The 8 Biggest Fitness Benefits Of Practicing Yoga

Yoga is a popular practice that many people are familiar with. It is constantly advertised and featured in many different magazines, websites and social media platforms. Yet, there are still some people who see yoga as a practice that only involves posing and stretching.

When yoga is properly practiced, it can improve your physical performance starting from your endurance, to speed and power. These physical improvements promote weight loss, wellness and overall good health. Yoga is useful whatever your profession as it can reduce stress. If you are a banker or real estate broker in Chicago, you can use yoga to release some of this stress.

Business owners know about this and some even organize free classes for their employees, like Kale Realty to name just one. If you want to learn more about it, read below about some of the many benefits that yoga can provide to your health.

It Elevates Your Athletic Performance

Seeing yoga videos will likely make you skeptical about its benefits on your athletic performance. After all, it is not like running or interval training where you have to lift weights and run long distances.

Yoga is not purely about poses and stretching. Some styles also involve hill sprints, sandbag training and sometimes, sledgehammer work (for advanced classes). The point of using yoga as a part of a healthy lifestyle is it enhances your fitness training but does not replace it.

This means yoga helps correct your posture, improve flexibility, heighten body awareness and educate body mechanics.

By adding this ancient practice to any workout program, you can make your fitness or weight loss training more efficient and effective by producing faster and more visible results.

It Promotes Hip Hinge Movement

Hikers, runners and crossfitters are people who utilize their hip hinge movements – the flexion and extension of your hip joints and muscles.

What yoga does is it provides a full range of hip movements and lessen the chances of getting injured while working out. Because yoga poses and stretches also keep your hip muscles loose, your body can properly hold your entire weight and keep you stabilized.

It Improves Your Endurance

Yoga is known to enhance blood circulation, digestion and motion range. These benefits further improve your endurance and help you sustain your exercise plan for the weeks or months to come.

The breathing techniques taught also help you control your respiration while in motion. This is why many long distance runners and sprinters apply yoga as an extra training plan. It opens their respiratory system and teaches them how to control the air they breathe in and out.

It Makes You Stronger

Muscle strength is incredibly important in becoming physically fit. Just like speed, it is related to correct body mechanics. When your body holds correct postures and the muscles are properly aligned, it transmits more force for you to perform better on your exercise routine.

Body alignment is one of the major lessons you learn from yoga. As this helps you control the output of your energy, yoga directly helps you throw, punch and jump more explosively.

It Improves The Lymphatic System

As mentioned above, yoga helps improve your body’s circulation, making it an efficient form of lymphatic detox. The twisting poses are known to help stimulate your glands and flush out your toxins. Its meditative aspect also promotes body and mind relaxation by eliminating stress.

It Prevents Injury

For a professional athlete, or a person who is trying to lose weight with a deadline, injury can stall and even stump progress. Body awareness and mechanics are just two benefits that yoga possesses to prevent injuries.

In turn, the longevity of your fitness routine goes on and allows your body to go through a consistent progress.

It Hastens Recovery

As stated earlier, yoga has a positive effect on your lymphatic system. Apart from flushing out the toxins of your body, enhanced lymphatic system circulation actually allows your muscles to process the metabolic byproducts produced from working out. This means healing time and muscle cell repair also speeds up.

It Targets Focus

The most important benefit of yoga is its dramatic effects on your mental clarity and focus. These matter because even the most disciplined professional athlete have the tendency to slip up and go off course.

When you look at the world of sports, every athlete trains extremely hard. They need mindfulness, body awareness and focus to take their performance output and bring it to the next level.

This goes the same with people who are trying to lose weight. As their exercise routine continues and their fitness level increases, they need to bring their performance one or two steps forward.

Yoga is a popular multipurpose practice that is often overlooked by many people. If you incorporate it as a part of your weight loss or fitness program, you will find yourself more flexible, balanced, stronger and leaner.

Try to sign up for a yoga class today so that you can explore what it can do for you. If you are still unsure about it, you can search for websites that offer introductory lessons on yoga and how you can use it to your advantage.

yoga positions

Beds 101: 5 Reasons Why a Mattress Can Cause Back Pain

pain in the backMany people underestimate what sort of impact their bed can have on their back-pain problems. With that in mind, in the following article, we are going to briefly outline five reasons why a mattress can cause back pain. Keep in mind that the list is not exhaustive and there are many more factors you need to take into consideration if you are in the market for a new mattress.

