Advice for men who want to look ripped

To look cut, with great muscle definition, many people have the misconception that you need to hit the gym. That's the general belief: lift less weight and do more reps for definition. For bulk, lift heavier weight and do fewer reps.

The idea that less weight tones muscles is wrong. Less weight and more reps builds endurance. For explosive power, do fewer reps with heavier weight. Just remember that to really increase strength the general consensus is that you have to work with at least 60% of your maximum lift (the heaviest weight at which you can complete a singe repetition). Definition is not an issue when deciding how many reps to do and how much weight to lift.

In reality, there is no such thing as lifting for definition. Muscular definition is one thing: muscle mass minus body fat. You cannot lift to make your muscles more defined. To look ripped, you have to shed some fat.

It starts with your diet. You have to eat right. There are many ways to eat right. One thing that works well for almost everyone is to cut out milk and milk by-products (creamers for coffee) from the diet. Also, don't eat any complex carbohydrates after lunch. A perfect dinner might be salad and tuna fish.

In addition to lifting weights, do cardio often. Many people are afraid that they will lose muscle by doing cardio. In reality, doing cardio (in addition to eating well) is the only way to get cut because you have to lose that body fat. The more cut you are, the more jacked you look.

In conclusion, lift weights, eat well, do cardio, and look ripped.

Advice for Healthy Living in 2006

With the New Year now upon us, it's important to give pause and consider making some positive changes regarding the state of your health. As they say, there’s no time like the present. People the world over often make resolutions to do something to better themselves in the coming year. In 2006, consider doing something that will benefit your overall health. The following suggestions may just help to ensure that you’re able to make New Year’s resolutions for many years to come.

Get a Check-up - An excellent place to start when considering lifestyle changes is with an honest assessment of your health. At this stage, it wouldn't hurt to consult with your physician. Why not make an appointment for your annual physical exam? This way, you can begin the year with an accurate assessment of your physical state. Your doctor will be able to focus your attention on areas that are of immediate health concern. This is especially important if you’re a smoker, if you’re overweight, or if you have any significant health issues that might prevent you from performing simple daily tasks.

Drink More Water - Make another profound difference to your health by consuming more water. Many people make the mistake of assuming that they’ve received enough water from the various pop, coffee and other beverages they’ve consumed in a day. This is not entirely accurate. Ideally, one should consume upwards of eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Water helps the body metabolize stored fats. It can also help your body cleanse itself of free radicals, which have been linked to cancer and other such ailments.

Get Moving - Exercise is yet another effective way to maintain optimal health. That’s not to say that one has to become entirely committed to working out each and every day, but it’s in every individual’s best interest to perform some form of activity 3 times per week. Physical exercise can be performed in a wide variety of ways to keep it fun and interesting. For instance, the simple act of walking is a highly effective form of exercise. It’s one that can be completed without supervision, without props, and without any previous experience working out. Joining a gym has a number of direct benefits as well. Not only will you have access to some excellent equipment, but you will also benefit greatly from the fitness knowledge that most personal trainers possess.

Pay Attention to Nutrition - Diet also plays a significant role is one's overall health. Everyone should be familiar with the dietary guidelines established by the leading health agencies and authorities. The "food pyramid" is by far the most popular set of published nutritional guidelines. The food pyramid advises people to include all of the major food groups - grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat (or protein) - in their diets. Keep in mind that the food pyramid is merely a nutritional guideline. The dietary needs of each individual will vary drastically, and what’s ideal for one person isn’t necessarily ideal for the next.

By following these few simple suggestions, you can take control of your health and your life in 2006. Good luck!

Advice for a Better Health

If you want to feel good, real good, here’s what you should do.

1. Walk Tall. The most significant effort you can make to boost your morale is to let the world see a new, confident You. And the first step towards that is to walk talk and confident, strutting through life as if you know exactly where you’re headed.

2. Empower Yourself. There is no greater feeling of power than that which is endowed by knowledge. Identify the areas you would like to empower yourself and take a go at it. Is it Art? History? Politics? Economics? Science? Technology? What stops you from picking up books, surfing the Internet or even just asking questions?

3. Energize Yourself. When you breathe in, imagine you are breathing in all the goodness of the world, allowing your system to be nourished and refreshed by it. Having thus cleansed your system, when you breathe out, your emotional toxins are dispelled. Enjoy the new sense of power you feel!

Breathe in and say, “I’m powerful,” breathe out and say, “I’m beautiful.” Repeat this a number of times and you will feel a new rush of blood through your body.

4. Feel Good About Yourself. Learn to love yourself and the life you lead. Yes, it could be better and you can make it so. But if you don’t like how things are going, that is no reason to waste what you already have in hand in the hope of what you can make of it. Remember, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush! There will always be those extra kilos to shed, those qualities you wish your partner had, that car you wish to buy, or the house you wish to own

5. Get Fit. Being fit and healthy is the greatest energy and confidence booster you can give yourself. Instead of blaming yourself for not eating right and for binging on the wrong things, cultivate some positive addictions. Try going for a daily dose of exercise: be it a walk, a workout at the gym or just floor exercises at home.

6. Eat Judiciously. Rather than feeling dejected at the weight you keep putting on because of a junk food eating habit, develop the habit of eating healthy foods to keep yourself fit and slim. It is said that you can actually eat to remain slim by eating right. Experts opine that the process of chewing and digesting foods such as celery, mushrooms, broccoli and tomatoes, when not fried, actually makes you expend more calories than you take by eating them.

7. Remain Calm. This is indeed a rare quality and if you were to successfully cultivate it more than half of your life’s worries would be over. Stress and tension are the cause of more diseases than we know of. Fatigue and irritability are also caused by stress.

Adjustable Beds - Not Just For the Elderly!

In an ever increasing market for the ultimate Sleep System, most people still believe that the Adjustable Bed which was originally used in Hospitals and Homes for the Elderly are still that. A bed that can help the elderly in and out of bed! Although they are extremely helpful in these situations, they can also be very important for anybody in today’s lifestyle.

Now any sincere knowledgeable mattress salesman won’t push the watching TV or reading in bed, it’s not something that we should recommend. But with today’s lifestyles, this has become a normal way of life for some people. Sitting in bed watching TV, working to make the big deadline is OK, if that’s your choice. But propping up two pillows every 3 minutes is probably not doing any good to your back or any other part of your body for that matter. If this sounds like you, maybe your next mattress purchase should have an adjustable base as well.

There are many “side affects” from poor sleep and sleep habits that might also be a clue for you to check out the benefits of the adjustable bed. Some of the health issues are back problems, neck and shoulder pain, arthritis, circulatory problems, gastric reflux at night, snoring, breathing problems. Not only does an adjustable bed provide serious convenience with regards to helping people in and out of bed but there are many health benefits that can be taken advantage of for anyone.

Tossing and turning at night on their mattress is the most common reason that people don't sleep well at night. The main reason people toss and turn at night is pressure points; traditional coil and spring mattresses put pressure on different areas of your body causing restricted circulation to those areas, when your body becomes uncomfortable you turn to a new position. Another reason for tossing and turning is improper spinal alignment. All traditional mattresses are flat but our bodies are curved, the traditional mattress fails to offer the lumbar region enough support often allowing your lower back and hips to sink below the rest of your body. This causes pressure and discomfort in that area which causes your body to turn to a new position.

