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Losing weight is really a pain in the neck especially when it’s a direct order from our doctor. Then we have no choice. We’ve all heard the famous “in your condition you should lose at least 10 pounds or you’re in for major problems” speech from our favorite doc!
There is no prescription he can give us either. We have to go out and find the best way to lose that dreaded 10 pounds or face the consequences. Word of mouth leads us to the famous diets: Atkins, Low Carbs, no carbs, lots of carbs and all the other kinds that are available in the great world of weight loss programs. And with all the best intentions we buy the books, follow the diets and are really happy when we actually start losing weight!
So we’re obviously on the right track aren’t we? Our friends comment on our slowly reducing figure, we start feeling really good about ourselves and plan shopping trips to look for smaller sizes in clothes. All is going well, so how come at the next yearly check up the doctor is still telling us to lose weight and now its 15 pounds not 10!
Did we stick to our diets? Yes and no, after the weight started coming off we probably figured “hey, this is easy” and forgot that we had to keep at it. And to be honest sometimes it was just annoying giving up things we liked! The whole weight loss process starts again but now we’re older and I believe it’s harder to lose weight, and fat in particular, as we get older. The exercise circuit is great for those who like exercising but what about those who don’t like exercising?
Do we give up? Heck no, the doctor is breathing down our necks ready to make us spend a fortune on pills to keep down the blood pressure, regulate the diabetes and all kinds of other things that we can get just because we’re over-weight.
As we already know from our experiences there are a number of diets we can try with short term success and we are looking for permanent success not short term any more.
Well, believe it or not there is a weight loss program that not only will get us losing weight but allows us to continue eating the food we like and more often. It’s called Strip That Fat.
Strip That Fat ends the annoying cycle of dieting forever. In fact we can start experiencing great results within two weeks of starting the diet. The fantastic thing is that we don’t have to give anything up. So we continue to eat healthy, nutritious foods all the time.
Within two weeks you should see the inches disappearing from our waists, we’re losing ugly fat and hopefully receiving compliments on our new toned down figures again. The neat part is that no-one will realize we’re dieting because we’re eating the same foods as usual. One year passes and we’re still on the diet, by this time we’ll have learned all the secrets about losing weight that we will ever need to know and keep the unwanted weight off.
If this sounds unbelievable it isn’t. Over 210 million people are over-weight in the United States alone today and the ages range from pre-teens to seniors. Weight problems effect old and young, rich and poor and are easily remediable by learning to eat properly.
For more information about the Strip That Fat program: Click Here!
The first day of summer is less than three weeks away and after such a long winter I’m ready for it and with a little exercise my body will be ready for it too.
I’m not an exercise junky – in fact I am just the opposite. Exercising to me is really hard work. So once the winter left and spring is here I have settled into my version of exercise. It’s quite easy and everyone can do it and I get a great start on my suntan too.
My work-out is my garden. A little bit every day – even in the evenings after I come home from work during the week -works wonders! The great thing about my exercise regime is that I don’t need any fancy equipment I just need a garden trowel, a bucket, a shovel and earth – and a bottle of sun tan lotion and a hat for my head if it really is too hot.
I’m not a great gardener but I find is relaxing and have to admit that the results are really lovely. But, how does this hobby count as exercise. Well, gardening includes, amongst other things:
- walking around nurseries and gardening centers picking out the plants that will be part of my garden. I have a lot of walking going backwards and forwards from each of the flower beds when I planting the flowers
- bending and stretching when I’m planting the flowers, reaching for my tools, digging holes for the flowers
- weight-lifting – the bags of earth are really quite heavy and getting them out of the trunk of my car is quite an effort. I have bought four so far!
And all of this is really good for me and I enjoy far better than going to a gym to do exactly the same kind of things. I don’t lose too much weight but some of the winter flab gets toned down.
Being out in the fresh air is a wonderful feeling too even on the dull overcast days. The real bonus comes when the efforts really start to take hold and the garden starts to grow and flowers bloom. Now that makes it all worth it and what a boost to my self-esteem to look around my garden and be able to say, hey I did that!