1. Too Hard

A mattress that is too firm can cause inflammation of the joints. This is because it offers no cushioning to the soft ligament fibers and tenants in the body. While the skeleton needs support, a solid surface can be detrimental and can cause extreme back pain. If your mattress has no give what so ever, it is too hard for your body weight. Of course, if you are someone that has a higher body weight than average, you are going to need a mattress that would be too firm for the average person.

2. Too Soft

The backbone needs support while you sleeping. A bed that is too soft can result in spine disc compression which can lead to intense back pain. A soft, spongy bed that your body sinks into might seems like a go-to option when you are in a bed store, but the human body needs some support. Some of the super soft mattresses you might have tried out in a store are designed for those that naturally have a very low body fat percentage and so need a more forgiving surface than the average person to sleep on.

3. Poor Breathability Rating

If a mattress does not allow air to circulate around your body, heat can build up in the joints and cause inflammation. It is for that reason that you need to look for mattresses made from natural fibers.

4. Not Hypoallergenic

When many people think about back pain, they think about internal back pain due to issues with the spine. The reality is that humans can also experience external back pain. If you buy a non-hypoallergenic mattress, there is a chance you could be allergic to the material the item is made from. If you are allergic, the result could be an itchy, weeping back due to skin irritation. So, in general, it’s best to buy a hypoallergenic mattress unless you are someone with a bulletproof immune system. Here’s a good bed that is hypoallergenic at http://laylamattresscoupons.com/.

5. Faulty

This final point might be a scary prospect, but if you buy a budget box spring mattress from an unknown manufacturer, there is a higher probability of a fault developing. Such a failure could mean the tension on one of the springs fails during the night and the metal spring punctures your spine. That’s why it’s essential to invest in quality products.

In this article, we are briefly touched on 5 key reasons why a mattress can cause back pain. Hopefully, you find the information presented above helpful and will proceed to read a detailed buyers’ guide before investing in a new bed. Remember, nobody deserves back pain and if a change to your environment can reduce the pain, the investment is worthwhile.

Injuries That Cause an Ankle Sprain


Ankle sprains are the most common sports injuries but can also happen during normal daily activities. An ankle sprain happens when the ankle joint, which connects the bones of the lower leg with the foot, is injured. The ligaments surrounding the ankle are stretched or torn when you accidentally twist or turn your ankle in an unnatural way.

There are two types of ankle injuries: inversion and eversion injuries. Inversion injuries are the most common and happen when the foot rolls inward. Eversion injuries, on the other hand, don’t occur often. It is also known as a high ankle sprain and happens when the foot twists outward.

Causes of an Ankle Sprain

A sprain occurs when the ligaments of your ankle are forced to stretch beyond their normal range of motion. This forces your ankle joint out of its normal position, turning the foot inward or inverted. Ankle sprains can happen to anyone irrespective of age. This kind of injury often happens in the following ways:

Stepping on an uneven surface – walking or running on irregular surfaces like an uneven terrain or a field with holes, can cause you to twist your ankle.

Awkwardly landing on your foot – you can twist your ankle when jumping or pivoting, stepping up or down, running, or when doing simple tasks like getting out of bed.

Participating in sports – you can twist your ankle when participating in sports activities that require rolling, jumping, cutting action or twisting of the foot. These include playing soccer, basketball, football, tennis, and trail running. Also, someone could step or land on your foot when playing. You are taking a risk with sports ankle support.

Engaging in physical activity or doing exercises – you can sprain your ankle when exercising, running, hiking or climbing.

Wearing improper shoes – ill-fitting shoes or shoes that aren’t fit for physical activity like high-heels can cause you to twist your ankle.

How to Know if You Have an Ankle Sprain

When you sprain your ankle, tissues surrounding the ankle are injured which causes inflammation. Depending on the severity of the injury you will experience pain especially when you try to stand on the affected foot. You may also experience swelling, bruising and tenderness as well as instability in the ankle and a restricted range of motion.