Adjustable sleep systems offer you several great benefits. Obviously, the adjustable base is only that, an adjustable base. To get all the benefits out of your adjustable base you need the proper mattress to work with it. Together they can create a totally pressure free environment while you sleep. Many studies have been done with the space program; the best known is the creation of memory foam. But there is more that was learned from the way astronauts sleep in space. Well our astronauts sleep in a totally pressure free environment experience all the time, floating in space. In studying the way astronauts sleep in space we have discovered a few interesting things. First off, their heads stay slightly elevated allowing for easier breathing. Secondly and probably more importantly, we see that their knees naturally bend and elevate slightly above the heart. This position takes pressure off the spine and allows for increased blood flow to the heart.

Only an adjustable bed can mimic this extremely comfortable and healthy position. Keeping your body in our natural sleep position reduces the pressure on your skeletal frame more than 85% ensuring you will get the deepest most restful sleep possible.

What to Look For

An adjustable sleep system consists of two parts, the base and the mattress.

The Base: There are really two types of adjustable beds, the commercial model used in Hospitals and regular consumer models. The commercial product is very heavy duty and usually has rails on the sides to help someone pull themselves up. These models are extremely expensive and are not very esthetically pleasing for home use, unless your health requires it.

- Concentrate on the frame construction; you want the heavy duty construction with the look of an elegant piece of furniture. Preferably, a regular box spring appearance giving you the ability to dress it how you like it.
- Look for quality motors at the “head and foot.” Make sure they are UL Listed and CSA approved. Preferably a Freefall Design so the head and foot sections lower by gravity only, this will ensure the motor gets extended life. Also ensure that it’s equipped with insulated rubber wheels for smooth, quiet operation.
- A Polarized “Modular” electrical system is the way to go as it ensures you won’t have any stray wires and with the plug-in feature makes service a snap.
- Look for at least a 50 degree incline at “both head and foot”, 60 degrees is optimal.
- Make sure the legs have threaded glides allowing you to adjust the height of the bed to your liking.
- Now depending on your preference, make sure there’s the availability of a massager. I don’t know about you but I like the massager, it provides that little bit extra pampering you need at the end of some days. Some brands you have no choice, either you get it and pay for it or you can’t get it. Having a choice is always nice.
- Same goes for the remote, it’s nice to have the choice between wired or wireless.

The Mattress: Your mattress is the single most important component of any bed, adjustable or not, even if your foundation was the corner of 4th and Main. The proper mattress should provide the proper support, pressure relief and spinal alignment even in this situation.

- Many companies only offer coil and spring mattresses with their adjustable bases. This is not exactly the best case scenario. The coil and spring mattresses are not very pliable and don't really work well with an adjustable base and often need replacing every five years.
- There are other very luxurious choices “at a fraction of the price” that you would benefit from with use of your adjustable base. All are designed to offer you pressure relief, proper spinal alignment and a more breathable sleep surface. Air Mattress Beds work well with the adjustable base when they are equipped with horizontal chambers, the chambers follow the contour of the bed nicely. Although this works well, it’s still not the optimal choice.
- Try looking at a Memory Foam or Latex mattress, these mattresses are made from highly specialized foams and are more durable and pliable than coils and springs, as a result they will work in unison with the adjustable base to provide you with the ultimate adjustable sleep experience. Not to mention your mattress will most probably last for its intended life and these foam mattresses can go for twenty years.
- The final tip is to stay away from the deal that promises, “Mattress Included” rarely does this mean your getting any quality in the mattress they’re giving you. Just “FOAM” doesn’t mean Memory or Latex foam; check it out to make sure.

So depending on your lifestyle or if your health dictates (I hope this isn’t the case) check out all the health and convenience benefits of a quality adjustable bed, but don’t forget the “quality” mattress!!

ADD As An Adult - What's It Like?

Attention Deficit Disorder is often difficult to diagnose in adulthood as it sometimes masked by relationship problems, mood disorders, substance abuse, employment issues, or other psychological disorders. It was previously believed that children and adolescents would grow out of ADD, but it has just been acknowledged in the last few decades that it persists into adulthood. Actually, 67% of children with ADD will continue to exhibit signs well into adulthood. ADD is very difficult to diagnose in adults and sometimes only occurs after a child of the adult is diagnosed and the genetic link is made.

How is Attention Deficit Disorder exhibited in adults? Actually, in much the same ways as in children. Adults with ADD often have difficulty in completing assignments, fail to pay close attention to details, fidget, are inattentive, are unorganized, and talk excessively. Unfortunately, adult ADD is often commingled with lack of self-control, poor memory, anxiety, depression, mood swings, employment issues, chronic lateness, and difficulties regulating motivation, emotions and arousal. Like their child counterparts, these behaviors cause an inability to function in every day activities, which can especially cause a problem in employment situations.

Adults that have grown up being undiagnosed as having ADD often suffer from low self-esteem and feel like they are stupid, lazy, or even crazy. Diagnosing them as adults may lay to rest lifelong perception issues they may have had with themselves and may allow them to improve on self-esteem, as well as work skills and performance. It is believed that these reasons could actually be the basis for the depression and other psychological issues they have as adults.

Treatment for adults often includes medication, education, behavior skill building to better cope with their disorder, and counselling. Stimulant medication, as with children, may be the first stage in treatment. However, this is not a cure and should be coupled with behavior modification to reach full potential. Counseling may very well be an important aspect of treatment, as ongoing psychologically issues have been present. Likewise, just being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder may cause reason to seek counseling in order to come to terms with the diagnosis.

The important thing for an adult to remember when they have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder is that there is help available and treatment is easily attainable. They should find comfort in understanding the root of their behavior and actions and knowing help is available.

ADD And College Students - How Does It Affect Them?

Unfortunately, Attention Deficit Disorder does not necessarily fade with age. Many people that suffer as a child will continue to suffer as a teen, as well as into adulthood. However, this disorder may affect people differently at different stages in their life.

College can be a difficult time for some students. For many, this represents a time of breaking free and starting their new uninhibited lives. This may be an exciting and emotional time. How does a college student with ADD face such a time?

For a person with Attention Deficit Disorder, this may prove to be a harsh time of transformation. Typically coming from families that were especially doting and accommodating to their situation, they are thrown in to a new environment to fend for themselves. One of the basic behavior modification techniques in training an ADD child is through structure, routine, and habit. At once, all of this is taken and it becomes the student’s responsibility to recreate this structured life they once had. Of course, a person with ADD is typically disorganized and unstructured. So, they may have a difficult time having the discipline to enact such stringent requirements for themselves.

Another aspect to consider is the increased difficulty in the academic load in college as compared to high school and the additional responsibility put on the students. Not only will the student be responsible for their own organization and structure, they will do so under more stress and academic pressure. This increasingly more difficult schoolwork is not made easier by the student’s general inattentive nature, distractibility, and impulsiveness. The very core of ADD makes college more difficult. With any luck, the student has spent enough time over the last few years regulating their own behavior that they will easily be able to in this new environment.

For the most part, the same steps should be taken in college to deal with ADD as was necessary in high school and other grades. To be effective, a student should carry some type of organizational calendaring system or digital organizer. In college, they do not hold the students’ hands like they do in high school – once an assignment is made, it is expected to be turned in on time, without reminders. Therefore, it becomes imperative to keep up with deadlines and dates. Students should also create structure and organization in their dorm or apartment and utilize the same skills they have been developing for years.