According to the British a good cuppa tea is the answer to any of life’s problems. I’ve always drunk tea. I love tea! I started drinking tea when I was young and have continued ever since. Little did I know that by following such a tea drinking tradition I was also benefiting myself with one of histories most beneficial drinks!
According to legend the first cup of tea was an accident – in China leaves dropped or flew into a cup of hot water and the rest is history. Can you imagine an industry and empire was built on such a small quirk of fate?
Once tea had been “discovered” the Chinese quickly figured out the medicinal benefits and these were in great demand before it became a popular drink. When tea arrived in Japan the Japanese took tea-drinking one step further and made it into an art-form with tea houses and tea ceremonies.
Fortunately for us the Chinese and Japanese secret did not stay a secret for long (only about 900 years or so!). According to history Europeans eventually were introduced to tea as an exotic medicinal drink by the Dutch East India Company in 1610.
Popularity of tea in Britain began about 40 years later with tea being advertised as a health beverage and that’s where my interest comes in now. The claims were and still are true – tea contains powerful antioxidants needed by our bodies to help fight the famous “free radicals” that are in the body just ready to mess things up and harm our healthy cells causing heart disease and cancer among other things.
Is one kind of tea better than another? The answer to this will depend on who you talk to. All true teas (those made from the tea plant) are rich sources of antioxidants. The richest is Green tea mainly because of the way it is prepared – it is the least processed of the three. It is made solely with the leaves of the tea plant that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing whereas the more popular black tea is partially dried, crushed and fermented. For more information about Green tea and its multiple benefits Click Here! and check out the Complete Guide to Green Tea. Recently scientific and medical studies have been conducted on tea, (of any kind so long as it is from the tea plant), to find the benefits of the drink as it pertains to our health. Among some of its “medicinal” benefits tea may: lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, slow down the spread of prostrate cancer, lower risk of some skin cancers, reduce risk of hypertension, and boost the body’s defenses.
Who would have thought that lovely cuppa that I have been drinking for most of my life actually was a good thing for me? A cup of tea nowadays is far more reasonably priced than when it first appeared in the coffee-houses of England but the natural health benefits are still worth their weight in gold!
The internet contains many interesting sites on tea, its history and its medicinal benefits. For more information on this and lots more check out www.essortment.com or www.2basnob.com and follow the links.
So grab your favorite cup, your favorite choice of tea, boil the kettle and sit back, relax and enjoy!
And for those going to Britain on holidays this year, make sure you pop into a tea house for afternoon tea!
A healthy weight level is essential if we want to prevent major health problems.
Weight problems are the major cause and indication of such illnesses as heart disease, cholesterol, type II diabetes. It’s in everyone’s best interest to reduce weight if your over-weight and to maintain a sensible weight at all times.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with over-weight; my problem is more maintaining a good weight level. My weight is my main indicator for any health problems. Ten years ago, my immediate loss of weight signaled that I had a health problem. If I had not taken any notice of this signal it would have been too late to do anything about my kidney cancer. After my operation, when I was on the mend I continued (and still do) to monitor my weight for any more warning signs - and believe me I take notice immediately!
Maintaining natural health is a personal thing. Only I can prevent health problems. I can listen, I can read, I can nod my head and agree with all kinds of advice but in the final analysis only I can do what is necessary to stay healthy. Common sense is all part of our make up and its there to use – and its free!
The main objective is to make sure that we are maintaining a sensible nutritious diet that contains all the necessary food groups in order to stay healthy. Monitoring your weight is something only you can do and it should be done at least once a week. Any changes see your doctor. If you do have to lose weight check out the Mediterranean Diet link shown in Helpful Information.
Nowadays, besides selling their products the major food companies are providing ways to stay healthy. For instance, a really interesting booklet arrived the other day in one of the magazines entitled Managing Cholesterol from Quaker which included articles on cholesterol and weight control. It also included a neat Quaker Cholesterol Challenge. For more information go to www.quakerchallenge.ca
Some say there is really no reason why anyone these days should be over-weight. There are books, clubs, piles of advice and diets readily available. The internet is also a fantastic source of information on everything including it’s all there waiting to be found. Take notes, start clubs – bottom line – be healthy!