Home Treatments for an Ankle Sprain

In most cases, an ankle sprain isn’t severe. However, before making any home care decisions, it is advisable to speak to your doctor first.  If you have a mild sprain, you may be able to treat it at home.  The RICE method is the recommended way of dealing with a sprained ankle at home.  RICE stands for rest, ice, compress and elevate.

 Rest – you need to rest your ankle and avoid putting any weight on your foot. If you don’t want to limp or hop around, you can use crutches.

Ice – For the first two days after injury, ice your ankle for 20 to 30 minutes every day to reduce swelling.

Compress – wrap the ankle gently, not tightly. You can use an elastic bandage or wear a brace to support the ankle

Elevate – for the first 48 hours, raise your foot higher than your heart when lying down to increase blood flow.

When to See a Doctor

Go to the emergency room if you are in a lot of pain, bleeding, and the ankle is severely swollen, numb or has changed color. If your ankle seems dislocated or deformed and you can’t put any weight on it, you should see a doctor.

Spraining your ankle is painful and can take a while to heal. So be careful when exercising, wear the correct shoes for an activity, pay attention to surfaces you are walking on and warm up before exercising. If you sprain your ankle, be sure to call your doctor because if left untreated, an ankle sprain can lead to instability and long-term pain.

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5 Tips For Healthy and Shiny Hair

Hair, most of us possess it, but not all of us love the way it looks.

For many women, it is their crowning glory. Having a healthy and glossy hair can make you feel beautiful. The problem is, most of the shampoos and conditioners sold in the market use the same chemicals that can only work temporarily.

Fortunately, there is a myriad of tips, tricks, and hacks to help you tame your frizz and keep your hair strong and shiny. You don’t have to see a professional hair stylist to do them. Here are 5 ways to achieve gorgeous hair.

Wash Your Hair The Right Way

Shampooing is simple, right? The instructions are typical – you just need to lather, rinse and repeat.

But the truth is, this process is not for everyone. Each person has a distinct set of hair. But the right way to wash your hair to squirt some shampoo on your palms. Make sure it is about the size of a quarter. Next, you need to lather them on your palms and start massaging them into your roots.

Give your roots a good massage, there’s no need to scrub the ends of your hair. After about 2 minutes, you can rinse the shampoo off and apply your conditioner from the midsection of your hair.

Allow it to sit for at least three minutes and give it another rinse. When you towel your hair, avoid rubbing it vigorously. Instead, squeeze it gently with a dry towel and avoid combing it while it is still wet.

Choose Natural Oils

Once your hair is dry, find a thick brush and start brushing your hair from the tips to the ends. Your scalp produces its own natural oils which will help keep your hair shiny. Skip the hair-shimmering products that promise you shiny hair. They could be doing more harm than good. –

For people with curly locks, using argan oil is excellent in keeping the hair shiny without adding any chemicals that can cause skin breakouts. Find natural hair care products that contain natural oils like avocado and Moroccan oil.

Take Your Vitamins and Supplements

Experts say that vitamin E helps boost hair growth. Some people would even take vitamin E oil and apply it on their scalp to make the hair thicker and healthier. Another supplement that is great for your hair is fish oil.

They are rich in omega-3 and antioxidants that can keep your hair, skin, and nails look healthy. So on your next visit to Whole Foods, make sure to grab some of these vitamins and supplements.

Be Generous With The Conditioner

This applies to those who have thick curly hair. Because of how curly strands are shaped, it takes a while for the natural oils on the scalp to reach the ends of the curls – which makes the locks look dry and broken.

If they are not conditioned well, they can lead to split-ends. To bring a little more shine, be generous when using your conditioner, especially on the ends of your hair.

Use Natural Hair Masks

Hair masks are products sold in the market that can help you deep condition your hair. One of the most effective yet natural products to use is coconut oil. You just need to massage it from roots to tips and leave it on for a night. The following day, you just need to clean your hair off with shampoo and just skip the conditioner.

You can also use fresh coconut milk, heat it up to a creamy consistency and let it cool down, but don’t let it get too cold. Use it while it’s still warm and apply the same procedure. Leave it on for a night and wash it off in the morning.