ADD And Coexisting Conditions - Why Is It So Complicated?

ADD is often accompanied by a coexisting condition. On the other hand, often ADD and these other conditions have similar symptoms and, therefore, are easily misdiagnosed. Of course, this creates a plethora of problems as these disorders, when separate, must be treated differently. A misdiagnosis will lead to ineffective treatment. As coexisting conditions, these are especially of concern, because they increase the severity of many of the symptoms of ADD, as well as the negative impact on those that suffer them.

One such condition is Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder. Children with this disorder tend to be very aggressive and defiant. They usually lose their tempers very easily and challenge authority figures. This is the most easily diagnosable behaviors, as teachers and parents become aware of this conduct quickly and seek treatment almost immediately. This particular disorder is common in children that are the hyperactive/impulsive type of ADD and occurs in 35% of children with ADD. This coexisting condition makes it much more likely that these sufferers will get in legal trouble as they age due to their authoritative defiance.

Many children that have ADD also suffer from mood disorders and/or depression. The complication associated with this coexisting condition is the increased likelihood of suicide common during teen years. 18% of ADD children also suffer from some type of mood disorder, and is it more likely to occur within the inattentive type of ADD. This is often not as easily diagnosed as compared to other conditions. Children with mood disorders as a coexisting condition must be treated with different medication than typical ADD treatment; therefore, such therapy may be more difficult.

Also a concern is anxiety disorders among ADD sufferers, which constitutes roughly 25% of those with ADD. Traits common of Anxiety Disorders are fear, panic, and worry, which may necessitate medication and/or counseling. As with mood disorders, combined treatment make therapy more complex and arduous.

Learning Disabilities are also conditions common with children that have ADD. While ADD, in itself, is not a learning disability, it can make it extremely difficult for children to perform well in school. If coupled with a learning disability, it makes it considerably more challenging for children to grasp academic concepts and utilize such knowledge.

For the most part, coexisting conditions make treatment more difficult and the side effects of both disorders more severe. The typical signs and symptoms of ADD are difficult enough to deal with, but with more intense severity, it often makes side effects deadly or incredibly negatively life altering.

You’ve lost the Weight, but how clean are you on the inside where it Counts?

In today's age and world, being slim, shapely, possessing ripped abdominal muscles and toned arms seems to be the aim of a vast majority of the people you see spending tons of hours working out at gyms. These same people spend loads of money on the new weight-loss pill or supplement guaranteed to 'make you eat less and increase your metabolism...' and in spite of whatever side effects the product may contain, the average Joe, still thinks this quick fix will be worth the risk. In truth, some of these people have luck with these efforts, and yes they possess the ever so ripped and toned muscles we as a society admire so much. However, the fact that needs to be accepted and pondered upon thoroughly is: 'Whatever is not built on a proper foundation will eventually crumble!' Most fitness experts and bodybuilders atrophy and wear down prematurely as sooner or later, these muscles 'blown up' with unnatural substances have a tendency to pretty much deflate. Moreover, 'ripped' muscles and supposed 'feats' of strength DO NOT depict proper and optimal health. There is a saying that is known to every culture which goes:” you are what you eat...” What you eat plays arguably the most important role on your overall health and fitness, thus PROPER DIET should be the most important factor of any and every health seeker. What then should one eat? In a nut-shell: yes as boring as it may sound- Fruits and Vegetables. These substances possess the abilities to not only provide the necessary fuel needed for day to day activities, but play important and vital roles in 1. Providing the alkaline reserves in the body for balancing chemical metabolism within. 2. Cleansing the digestive and excretory tract as they act as the much needed intestinal broom to sweep these 'pipes' (as you may call them) clean to function properly in their duties of nourishing and cleansing the body. 3. Keeping the body fit, trim and in shape WITHOUT the unwanted side effects of toxic and artificial substances such as pills and supplements. Sure, it is a great feeling to be able to see the awesome cuts in your 'abs' and arms when you look in the mirror, but feeling good on the inside as well and knowing that you are thoroughly cleansed internally should be of just as much importance as 'getting ripped'. As I stated in one of my previous articles, a quick and sure-fire method of attaining internal cleanliness and the added bonus of healthy weight-loss will be to undergo a fast. There are several methods of this tried and true method of healing and although it is covered to a degree in the free resources section of my website, you can always do some research on this radical; yet extremely effective method of internal purification and weight loss. In conclusion, the cleaner you are on the inside and the freer you are of toxicity the quicker you can and will attain your goal of being in shape.

Weight Loss At Work: Non-Food Rewards

The e-mail comes out at noon. "To celebrate your hard work this week, there is cake and ice cream in the big kitchen at 3 today. Be there!" The universal reward for hard work always seems to be food: cake and ice cream, a catered lunch for in-service training sessions, pizza for the overtime crew, bagels and cream cheese to brighten up a bleak Monday morning. Food seems to be the perennial favorite for any kind of work reward because it is universally accepted. Some of us (we hard core dieters) may pass on the sweet stuff but usually find something allowable. In a world where two thirds of us are overweight or obese, is there nothing else available as a gift that cuts across all individual interests? Recently, we had a whole week at my company devoted to employee appreciation. The primary rewards were, of course, food but other things were added: a company baseball cap, a hiking water container, a lunch bag, and a handwritten note of thanks to every employee from their supervisor. The cap was a bust for those of us with any modicum of fashion sense; the insulated flask and bag were food related, and the handwritten notes were superfluous - good supervisors show their appreciation of hard work constantly while a handwritten note from a harsh supervisor, no matter the "thanks" stated, means diddly squat to a resentful employee. The HAS to be something else, doesn't there? We human beings have few things totally in common and eating is the primary universal. Other common bodily activities such as urination and defecation are not easily translatable into some kind of reward system. We are all involved in physical activity, to some degree, but that is often more a chore than a delight. When it comes to our other senses, we all differ so much that one person's pleasure is another person's pain: music, perfume, pictures, or massages are differential tastes rather than general givens. Money is almost always acceptable but the small amounts that would be individually generated to replace a free dessert or snack would be so minimal that their reward value would be insignificant. So what can those of us on a permanent diet, and alarmed about our coworkers' increased girth, suggest? How about plants? Small individual pots or a larger department shrub would save our waistlines while adding to the health and esthetics of our environment. I calculate, just within my call center, that if a plant had been given to each department, instead of an edible goodie, for celebrations over the past 5 years, that I would now be working in a lush rain forest of exotic plants where the stale re-processed air conditioned air would be purer, more humid, and a thousand times fresher. Morale booster and health benefits in one fell swoop! How about the gift of time? In our overly busy pressured lives, who would not be immensely grateful for a free hour here or there. Rotate it through each department, letting one or two people leave early on a Friday afternoon. That would means something and would carry no cost so upper management should be ecstatic. Instead of a handwritten note, how about getting Supervisors to perform their subordinates work duties for an hour or so, once in a while? Can you imagine the morale boost for an employee to get off the telephone, or the machine, or the computer, and shoot the breeze with friends for an hour while their duties are performed by their supervisors? And if mistakes are made - so much the better. It creates a sense of equality and inter-relationship between workers and supervisors that is generally lacking in a corporate environment. How about free "Get out of jail" cards for every line worker? Each person gets one free card and additional cards can be given by supervisors for outstanding work, ensuring that the better workers have more cards. The cards can then be used as excuses for small transgressions - coming in a little late, leaving early, making minor mistakes. With the use of the card, a worker avoids verbal coaching, warnings, or being put on report. And let employees use their cards for coworkers who may need them - think of the teambuilding that would accomplish! Flexibility of hours, assignments, and days, is another area where workers will universally respond: not to money, or food, but to accommodation of individual needs. Give each employee a wish card and then allow them to use it to get something they need. What does all of this accomplish? It allows for employee rewards without fats and carbohydrates. Now isn't that worthwhile? P. S. I'm recommending this to my company. I'll let you know if they buy it!