Exercise if one of the few ways you can naturally keep healthy. I for one am not an “exercise means join-the-gym” type of person. I’m not exactly a couch potato – more like a computer potato! So if you’re like me what do you do for exercise?
Be creative – that’s what you do! And make sure you keep moving!
I work in an office and do not have the luxury of getting up and walking around all the time – if I did I’d never get my work done then I’d have to work late and … etc. But I do move around as often as possible and not just to get a coffee! Meetings are held on the floor above mine so I use the stairs instead of the elevator.
During the summer the patio on the roof of our building is available for lunch and again the stairs are used to get to it. Also, I believe it is important to get moving right after lunch in order to digest my food properly and not be sleepy and lethargic for the rest of the afternoon.
At home, we have lots of stairs, stairs to the basement, stairs to the bedrooms, and stairs to even get into the house. So I can get lots of exercise just by doing the washing because the laundry room is in the basement!
I have a huge garden where there are lots of chances for exercise – there are steps to get to the garden too!
Going out on the weekend to a club can also be a kind of exercise if you do more dancing than drinking! Think about it and you’ll find that not only will you enjoy the atmosphere but it’s healthy too! Make sure it’s a smoke free club though.
My challenge to myself this year is to get out into the fresh air more – for instance, on weekends leave my car in the driveway and walk down to the shops.
I live near a lake and park – it should not be hard to take a picnic and enjoy the outdoors. A few years ago I looked after one of my nieces during the summer and we would go down to the lake and paint – it was quite an experience and lots of fun. It’s amazing how many people came to check out our “masterpieces”!
The main thing is to stop procrastinating about exercise and to start doing it. The amazing thing is that once started it can be quite addictive and lots of fun.
There are many web-sites that provide information and tips on how to take steps to improve your health naturally. If you want to see an interesting 15 minute daily exercise program go to http://jema2014.fitdaily.hop.clickbank.net/
Natural health is really a matter of keeping healthy by prevention. Did you know that if everyone took the steps necessary to ensure good health we would save governments (which ultimately means us tax payers) millions of dollars a year in medical costs?
So what steps are necessary?
I believe the primary steps include: maintain a healthy diet, exercise, sensible number of hours sleep and keep a positive outlook on life. The last one this is very important. You can easily achieve the first three in this list but without a positive outlook it makes the job harder.
And that is exactly what keeping healthy by natural means is about – it’s a job! And it’s not a nine-to-five job – (if you’re lucky enough to have a job like that nowadays). It’s a 24/7 job, and only you can do it yourself.
I find that I can get lots of advice and read lots of books and really be gung-ho about doing all the right things but then I don’t do anything – to paraphrase Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the wind – “I’ll worry about that tomorrow!” Not a good attitude!
How can I change this kind of thinking? I think it’s done by habit. It’s not easy to begin with but if I schedule things daily then after a while it becomes a normal occurrence. After all eating three meals a day becomes even more of a habit if eaten at exactly the same time each day!
Let’s be honest, I’m not the kind of person that likes a regimented, schedule driven life that is timed to the minute so I go slowly – yes – I still worry about things tomorrow but at least I am doing something positive about my health without the need for doctors’ prescriptions and the like.
Information about natural prevention can be found at www.prevention.com
Visualization is not new but it is becoming increasingly popular.
In the best-selling book “The Secret” visualization was one of the important methods to bring about life changing experiences. Personally, I have found visualization to work miracles in my own life. It’s very easy to have negative thoughts about everything. Negative thoughts attract negative happenings. I found that I didn’t think positively about a lot of things I undertook because if they didn’t turn out right then no-one would say “I told you so!” It seemed easier than being embarrassed. It was also a blue-print for disaster.
Circumstances over the last few years and the last months in particular have brought about drastic changes in my life and outlook. Visualization has become part of my everyday life. At first it was difficult because the little negative thoughts would keep sneaking in and making me feel what I was doing was a waste of time! Now I welcome the half hour of relaxation and focusing on my wellness each day. And it works!