As a rule of thumb, avoid any hair care products that contain sulfates. They can damage your hair and make it look dry, dull and brittle. Furthermore, a sulfate-based shampoo makes it difficult for your hair to style. On top of eating a nutritious diet, follow the five tips above and your hair will surely stay healthy.

shinny hair

How To Deal With Food Cravings

There will be a day, for no reason at all; when you will suddenly feel the rush for a roasted chicken, a hot pizza or chocolate cupcakes. Actually, there is a science behind it and there is a way to control this phenomenon.

It’s hard to control yourself not to get your object of lust, especially when it’s a chocolate bar filled with vanilla. The next thing you will know is you are licking off your fingers to not let a pint of chocolate wasted.

Do you ever find yourself yearning for specific foods to your disadvantage? When you give in to your craving, you will lose the control. When you can’t resist it, perhaps, this can be a sign of a health problem.

According to the health experts, there are effective ways to deal with this problem. The USDA Agricultural Research Service conducted a weight loss study. According to them, individuals who lost more weight gave into their yearning for more caloric foods, but did it less regularly compared to their bigger counterparts. There is a trick to it, chose the low-fat option available.

According to a Tufts University study, ninety-one (91) percent of females said they are experiencing strong food cravings. Willpower is never enough to resolve this issue. These urges are influenced by “feel-good” chemicals in the brain like dopamine. These are released when you eat some types of foods. They cause a rush of ecstasy that the brain searches over and over. To efficiently deal with your cravings, you need a plan to stop this natural cycle. This can help in preventing that unnecessary weight gain.

The next time you are in trouble of refusing a greedy urge for a double-choco cake, ask yourself if your body really needs it. There are expert advice tailored to fight those desires for your wellness.

The Science Daily reported that in an experiment, people who crave for chocolate were becoming more scatterbrained than those who weren’t experiencing cravings. It appears that during a craving, a large part of the human brain power is centered on that food so people have a difficult time focusing on other important tasks.
You can try to imagine a blue sky or the smell of lavender to stop your cravings. You can also do some easy visual task to curb your urge to get that food.

Surprisingly, one of the best ways in curbing your cravings is by turning off the T.V. One study among college students suggests that those who watch the most television were more prone to weight problems than those who spend lesser time in front of the T.V. There is a strong connection between T.V moment and food consumption. The longer time an individual is exposed to photos of junk food commercials, the more he will crave for them and other foods. Turn on some of your favorite music or grab a book the next time you long for a bag of cheese flavored chips.

You might not consider frequent food cravings as a serious health issue that you need to seek some help from the doctor. Actually, it is the right thing to do to resolve this kind of urge. A doctor has the right answers to unexplained things you are experiencing when it comes to food.

He or she will definitely agree that cravings can contribute to weight gain and not even the most expensive forskolin pills can help you block all the added calories. Dietary supplements are created to work as a weight loss aid, but not as a magic bullet. You may ask him if your craving for ice is already an indication of an undiagnosed anemia.

Some health specialists consider that it is probable that the ice alleviate inflammation in the mouth caused by deficiencies in iron. The New York Times published an article stating that some individuals go through bags of ice daily. To relieve this kind of craving, they can take iron supplements.

The EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or also known as psychological acupuncture has been proven to decrease cravings without needing for strong willpower, which usually fails. The method is performed by a highly-skilled professional that proficiently combines the tender tapping on the different pressure points while focusing on certain thoughts and emotions.

It is also very crucial that you reflect and ask yourself if you are stressed out. When the human body is under pressure, it releases cortisol. This is the hormone that sends signals to the brain to look for rewards. Comfort foods packed with fat and sugar mainly “apply the brakes” to the stress system by blunting cortisol.

This is explained by Norman Pecoraro, PhD, who studied the physiology of stress. The study was conducted at the University of California in San Francisco, USA. When an individual gets the food in reaction to the negative feelings such as sadness or anger like a few white chocolate cupcakes after a fight with the boyfriend, she unintentionally makes a commanding connection in the brain.

This is an archetypical brain conditioning. The food will be coded in the human memory center as an answer to an unlikable emotion or experience. If you cannot control your cravings now, there is a high tendency that when you face that same issue again, the brain will possibly tell you to get the chocolate cookies.