Weight Loss: The All Natural way without Gimmicks

If you type up Weight Loss in a keyword tracker tool or in a search engine like Google, you will be alarmed to see how many searches in a day are being done on this subject alone. Take www.submitexpress.com for example, put ‘weight loss’ in their word tracking device; you will see that on a daily basis, more than 5000 searches are being done on how to lose weight. However, this shouldn’t be alarming, I mean the average person does have the desire to be liked, sought after and popular. This might explain why we are so captivated with celebrities and perhaps why we at times blindly follow whatever fad or trend they might propagate in the quest to lose weight and be slimmer, sometimes at the cost of our own health. An observation of Nature will show that no animal free of captivity is upholstered with excess weight and are oft times very fit, agile and sharp. This is because unlike man, all animals adhere to the simple laws of nature to maintain health which include eating the right foods for your type and getting adequate exercise. Well these are the basic laws, others might include getting sufficient rest, getting sunshine, interacting with others. There are so many myths and fads that promise to aid you in losing weight that when they are intelligently dissected will make you wonder what ever made you think to give them a shot, which is part of the reasons why I am writing this to inform you that as the slogan of my site on drugless healing says: “if one way is true, it is the way of nature”. Moreover, Nature bows at no alter, seeks neither praise nor applause, she only asks for a hearing, my friends. For weight loss, your best bet will be to embrace the three limbs of Naturopathy: -Proper Exercise -Proper Diet -Positive Thinking. Now I will explain each one in brief detail: PROPER EXERCISE: Now, there was a time, like almost everyone, that I assumed big and inflated muscles meant fitness and health. Wrong. Maybe it might depict strength-to a degree and that, for only a while, but you ask anybody about one of the greatest martial artists of all time, Bruce Lee, here was a guy who was said to do a thousand (1000) push-ups and other feats of strength and any picture of him shows he was not a blown up mass of muscle waiting to atrophy and deflate as is the case with most fitness experts and body-builders using artificial supplements, I mean look at the agedness depicted across their faces most of the time. This leads one to conclude that for exercise, basic Aerobic-with oxygen-exercises (such as walking, jogging, and dancing) and Anaerobic-without oxygen-exercises (such as push ups, pull-ups, dips, using the ab-wheel and weight lifting for body builders) can be sufficient without the use of synthetic products. For those who want an exercise for the mind as well as the body, Yoga definitely is unmatched. From my experience, if you were to do the Sun Salutations (hailed in Yoga, Martial Arts and African Wrestling as the ‘best exercise for humans’) which have been passed down from centuries with a proper and sensible diet, which I will be explaining soon, you are well on your way to weight loss and strength. Some Indians perform about a 100 plus rounds of this marvelous exercise on a daily basis and have immense fitness, strength, agility and virility. Add some other poses like the inversions (Shoulder-Stand), Forward Bends (Head to Knee Pose), Backward bends, Balancing Poses (arguably the best exercises to tone the arms, abdomen and restore a sense of balance and self confidence in humans who practice them) and you are bound to see the immense results. Speaking of emulating celebrities, well did you know Sting, Madonna, Russell Simmons, Beyonce and Prince all practice some form of Yoga and need I mention how fit and good they look? I could go on and on about Abdominal exercises and Breathing Exercises of the Yoga genre (which in the case of the latter is also EXTREMELY effective for weight loss) but that will be another subject in itself, the bottom line is: in my opinion, exercises that use the body’s weight for resistance such as Yoga, Calisthenics and Pilates are arguably the best for the human body. Have you ever seen a chimpanzee lifting rocks repeatedly? Yet that distant cousin of humans can rip a door off a car and is easily 8 times stronger than an average modern day human. Still, if we share about 98% DNA with this primate (as well as other apes), its evidence to make one wonder how much healthier and fit we would be by adhering and living as close as possible to Nature’s laws of diet and exercise. PROPER DIET -“You are what you eat” (Anonymous) -“Let your foods be your medicine and your medicine your food” (Hippocrates, the father of medicine) -“Every herb bearing seed and every tree bearing fruit with seed in it shall be yours for food” (Gen 1:29) From these radical quotes above, it should be plain to see that most modern day meals and mixtures are totally against Nature’s intent for us as humans for fitness, agility and strength. It will be safe to say that if you want to lose weight, re-read these three quotes and the proper diet will stare you right in the face: Fruits and Vegetables. Admittedly, and you can take this from a guy who was a raw vegan for several months, (Now, I mostly fast and eat mono meals of fruit and raw or cooked vegetables every other day) that might be kind of hard to accomplish or adhere to. Well, if you approach it the wrong way, being radical in nature and as with all things that don’t have a strong foundation, you may be bound to fail. The good news is there are several books on the subject of this kind of a diet and though adequately addressed in the core e-book of my site, you can type up Vegan Diets, Raw Vegan Diets, Vegetarianism in any search engine to be educated-to a degree- on the subject. I have experimented with each of the three kinds of diets and have been on the Standard American diet and am now of the firm belief that the first two and maybe the third if done sensibly and wisely are the best for humans, period! I touched on the subjects of internal cleanliness and non-animal product diets in my article available in my blog and some article directories under the title “Is a Low-Carb, High Protein diet the best for weight loss?” but I will briefly state again that based on the quotes above, and the facts that this diet has been proven countless times to be the best (Ask Bill Pearlman-four times Mr. Universe winner!), without the need for much of an argument, a diet free of animal products is simply the best for humans. For an idea of a daily menu, you can look for my article “How to Cure Acne in 10 days” in some of the major article directories online, last time Google did its spider crawl, it came up in most of them but I also put in my blog for my readers just in case. I’ll leave you with this factor to consider though on the subject of proper diet, based on the anthropological approach of several authors of Naturopathy, and from simple observations, we as primates, just like our distant cousins, the great apes, are frugivores, eaters of mainly fruits and green leaves and it cannot be a co-incidence that these substances make up the mucus-less or alkaline forming foods that even science has proven to be the best for human life and of course, weight loss. POSITIVE THINKING: Some quotes from perhaps the most rugged book ever put together, that being the Bible, bring to mind just how important it is to think positively-and wisely so-in any endeavor one is undertaking. “As a man thinks in his heart; so is he…” and “Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life”. That stated, what you constantly think over and over is eventually what comes to pass. The mind has such powers that are beyond human comprehension at times, but according to the author of the “Power of Positive Thinking”, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, “You are what you are now based on your thoughts five years ago and will be in five years what you constantly think of yourself now.” Although one’s thoughts are very important, without taking the steps to act on them (of course when they are constructive and positive) they do end up being a waste, but your reading this article does depict a desire to want to improve yourself be it through weight loss or any other factor. Like with any journey in life, of course, you will have times when you may want to give up, lose faith or focus and consequently get off the path to success, which may explain why most people fail at diets and fads in the quest of losing weight, well, my friend, you will have to literally tune your thinking to be positive so as to overcome the doubts and fears as you go about accomplishing your goals. It honestly will be easier applying the two other limbs of drugless healing above for weight loss as they do go hand-in-hand. In conclusion, forget the fads and hypes. For a healing program to be successful at anything, especially weight loss, it must cover the three limbs of health: diet, exercise and positive thinking. It is my hope that this article will show you how to choose the best methods of attaining not only weight loss, but fitness and health on the inside and out.