How do I visualize?
I make sure I am comfortable– lying down, sitting, it does not matter it’s what ever makes me feel relaxed.
Be in a quiet area – I usually do my visualization first thing in the morning when I am more relaxed
Close my eyes and breathe slowly – I find my breathing will become normal after a few minutes once I am really relaxed
Focus on what it is I want – see the image before me of actually having what I want. It can be anything – in my case mostly good health – but I focus on really achieving this goal
It also helps to be surrounded by as many positive minded people as possible – their positivity will “rub off” on you and in turn make you a more positive person.
For a lot of people it’s not easy to change their outlook on life, but for peace of mind and good health it is necessary. Help is out there. Check out the peace of mind and self improvement books at http://jema2014.powerbooks.hop.clickbank.net/
Did you know that women are more likely to die from a heart attack than they are of any single other cause, including breast cancer? In fact, women are five times more likely to die from a heart attack than to die from breast cancer.
For women 65 or older, the risk of a heart attack is about the same as it is for men of the same age.
Is there a natural way to prevent and/or reduce heart disease? Yes there is but it means a little effort, however, the benefits gained from a few life-style changes can mean the difference between life and death. Changes include the following:
· Most important is if you smoke then stop
· Exercise regularly. You don’t have to go all out and join a club but 30 minutes physical activity most days is recommended.
· Heart-healthy diet – Eat as many natural foods as possible. There is lots of information and recipes at www.foodnetwork.com
· Be careful of depression, anxiety and stress. If these are problems then seek help.
· Maintain a sensible weight but don’t go on crazy “hip” diets. If you’re looking for a heart-healthy eating plan one interesting diet is the Mediterranean diet for those serious about losing weight and improving their health.
The following information is cited on www.mayoclinic.com and gives more information on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet:
The Mediterranean eating style significantly reduces the risk of further heart disease in individuals who had already had a heart attack. Remarkably, this benefit was not related to any significant difference in cholesterol levels — rather other components of the diet seem to work in concert to protect the body.Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:· Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables · Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil · Eating small portions of nuts · Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some · Consuming very little red meat · Eating fish on a regular basis
Check out the Mediterranean Diet web site, www.mediterraneandiet.com and also for information and recipes at http://jema2014.roybarker2.hop.clickbank.net
So, yes there is a natural way to prevent and/or reduce the risk of heart attacks and still enjoy a healthy natural life.
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It used to be that if you had the big “C” it meant you had cancer, nowadays if you have the big “C” it could also mean you have cholesterol.
What is cholesterol?
Simply put cholesterol is a natural waxy substance needed in the body to make everything work properly.
Most people these days know that there are two types of cholesterol in each of us, the “good” cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol.
Good cholesterol is transported to the blood by a carrier called lipoprotein and returns it to the liver. High levels of good cholesterol can reduce the risk of developing heart diseases and diseases of the arteries.
High levels of bad cholesterol do exactly the opposite. The main idea is to keep the good cholesterol high and the bad low.
How can we manage for our cholesterol levels?
Exercise and changing bad habits are amongst the best ways of achieving better levels of good cholesterol. Healthy eating is important with a balanced diet of that removes the foods that will cause increased levels of bad cholesterol.
According to The Health Center a diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables that are low in calories and fat and contain a number of vitamins and antioxidants is important. Lower the eating of fried foods, red meat in order to reduce the intake of saturated fats. Turkey, chicken and fish are much better for you. Carbohydrates are important and should be part of the diet but not in large quantities. For more information on this check out www.thehealthcarecenter.com
Healthy eating is great but it also has to be enjoyable. Once you decide to live a healthy life-style and change your eating habits it’s amazing how you will always find information about what to cook, what to eat, great menus and delicious recipes.These can be found in book stores, magazines targeted to healthy living and of course on the internet. One site that I find very informative is The Food Network site. It has excellent, easy recipe ideas and lots of information on healthy living. The site can be found at www.foodnetwork.com
If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, be careful. It’s never too late to take steps to reduce and in some cases reverse arterial disease. Listen to your doctor, be informed, and get a second opinion if necessary.
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