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Links

  1. www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/health/22real.html
  2. www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=ARS_Agency_Splash.xml
  3. www.nutrition.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/laugero_kevin.html
  4. www.amazon.com/Natural-Supplement-Garcina-Cambogia-Capsules/dp/B00DFGBKGY
  5. www.tufts.edu/
  6. www.hhs.gov/

Effective Teeth Whitening Methods


Human beings have an innate attraction to great smiles. For some reason our love for great smiles is wired in our brains right from birth. It is not just the look of it, but we also tend to associate a beautiful smile with a measure of trust, and as such a smiling person is considered more friendly approachable.

As you can appreciate, a great smile is a great asset to have hence the enduring popularity of teeth whitening in the world of cosmetic dentistry.

To further understand how popular teeth whitening is, consider this: there are numerous teeth whitening methods in existence for people to choose from. However, the great variety of these teeth whitening methods does not deter dentists and scientists to search for new methods, which is indicative of an insatiable appetite for the best whitening methods.

Herein we are going to explore teeth whitening methods in an effort to acquaint you with the various options that you have.

#1. Whitening Toothpaste

Ideally, toothpaste should contain a mild abrasive that polishes and removes stains from your teeth. That is why it is recommended to brush after every meal if you fancy having white teeth. However, there is a special whitening toothpaste that contains chemicals specially designed to whiten your teeth. They usually include hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide that lightens teeth color.

#2. Whitening Gels And Strips

The use of whitening strips and whitening gels has proved to be the most effective and popular teeth whitening methods. For starters, these methods are quite cost-effective. They are also quite easy to use while at the same time they are still whitening methods effective in the long run.

For the whitening strips, these are thin strips that are coated with peroxide-based whitening chemicals. As for the gel, they are also peroxide-based clear gels that are applied to your teeth using a toothbrush. However, to attain positive results, users should follow instructions to the letter.

#3. Tray-Based Teeth Whitening Systems

This method is increasingly becoming popular as you can purchase it from your dentist or over-the-counter. The system consists of a guard-like tray that is filled with a peroxide-based bleaching agent. The guard is worn for a given time for the teeth whitening process to take place, such as one or two hours.

#4. In-Office Whitening Methods

The in-office teeth whitening methods are whitening methods that are offered within the dentistry environment. Thus, these methods are pegged to the professional services of dentists. However, they are considered as the most effective methods, owing to the fact that dramatic changes are visible even after one session that may last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.

Dentists usually use a specially formulated bleaching agent with or without heat, laser, or special light to achieve the desired results. However, for total transformation, several treatment sessions may be necessary.

There are other home remedies for teeth whitening purposes including coconut oil pooling, rinsing one’s mouth with apple cider vinegar, and much more that you can opt to use. However, the effectiveness of such methods is up for debate. For the most part, there is no in-depth analysis and research on how well such methods work.

While understanding how you can whiten your teeth is important for a great smile, it is more crucial to understand what causes your teeth to attain the infamous yellow or brown stain. This understanding will go a long way in helping you negate the possibility of your teeth turning yellow once again after you have carried out a whitening procedure. Some of the causes of staining teeth include:

– Smoking and drinking coffee and tea,
– Intake of excess fluoride,
– Age factors,
– Poor diets, and
– Consumption of antibiotics.

While some of these factors are certainly unavoidable, those that we can avoid should be avoided at all cost for a great permanent white smile.

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Medications For Treating Diabetes

There are a number of medications for diabetes on the market.

How to treat type-2 diabetes

Metformin is usually the first drug prescribed when a patient is diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. This product appears under numerous brand names such as glucophage and diabex. It helps diabetics respond more normally to insulin, with the goal of lowering blood sugar.

In the ebook 7 steps to health and the big diabetes lie, some doctors argue that you can treat your diabetes naturally without the use of any medication, but this requires a serious lifestyle change.

First of all regarding nutrition, carbs, sweets and alcohol must be removed from daily consumption, maybe allowing some of it once or twice a month. Most people do not have the will and fortitude for such drastic diet, and they prefer to continue indulging in french fries and cheeseburgers, opting for the medication path.

But that is not all. For completely removing high glucose in your bloodstream, it is also often required to hit the gym regularly, for some daily. Here again most people cannot do it. This is why they take prescription drugs, but the price is hefty.