Weight Loss: Tweaking Your Lifestyle

Despite our national propensity to overeat, under-exercise, and grow steadily heavier and more out of shape, we all yearn to be slender, fit, and attractive. Our culture rewards the thin and the beautiful; look at how we devour celebrity gossip, mesmerized by the looks and energy of our current favorites. Why the discrepancy between our aspirations and our reality? There are a plethora of reasons, most of which can be traced to the simple fact that life gets in the way. “I’d love to cut back on my food intake,” we think, “But I have to attend all these work functions and have little control over the meals that are served.” “I would really like to get in shape,” we complain, “But there’s no free time and I can’t afford a personal trainer like the movie stars I see.” “I really want to take care of my skin and my body,” we wail, “But I’m so busy that a quick shower and a slap of moisturizer is all I can fit into my schedule.” It would be so wonderful to have loads of free time: to plan our days; to cook low calorie, healthy meals; to exercise without time constraints; to be able to pamper ourselves without the pressure of deadlines. Unfortunately, our lives are too hectic for that to happen in the foreseeable future. We can throw up our hands in frustration and join the legions of the overweight and the unfit, or we can work out a personal plan that fits within our lifestyle, taking us where we want to go, albeit not quite as quickly or completely as we would prefer. Your life, your time, the demands and responsibilities you face, vary on an individual basis. You will need to calculate what works for you, and what cannot be realistically accommodated. Here are some ideas to consider: 1. Diet Eating on the run, at your desk, or on the rubber chicken circuit, wreaks havoc with even the best-laid diet plans. If you weigh even a pound more than you’d like, try to identify where you are going astray. If fast food on your way to an appointment is your downfall, look at what you order. Almost all drive-thrus these days offer salads. The problems with those salads can be minimized by throwing away the little bag of croutons (fried) and omitting the packaged dressings (loaded with fat). Carry your own individual container of low calorie dressing, opt for (unsweetened) ice tea, black coffee, or a diet soda, and avoid those sugar-laden colas like the plagues they are. If you lunch at your desk, ask yourself what are you eating? If it’s takeout, by all means have a cheeseburger or a sandwich. Just discard the bread or bun and eat with a plastic knife and fork, cut into raisin-sized pieces that will fill you up fast. French fries and onion rings? You just don’t want to go there. Is your office always filled with snacks and treats (as most of them seem to be these days)? When the snacks come by, go to the bathroom or, better yet, take a brisk walk around the building to beef up your “won’t” power and clear the vision of goodies from your head. If business lunches, dinners, or those awful meeting banquets are your obstacles, plan ahead. Lunch is relatively easy: salad (with your own dressing, of course) or fish and cottage cheese are available almost anywhere. For dinner, try two low calorie appetizers instead of an entrée. Best of all is something that you have to work at – crab legs, unpeeled shrimp, an artichoke (hold the hollandaise) – it will take a lot of time and no one will notice how little you are actually eating. Banquets are particularly difficult because a plate is plunked in front of you, filled with food you would never order by choice. Cut whatever protein and vegetables there are into little pieces and chew slowly. Spread the rest out over your plate and play with it to delay the onset of a syrupy dessert. Get a cup of black coffee and place it squarely in front of you to thwart that eager-beaver waiter who keeps trying to slide a plate of pie onto your table. Entertaining in the home creates a different set of problems because usually you know the hostess and want to avoid creating any bad feelings. Fall back on allergies as no one wants to see you break out in hives in the middle of their party. Carry a club soda or mineral water with you and no one will notice that you’re not drinking. Over a period of time, these little changes can have a significant impact on your weight. If you’re hungry when you get home, make sure that you have some liquid protein or a health shake available to complete your daily nutritional needs. 2. Exercise. With the best of intentions, millions of us purchase gym memberships. If we all actually used them on a regular basis, as we promise ourselves we will, there would be waiting lines spilling into the streets. Health clubs can keep signing up more and more members because they know that the number of regulars will stay about the same as the new enrollees will show up in a burst of initial enthusiasm but within a few short weeks will gradually fade away. Unless you have a job with very regular hours, something few of us enjoy these days, it’s difficult to commit to going somewhere on a regular basis. We mean to go but then an important meeting comes up, our significant other asks us to do something, or the kids pester us to drive them somewhere. Our high demand lives almost force us to obtain our exercise at home. Television is replete with home equipment that promises to flatten our abs, define our pects, and re-sculpt our entire bodies. Despite their assurances that the equipment easily folds away, we know our apartments can never accommodate a Bowflex or a Nordic Track. Where do those buyers live? In the suburbs, we suspect, where the expensive equipment is soon relegated to the basement or the garage to gather dust until some future yard sale comes along. Equipment, except for minimal contraptions such as elastic bands and hand weights, are just too much trouble, and setting them up takes too much time. Slipping exercise into your schedule is most easily handled (and therefore more likely to be regularly repeated) by pursuing activities that can be initiated without any preparation time, special clothes, or long periods free of interruption. The old standbys of pushups, situps, stretches with weights, yoga, and calisthenics have stood the test of time for a reason. They can be inserted into your crowded schedule at odd moments of the day and require no preparation except a short warm-up. Some of the newer programs: callanetics, pilates (some), killer exercises, and video workouts also fit these requirements. When you unexpectedly find a secret half hour free, take a walk and, if you can, magnify its benefits with an occasional bout of sprinting. Such a plan may not make you into a Mr. or Ms. Universe but it will keep you limber and semi-fit while avoiding that energy-devouring guilt you develop when you set your sights too high and then fail to follow through. 3. Taking care of yourself. We have all read the accounts of Cleopatra bathing in asses’ milk to bleach and smooth her skin. But she was a Queen, for heaven’s sake! She didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to fight the traffic into the office. She didn’t have to take care of a husband, a house, or a child. You’d have the time to leisurely bathe if it weren’t for cleaning the house, washing the clothes, finishing that report for the office, helping the kids with their homework, cooking dinner, and picking up Aunt Mildred at the airport. We know we need to take care of ourselves. We want to perform the routines that will stave off the signs of age that wait just around the corner. We would love to take a long daily bath or shower, polish our skin to perfection with a loofah and scrubbing powders, envelop ourselves in skin softeners and lotions, and pamper our face and hair with special cleansers, masques, and skin brighteners. Again, our lives get in the way. We work out a minimal routine of makeup remover, toner, and moisturizer. We shampoo our hair when we can and occasionally find the time for a special oil treatment or facial. It is hard to be fully motivated when the signs of age are brief and fleeting. When I have more time, we tell ourselves, I’ll work on it. Twenty years later, the wrinkles have set in, the jowls have puffed out, and our skin carries the scars of sun, wind, and gravity. Then we bemoan our lack of care through the years and try to minimize the ravages of time already indelibly imprinted on our looks. By all means, stick to your rapid daily routine. Sure, you could get up earlier in the morning and have time for more self-care but you’re already, like most working-age Americans, sleep-deprived. One solution is to identify one period a week when you can steal a couple of hours for yourself. Women, especially, shortchange themselves, too busy taking care of everyone else and ignoring themselves. Stake out your claim to that two hour window as if your life depended on it. Use it only for you. Use it to take deep treatments for your face or your hair. Use it to practice relaxation, listen to music, or walk in the rain. Use it to pamper every part of your body and spirit. Use it to think about yourself, and your goals, and your dreams. Use it to appreciate yourself and the good things life has brought you. Use it to lay plans for future self-development and use it to become your own best friend and confidant. Our lives are so filled up with what we have to do that our wants and internal needs are often unmet. In even the busiest and most demanding schedule, there are moments we can carve out for ourselves, but only if we absolutely insist on it. Right now is the time to become assertive about your own self. You too deserve a brief moment in the sun.

