevent metabolic syndrome is identical to the treatment for the condition: maintaining a healthy weight, incorporating at least 30 minutes of physical activity into your day and following a healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in sugar and fat. A good place to start is to have a conversation with your health care professional about weight management, weight-related health issues, your personal health risks and the health screenings you should be sure to have.
Metabolic Syndrome; Treatment
The cornerstone of treatment for metabolic syndrome is simple: improving your diet, restricting calories, losing weight and/or maintaining a normal body weight, and increasing levels of physical activity. One major study found that for every pound lost, the risk of metabolic syndrome decreased by 22 percent.
Don't try a crash diet, however; they don't work. Instead, the best approach is to reduce your total calories--by up to 1,000 calories a day, depending on your weight. You can cut out 500 calories a day, for instance, simply by skipping that Frappucchino and cutting out one large soda.
Cutting calories isn't enough, however, if you're after long-term weight loss. You also have to change the way you eat and view food. That means setting goals for weight loss, planning meals, reading labels, reducing portion sizes and avoiding eating binges. Measuring and cutting calories can be complicated, so you might try even simpler techniques like setting aside 10 percent of your meal before you even start. You'll eat less and not even notice the difference.
And you don't have to lose a lot of weight; aim for five to 10 percent of your weight over six to 12 months. If you weigh 200 pounds, that's a loss of 10 to 20 pounds, enough to change the way you look and feel and improve many of those metabolic markers.
Even if you're not aiming to lose weight, you should change your diet. Studies find a diet high in saturated fat, simple sugars and cholesterol contributes to metabolic syndrome. Reducing the amount you eat while increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet is best.
Metabolic Syndrome; Diagnosis
Metabolic syndrome is a very complicated condition to diagnose. The only visible symptom of metabolic syndrome is being overweight, but that is no guarantee that you'll have the condition. And you can have metabolic syndrome even if you aren't overweight.
There are at least six definitions for metabolic syndrome. The primary one used in the U.S. comes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The chart below shows the differences among the definitions.
The WHO, for instance, requires evidence of insulin resistance or diabetes to make a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, while the IDF requires a certain degree of abdominal obesity. The NHLBI, however, considers the five components equal in importance. The WHO's definition is designed to identify people at greater risk for diabetes; while the NHLBI's definition is designed to identify those with greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
In the U.S., however, there's general agreement among medical professionals to use the NHLBI definition, in part because it's so difficult to test individuals for insulin resistance in the typical health care provider's office.
The reality, however, is that any one of the five risk factors increases your risk of cardiovascular disease whether you have metabolic syndrome or not. So whether you have one or all five of the components, you and your health care professional need to work together to reduce that risk and any others you may have.
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