People that suffer from diabetes need their medication in order to live. If they are unable to get the medication that they need, they could go into diabetic shock. Unfortunately, a lot of people struggle to afford their prescriptions, as these drugs are not cheap.

With that said, there are ways to save on medications for diabetics. If you are looking for ways to get medication for less, here are a few simple tips you can try.

Shop Around And Look For Better Prices

Not every pharmacy is going to charge the same price for medication. In many cases, certain pharmacies will have cheaper prices than others. Shop around and find the place that has the most affordable medication rates.

If you are able to find a pharmacy with cheaper prices, you’ll be able to save whenever you pick up your prescription. It’ll be much easier for you to get the money that you need for less.

Buy Your Medication Online

You don’t necessarily have to limit yourself to local pharmacies. If you’re really interested in saving money, you could try out online pharmacies as well. While you will still need a valid prescription to get medication from one of these websites, you should be able to get what you need for less.

Some of these online pharmacies have deeply discount medications. Another benefit of using online pharmacies is that you won’t have to pick up your medications in person. You’ll be able to have your medication sent straight to your home.

Consider Signing Up For A Prescription Discount Program

If your insurance plan isn’t bringing down the cost of your prescription enough, you should see if you can join a prescription discount plan. The right program should allow you to get your prescriptions for a lower price.

There are all kinds of prescription discount programs out there, and some of these programs offer incredible savings. If you know that you want to save on your prescriptions, you should see if one of these programs might be an option for you. Don’t miss out on any opportunity for you to save.

Talk To Your Doctor About Your Struggles

If you are having a hard time affording your essential medication, you should convey this information to your doctor. Let them know that you are worried that you won’t be able to pay for your medication. They may be able to come up with a solution that will help you.

Your doctor wants you to remain healthy, and if they can help you save money, they will do that. Whether your doctor connects you with a discount program or writes you a prescription for the generic version of the medication, they may be able to help you to cut back your bills.

It isn’t impossible to save on medications for diabetics. As you can see, there are all kinds of things that you can do if you want to cut back your spending. If you need medication and are struggling to pay for it, you should start looking at some of your most affordable options.

But ultimately the choice is yours.

Do you want to spend so much money on these drugs, which do not cure the disease and have negative effects in the long run? Or should you eat healthy and exercise often in order to cure yourself naturally? The choice is yours!

Diabetes

Lean Belly Breakthrough To Help Promote Weight Loss

flat belly
Did you know that 70% of weight loss originates from proper nutrition? By knowing what to and what not to eat, you maximize your efforts in trying to lose weight. The seven tips below will guide you on your way to proper nutrition and efficient weight loss.

1. Cut Sugars and Starches

The most crucial part to cut off in your diet when trying to lose weight is carbohydrates (starches). To give you a little bit of a background, insulin is responsible for storing your fat. Insulin-release is also stimulated when you eat too much sugar that comes from starch or carbohydrates.

The more sugar you eat, the more your body releases insulin, and the more it stores fat. But when insulin goes down, you don’t give your body a lot of chance to store up on fat, making it burn more to fuel your body instead.

Another benefit of lowered your insulin level is that it allows your kidneys to do what they are supposed to do – and that is to get rid of excess sodium and water in your body. Excess sodium causes you to bloat up and store the water as weight excess. As soon as you get rid of carbohydrates on the first few weeks of your diet, you will notice you are losing more weight than expected.

2. Eat Vegetables, Healthy Fats and Protein

Taking away the usual source of your carbohydrates does not mean you can’t have them anymore. Carbohydrates from vegetables sources can provide the recommended range of 20 to 50 grams per day. You can get your daily requirements of carbohydrates through low-carb, yet eating vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and swiss chard.

The healthiest protein sources would be beef, chicken, turkey and lamb. Fish and eggs are also rich in omega 3 – an important antioxidant needed by your body. Aside from that, eating proteins and healthy fats is a must. Healthy fats can be obtained by including fish oil, avocado, olive oil, peanut oil and alike.

By constructing your daily meal in these three components, you help better boost your metabolism. The best part about eating these kinds of fat is it doesn’t raise the risk of you getting a heart disease.

3. Lift Weights

Yes, it’s possible for you to lose weight without exercise, but getting your body active is always recommended for better results. Going to the gym at least 3 times a week to warm up, stretch out and lift some weights is beneficial in speeding up your weight loss. Lifting weights allow you to burn more calories and create more muscle mass.