The Diet Bore.

You probably know a diet bore: there's at least one in every office, every group, and at every get-together. It's almost always female - men lose weight too but don't seem to feel the same compulsion to convert the entire world. Blame it on our innate female need to change everyone else. The diet bore is the one who knows the caloric count of every morsel you eat, and makes sure you know it too. She can expound, at length, on the relative merits of sugar, salt, protein and carbohydrates. She actually knows the difference (and explains it ad nauseum) between mono and unsaturated fats, transfats, and essential fats. She knows what's good for you and what terrible things will happen if you actually eat what's on your plate. She's the one who makes you cringe in a restaurant as she meticulously quizzes the poor waitress about how everything is prepared and cooked. She demands special substitutions and omissions and then complains that her meal is bland. She carries salt and sugar substitutes in her tote along with her trusty food value books and a calculator to loudly total the calories and carbs she (and you) has consumed. She causes more of us to fall of our diets than Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders combined because she makes the whole concept of losing weight so damned boring that we don't want anything to do with it. As we happily pig out on our spaghetti and meat balls (with garlic toast), we can take comfort in noting that the diet bore, despite the breadth of her knowledge and her too public weight control efforts, is always a little heavier than she should be. Maybe she bores herself too?

What Are You Willing To Do To Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals

What are you willing to do to achieve your weight loss goals? I’m approached quite regularly about which diet is best, which book would I recommend and what exercise program should a person follow. People think they can just purchase a book to read and then some sort of magic occurs whereby reading it will cause their fat to magically disappear. Well, I’m here to break the news to you, the $40 investment in your weight loss book is just the start, there’s a lot of hard work and other expenses involved. Time Investment There’s time invested in your education (reading, watching videos etc), time you’ll spend exercising doing both cardio and weight training. There’s time spent creating your new meal plans as well as preparation of those meals the day before or days in advance. There’s time involved in doing extra laundry because you’re suddenly doing more exercising now on your weight loss journey. Let me ask you this: What’s your favorite television show? How much television are you watching in a given week? 1 Hour? Six? Are you willing to eliminate television to allow yourself time to go to the gym and prepare foods for the next day? If not, then don’t bother buying books that recommend food and exercise programs? It takes time to prepare food for 5 or 6 meals in a day and to go to the gym once or twice a day. Weight loss requires a time investment. Food Investment The quality of the food you put in your body is directly proportional to the quality of your cells. It’s your cells that create energy and make your various bodily systems run, and if they’re given the best quality food, then they’re able to regenerate and be healthy. Conversely, low quality food creates a low quality cell. A low quality cell is not up to the demand of generating energy nor the proper removal of wastes which then results in sickness and disease. In conversation with a fellow regarding his food program and how he could make corrections to his diet to improve his health, burn fat, improve his workouts and achieve his weight loss goal, I suggested a few “new” products. Oatmeal, some whole grain wraps, spring mix salad, and Essential Fatty Acid, Almond butter and whole grain basmati rice were a few places to begin. “You didn’t tell me how expensive it was going to be!” was his response. Well, I don’t consider it expensive, so I would not have said that it was. Our cells are our power plants in our body. Our body is constantly rebuilding itself daily and hourly. Our skeleton replaces itself once a year and the muscular lining of our stomach and our intestines is replaced every 3 to 4 days so it only makes sense to give it the highest quality food. Doesn’t it? You’re probably going to come to the same conclusion that most other people do. The food I put in my body creates a healthy body and I must take care in my food choices. Whole grain oatmeal costs more money than cocoa puffs. Raw almonds cost more than hickory smoked almonds and you probably never knew what Essential Fats or Pro Biotics were. Weight loss requires an investment in food. Cutting Expenses To Reach Your Goal If you’re not able to increase the amount of food you eat financially or the quality of the food you eat (organic), then what are you willing to do to get it. Are you willing to cut some other costs? Are you willing to increase your sales at your job or home business to be able to afford this new change? The first reasonable step is to make some switches or replacements. Take note of non nutritional foods in your day - consider snacks, junk foods, coffee, pop, cigarettes (I hope you’re not still smoking), milk or dairy products, alcohol, vitamins, tums, Rolaids, pepto bismol etc and see how much you’re spending on a daily or monthly basis. Are you willing to replace these for higher quality nutritional foods that will support you in your weight loss goals? It can be a scary thought for some people. Others accept the challenge readily because they’ve truly committed to their weight loss goals and are willing to do Whatever It Takes! Switching and replacing is the easiest thing to do. Weight Loss requires sacrifice. Invest in Yourself Your body, your mind, your soul and becoming the best you can be is the single best investment you can make. Make the decision to eat the cleanest food you can, make the healthiest choices you can, begin to switch from non nutritional foods to nutritional foods and let go negativity in your life. Weight loss is easy, but requires some investment. Eat Well, Be Well Rob Cooper