Remember, muscle metabolism takes up a lot of calories. When done right, you will most likely gain weight because of the gained muscle mass, but lose fat because your body had converted it to supply the energy it requires for using your muscles.

4. Have A Cheat Day

Deprivation is usually the cause why so many people falter on their weight loss journey. Allow yourself to indulge at least once a week. If you have fully restricted yourself from carbohydrates, it’s good to take a day off from it.

But just because you’re allowed a cheat day doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you can. Opt for complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, oats, or brown rice and make sure you only do it once a week.

Overdoing it will cause you to fall behind on the results you want to achieve. This is the day you can eat something unhealthy, but make sure you do it to satisfy your taste buds and not your appetite.

5. Control Portions and Calories

Without proper nutrition knowledge, calorie counting will be both exhausting and somewhat useless. The truth about it is calorie counting becomes unnecessary when you stick to the protein – healthy fat – low carb vegetables plan.

Sticking to that diet alone tells you that you’re already hitting the kind of nutrition you need in order to lose weight. But if you still want to count your calories to make sure you’re sticking to the plan, by all means, go right ahead.

Using a calorie counter or a calorie calculator is the best option if you’re not into keeping a food journal.

6. Drink Plenty Of Water

Always remember that your body needs the proper hydration to make sure that all metabolic processes are working like a well-oiled machine. Water can make you feel fuller, help you reduce cravings, and hydrate your cells and skin.

If you feel like you’re losing more weight than expected, drinking lots of water will improve the elasticity of your skin – thereby preventing it from sagging or stretch marks. Water is also a great way to help flush down the excess sodium in the body.

Remember when we said too much insulin can stock up on sodium? Well, as soon as you cut back on your carbs, and lower down your insulin, your body is going to need the right hydration to help eliminate the excess salt that’s causing you to keep your water weight. So, drink up like there’s no tomorrow!

7. Sleep Right

The body regenerates cell repair faster while you’re sleeping. If you think your exercise routine has gotten you feeling completely sore, a good night’s rest will help heal the torn tissues caused by working out. You can also de-stress by bathing in warm water. Every movement in the body causes wear-and-tear, so if you want to naturally get rid of the pain, sleeping will help hasten the healing.

What The Experts Don’t Want You To Know About The Cambridge Weight Plan

In Australia, the new diet craze is taking hold with more or less 10,000 individuals are trying the plan. But, this has caused unexpected pregnancy and hair loss.

People all over Australia could find themselves feeling nauseous and losing their hair. But some are thankful for getting pregnant.

There are around 10,000 Australians who have participated in the Cambridge Weight Plan. The new diet craze includes a series of steps, where dieters begin by restricting intake to 440 calories per day.

The Cambridge diet or the New Australian diet is a weight loss plan, in which 415 to 1500 calories consumed daily, primarily from commercial goods sold as part of the diet regimen. These goods are manufactured in the United Kingdom and include meal replacement bars, smoothies, shakes and soups.

In 2010, the diet was rebranded as Cambridge Weight Plan and id available in over 35 countries worldwide. It is not associated with the U.S version of the diet, the Cambridge Original and the Cambridge Food for Life.

The Cambridge diet is a very low calorie diet plan (VCLD) and can result in speedy weight loss. If manage properly, participants can sustain weight loss, even if they gradually increase their calorie intake. This low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet forces the body to burn its stored fat instead of carbohydrates as energy. Studies have shown that this is better and a more effective way of slimming down than reducing the calories.

The History

Dr. Alan Howard developed the Cambridge in 1970 at the Cambridge University, England. In 1980, it was launched in the United States as a commercial product. The Cambridge Diet was very famous in America, but became the subject of several controversies. After potential health concerns were raised, it later came under scrutiny from health authorities and regulators.

In 1984 the diet was launched in the United Kingdom, and two years after, it was reformulated to follow the recommendations made by COMA or Commission on Medical Aspects.

Although people lose weight very quickly at first, the diet is suggested in 12 weeks with a week of solid food. Dry mouth, bad breath, nausea, tiredness, constipation and insomnia are some of the adverse side effects of this diet according to the British Dietetic Association. They added that any individual who eats lesser than 600 calories daily should be supervised.