The five CRITICAL things to do for your health and weight loss

I’m often asked what is the best diet, or the best food program, best exercise program and which single best book to recommend to improve your health, fitness or weight loss. The answer is that there is no best way to do it. There is no best book, and there is no right way or wrong way to do it. The 5 Critical things you must do to achieve your health are these 1. Continue to learn about health, fitness, nutrition and weight loss from a wide variety of sources The single most important thing to do right from the start is to take action and begin learning about health, followed very closely by putting what you learn into practice. We are a very diversified bunch of people and what works for you may not work for the next person. You have to find what works for you from a wide variety of sources, expand your knowledge and accept no one thing as being the best for your health. Keep reading, keep learning and keep what works for you and discard what doesn’t. Knowledge isn’t power, but “knowledge in action is power!” Some very simple things to keep in mind is that the body runs on food and if you give it the best quality food, in whatever manor that happens to be, then you’ll probably get some good results in general. Keep the nutrition to a maximum by eating as close to nature as possible, organic where possible and eliminating processed foods and trans fats. 2. Find a mentor. Someone who’s been there, done that and that you can model . I realized at quite an early age that if we can model someone who’s been there and done that and gotten results, then you can “cut to the chase” as it were to find out what works for your health and weight loss - what doesn’t and in doing so get results faster. Find a mentor, a role model for the things that you’re looking for. If it’s weight loss or to improve your health, find someone who’s walked in your footsteps and knows what you’re going through. Model them. Do what they did, repeat their process and contact them to ask what worked and what didn’t. You can save yourself a lot of time and effort by doing what works and skipping what doesn’t. 3. Apply the knowledge you learn about health on a daily basis This is where the taking action part comes in. You must begin to apply the knowledge you’ve gained from what you’ve read about health or watched and by talking with people who’ve been there before you. If you do not put it into practice then you’ve become an information junkie and not someone who follows through on their knowledge. You must begin to work the principles you’ve learned on a daily basis and keep at it. Without the trial and error, you get nowhere fast and won’t truly know what works and what doesn’t. 4. Repeat steps one, two and three Remember, there is no right way or wrong way to lose weight, improve your health or get what you want. You must continue to learn and challenge what you’ve read. I’m told that what I teach is wrong and I ask what were your results when you tried it? Well, they didn’t try it and so I then ask “what right do you have to tell me what I teach is wrong”. It may have worked for me or for many people I coach including yourself, but without trying it and challenging it, you won’t ever know. Keep learning about health, keep reading, keep applying what you’ve read and this new knowledge. Begin the process of filtering for yourself what will and won’t work for you. Remember this is about you, not me or the other guy, but what will help you achieve your weight loss goals or your health. This may very well be about applying certain fitness principles that sound so controversy that you figure they can’t possibly work. One of my favorite sayings is “believe nothing I say, but I challenge you to prove me wrong”. My intent is to have you try it. When I first begun my journey to lose 300 pounds, I read one book and I preached the principles like they were the gospel. I was finally told to “shut up” and read something else, so I took it upon myself to learn whatever I could about health and weight loss. I began to apply my new knowledge daily, found people who had used the info before and what they believed about it, what worked for them for their health and then discovered for myself what worked. Finally, I discovered the ultimate secret to health and weight loss. 5. Never give up. It never ends. In the large scope of your life, the next 30, 40, 50 or more years, what is a few days if you happen to get off track. Get right back on doing what you were doing, keep learning, keep trying new things, go back to what worked when it was working and keep up with your daily fitness routine. Probably the single most important fact about exercise or fitness is that our body is designed to move and we’ve gotten away from that. We must do something on a daily basis to exercise our body. Never give up. Never lose sight of the health you want and keep working towards your goal.

Recognizing Blind Spots In Your Fat Loss Program

Have you heard the joke about the person who orders a large cheeseburger and super sized fries and then asks for a diet soda because they are on a diet? Although this is an exaggeration it is a perfect way to explain what we mean by a blind spot. A blind spot is something that can sabotage your weight loss efforts and everyone sees it but you. Your blind spot may be one of the following or any number of things: • You binge on nutritionally void foods because they are "low fat" • You quench your thirst with diet drinks • Your exercise routine is very ineffective • You only eat out on weekends so you feel you can eat anything you want • You don't realize you are constantly snacking during the day These are just a few things to get your mind working on how you may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts. More than likely even if we read about our blind spot we won't recognize it – after all, it is a blind spot. So, how do you find out what your blind spots are? • Keep a journal of everything you eat for a month and then evaluate • Ask someone that you can trust and value their opinion • Pay a personal trainer to evaluate your exercise routine • Pay a registered dietician to evaluate your eating habits • Purchase a diet/exercise tracking software and let it evaluate your input. Recognizing your nutrition and exercise blind spots can help you achieve your healthy lifestyle, and ideal weight goals. I wish for you the best of health, Bill

Is Eating Right All The Time Causing You Stress?

Stress can stop your weight loss goals about as much as eating a family size bag of Nacho chips and a 2-Liter bottle of pop can. My approach to weight loss was in gaining my health. Losing 300 pounds was not the first thing that occurred to me, but rather “what could I do to get healthy and eat right”. It was a very strange approach given that I was obviously clinically obese and immediately needed some quick weight loss. I had no idea that our body used food in a very specific manor and that we could improve our energy levels by working with the body, not against it. There were some very specific rules to follow, so being the good student I followed them. It became a religion for me and as I preached it, I made many people quite crazy. I became an outcast because I had to prepare my food differently and would not eat with the gang at meal times. My food was prepared differently, eaten differently and eventually I even came to ask food servers to use different spatulas to flip my “veggie burger” from the grill. I followed the rules and I increased my energy. I began eating better and my energy levels increased enough that my weight loss began and I started to become lean and healthy. Then the stuff hit the fan Well, it hit their fan, not mine. Friends began to talk behind my back about wanting the old Rob back. In one instance, I was held down on a couch while cola was poured into my mouth against my will. They wanted their old funny, fat, life of the party friend back, not this health nut with all these food rules. I think I first became aware of being stressed about food at a birthday party I was asked to attend. It was a time of celebration, but do you want to know what I was thinking? “Do I or don’t I have a piece of cake?” “This is totally processed, unnatural food. No fiber, no wholeness and it contained sugars, lard and all kinds of other crap”. I had a whole bunch of thoughts about how this would affect my weight loss goals, my health and my eating habits. I was weighing the thoughts of being socially acceptable against the health choice of having this one little piece of cake. I thought about losing them as friends if I did not accept the cake and weighed it against the impact this poor food choice was going to have on my body. I had already lost friends because of my food choices and I really did not want to lose more. I’m sure you’ve been there yourself, having to make a decision based on your social status vs your health. It’s a very quick thought process, but you notice that your blood pressure goes up, your heart begins to beat faster, you begin to sweat… you know what I mean? I ate the cake. I felt like crap. I felt like crap on many levels and I was stressing about this excessively. I felt bad that I had to make that choice in this manner. I felt bad because the sugar was surging into my blood and I felt bad because I “thought about this way too much” At some point, you need to let go of it all. There is energy in food; in the love and people around you that prepared the food and the circumstances in which it’s eaten. Never eat a meal when you are upset or sad because you should be enjoying the meal and taking in all the goodness in what the earth has brought to your body. Take in all that goodness and let go of all the stress. Eat naturally as much as you can and increase the amount of whole foods in your diet. Make a choice to remove processed foods and beverages such as cola’s, fruit juices, coffee and traditional teas. Eat with a smile on your face and give thanks to everyone involved in bringing the meal, the nutrition and that energy into your body. Then when the time is right, have fun and enjoy the health you’ve created. There was a very dramatic shift in my life, my health and my weight loss when I made the choice to enjoy some foods again. I began to break my own rules and live my life. I began to have fun with food and fun came back into my life. Let go.

Is Barbecuing Really Healthier?

People used to question the nutritional effects of barbecuing because they were concerned about the fat content of traditional barbecue fare like hot dogs and hamburgers. That concern is valid, but it's easily avoided by substituting skinless chicken and fish. Unfortunately, researchers say there is still another concern about the health impact of barbecuing any animal meats; when they are cooked in the intense heat of the barbecue, substances are formed that have been clearly shown to be carcinogens (substances that can start the development of cancer). And these substances develop regardless of whether low-fat or high-fat, red meat or white meat is on the grill. In a landmark report on diet and cancer risk, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) notes that as meat - red or white - is cooked, natural substances that it contains react under intense heat to form compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that have been linked with increased cancer risk in some animal studies. The longer the cooking time and higher the temperature, the more these carcinogenic substances formed. Studies in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute have shown that people who frequently eat heavily browned or very well done meat are three to five times more likely to develop breast, colon and stomach cancer than those who eat it less often. Studies of rodents demonstrated that these HCAs are distributed to mammary (breast) tissue and cause changes in a cell's genetic material. However, we don't have proof that this process occurs in people. Does this mean that if you care about your health you must banish the grill? Not necessarily. Researchers note that how people barbecue affects the risks. For example, marinating meat or poultry even briefly before cooking reduces the amount of HCAs formed by about 96 percent. Partially pre-cooking meat for two minutes in the microwave just before grilling prevents 90 percent of the HCAs normally formed. Avoid the black char that often forms during grilling, since it is particularly concentrated in cancer-causing substances. Other carcinogens of concern come from the smoke. You can limit the meat's contact with smoke and decrease this risk if you raise the grill a little higher from the heat and choose leaner meats and trim all visible fat so it can't drip and cause smoking. Placing food in a foil packet also prevents smoking. The rest of your meal can reduce the risks of grilling as well. Antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables and soy foods seem to block some of the damage HCAs do to cells. Studies from Oregon State University demonstrate that substances in tea increase the body's ability to detoxify and excrete HCA before they do their damage. Look at the overall balance of your meal. AICR recommends that at any meal, animal protein like meat, poultry and seafood should occupy no more than a third of your plate. And that's especially true when it's grilled. By limiting your meat portion, you limit your exposure to HCAs and other carcinogens. And by enjoying a healthy portion of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you get loads of cancer-fighting, health-promoting nutrients and phytochemicals. If you want to grill some of these veggies, that's no problem, since the HCA reaction occurs only in foods with animal protein.

Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) And Weight Loss

It seems lately that I have come across an abundance of information on the benefits of consuming green tea. Because of this, I have been inspired to compile some of the information - specifically regarding green tea and weight loss. Green tea contains a number of things that are reported to be very healthful for you. Among these are: Tannins, phenols, polyphenols, and flavanoid compounds, the amino acid theanine, and catechins of which egcg seems to be the most beneficial. Some of the reported benefits you will see when researching green tea are: • Protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation • Protection against a number of different cancers • Increased life span • Protection of the brain • Increased antioxidant levels • Theanine has been reported to negate the jittery effect of caffeine, and heighten mental acuity and some have even said give a relaxed but aware state. • Last but not least are increased fat metabolism This increased fat metabolism is what is of most interest to people wanting to lose weight. It simply means the rate at which you burn calories and the body's ability to burn fat. The studies seem to point to a connection between the caffeine in green tea and the epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which causes a boost in noradrenaline. Noradrenaline helps your body boost your metabolism and suppress your appetite. Some experts recommend that you take a standardized green tea supplement which contains 90mg of EGCG and 50mg caffeine. Of course you should always consult your physician before taking any supplement, especially one with caffeine. Drinking green tea can be a pleasurable experience. I have tasted some very good green teas and I have tasted some that taste like what I imagine blended grass would taste like. My favorites seem to be the mixture of green tea and lemongrass. The best tasting ones I have found have been in health food stores or online. Don't give up on your first taste. Experiment around and try different flavors of green tea. You may find one or more that you just absolutely love. I generally microwave my green tea and drink it warm. I have brewed several bags at a time using boiling water and then place in the refrigerator for a nice cool beverage as well. Drinking green tea can also be an aid to weight loss if it takes place of another habit such as coffee with sugar or cola. I know many people who start the day with a sugar filled caffeine cola or sweetened iced tea. This is how they get their morning caffeine. Why not substitute green tea for this and enjoy the feeling and health benefits? Replace that after lunch cup of coffee with a cup of green tea. You will be doing something healthy for your body and you won't experience the "drop" that coffee can leave you with an hour or so later. Also enjoy a cup of green tea before your exercise routine, just be careful and do not consume it late in the afternoon. A cup of green tea contains about half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. If you are sensitive to caffeine – use caution or avoid all together. I am a believer in a healthy lifestyle to achieve your desired weight. If you know me or read any of my articles you also know that I am a believer in supplements – Only as an aid to a healthy lifestyle. Not a magic solution. I see green tea as an effective tool in your weight loss arsenal. Green tea seems like a wonderful addition to your daily life which may help you boost your metabolism, ward of sickness, and give you a gentle caffeine lift. Wishing you the best of health, Bill

Five Habits That Can Contribute To Being Overweight

Is your lifestyle contributing to your weight gain? For healthy people – weight gain is caused by simply consuming more calories than you burn. Unfortunately for most of us, our healthy lifestyle education comes in the form of a blaring commercial that is trying to convince us that eating this "lite" food or using that "miracle exercise machine" will lead to a healthy, fun, lean lifestyle! A healthy, lean lifestyle takes effort and education. Hopefully these five steps will get you started on a path to meet your weight loss goals. • Skipping meals and then overeating when you make time to eat. Skipping meals leads to blood sugar fluctuations, moodiness, and can even lead to overeating. Eat healthy meals and snacks at regular intervals. • Not moving your body. The body is designed to move. Period. Exercise can brighten your mood and lighten your body. • Drinking cola or sugar drinks when you are thirsty. When your body is thirsty it is asking for water. • Snacking on empty calories. Being fat free or low carb does not make it healthy. Empty calories (calories void of nutritional value) do nothing for your body. • Watching an abundance of TV. A recent article stated that you use less energy while watching TV than while sitting still! Most of us do these habits and are totally unaware of how unhealthy and destructive they can be. Of course this article is not telling you to never watch TV, or never snack – it is merely trying to raise your level of awareness of some things you may be doing that may be sabotaging your diet efforts. Observe your habits and ask yourself if they are contributing to a healthy lifestyle and an ideal weight or are they contributing to an unhealthy lifestyle and being overweight. Arm yourself with knowledge and achieve your ideal weight. I wish for you the best of health, Bill

Living with Your Diet

Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you throw everything out of your pantry. Although this sounds like great news for the supermarkets, over the short-term, this leaves very few choices for you to actually eat. Can you exist on salad, topped with Flax seed oil dressing, for the rest of your life? People believe that they must pay penance for their eating sins. Dietary and exercise torture seems to be good for the conscience and the prescription of the day. How else can we explain “off the wall” diets and “extreme” exercise programs? Whatever happened to eating in moderation and using common sense? Even if you are eating a “diet cookie,” you can’t have all you want. If you travel, or eat in restaurants frequently, you have to eat in moderation, space your meals out, carry healthy snacks, or visit the salad bar at your local supermarket. There are plenty of good choices, and it won’t cost you an “arm and a leg.” When you eat, you shouldn’t feel stuffed after a meal. This slows down your digestive system, similar to the principle of a “log jam,” and you may not eat for six hours or more, depending upon the amount of food consumed. This is a time when your body is crying to go for a walk. You should feel comfortably full every time you leave the table, and you should eat five or six times a day; three moderately-sized meals and at least two healthy snacks. Sorry to say, diet cookies are rarely healthy. If they were of nutritional value, I would live on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Diet. Now back to reality, if you love dessert, you can’t give it up for life. Depending on the state your health, you may have to seriously cut back. Therefore, consult with your family doctor, get a diet that makes sense, and please walk, swim, or exercise regularly.