As VLCD, it combines 415 calories per day with vitamins, fatty acids and minerals to minimize the loss of nutrients, which is typical of low calorie restriction. Participants can drink as much water as they want.

The Cambridge Diet formula is designed to replicate the weight loss elements of starvation, while providing sufficient protein to keep lean tissue, the right carbohydrate level to promote a mild ketosis and do away with a sense of hunger, and the right levels of trace elements, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins to maintain well-being.

The meals in Cambridge Diet are intended to integrate all the essential food groups to satisfy the nutritional needs of the body, to allow an individual to stop food cravings and overeating. At first, you will only consume meal replacement supplements in the form of soups, shakes and porridges. Slowly, solid foods are included in the meal plan.

Cambridge Diet has been hailed as one of the most effective ways to rapidly lose weight. It works in several steps of the diet. If a person is heavily overweight, with a BMI of more than 25, this might be helpful to you.
The weekly cost of the diet may reach £44, which according to some is much cheaper than Weight Watchers.

What causes the rapid weight loss?

When a dieter begins stage one, his body goes into ketosis. Ketosis is a condition where the body switches from being a carbohydrate-burning into a fat burning organism. In this metabolic state, most of the energy supply of the body comes from ketone bodies in the blood. This is in contrast to glycolysis in which the blood glucose provides most of the energy supply.

The stored fats become the major energy source and the dieter then loses weight.

It may sound ominous to you that you will be replacing a balanced meal with bars and shakes, the substitutions are packed with all the vitamins you need to stay healthy. These vitamins are enough to boost the immune system, strong teeth and nails, levels of energy. It can be a big challenge for anyone, moving from a simple diet with regular food to extreme diet food.

The Cambridge Diet pushes anyone’s body into a state of ketosis, but some experts are not convinced that it is such a healthy state of the human body to be in.

What some experts and consultants who love the Cambridge Diet won’t tell you is that bad breath is a huge challenge. Also, you have to get yourself ready to say goodbye to caffeine.

Also, it was reported that dizziness is one of the most common side effects. But, if you consider it for a long-term weight management, then you can opt for a lighter plan with a daily calorie allowance of 1,500. You can simply combine the specially-formulated porridge, drinks, bars, and soups with other regular food.

Some health experts say that although the Cambridge Diet is pretty transparent about some health complications, they have some suspicions about the dramatic weight loss.

Although it is reported that Cambridge Diet is greatly tolerated, but some dieters do experience side effects. There are reported cases of gallstones. But the promoters of this diet are quick to respond that it is typical for overweight or obese to have gallstones. Another common condition is gout. Many of those who tried the diet experienced this condition because as they lose weight, their uric acid levels increase and lead to gout risks.

The National Health Services or NHS says that the diet is not sustainable in the long run. It may help with the initial weight loss, but a huge challenge to maintain. Lots of obese people are discouraged after waiting so long before the weight loss begins.

Most people wish to slim down without control diet and exercise. But weight loss is everything that requires effort. You cannot trim your belly fat by eating chocolate and chips or eat every snack handed around.

Unlike most diets, exercise is prohibited while on step one of Cambridge Diet. This is because the body is taking its time to adapt to the reduced calorie consumption. You can discuss exercise with your consultant during your appointment, especially if you have an inactive lifestyle.

What Is Your First Week Like?

First week is quite hard, and everyone has different side effects. It is expected that you will crave a lot, but once the first week is over, it will be easier and you might around 10 pounds and that is an excellent motivation to keep going. With other diet programs, it may take you four weeks or a month to lose 10 pounds.

Some would motivate themselves by buying dresses one size too small or chewing gum while baking, to prevent them from eating the leftovers.

One of the hardest aspects of the new Australian diet craze is eating out because all meals are replaced with diet and shake products.

But things get better, especially during step two when you can begin to include some food into the diet. You can use a small plate so that you won’t feel the need to fill up your plate.

Although it really helps people who struggle with obesity, it requires a lot of willpower. You will need the support of the people around you. Some may not understand you, especially those who have never had any weight issue.

The first few months will be the most difficult. Eventually, you will feel to be in a much stronger place.

Signs of Aging and Therapies

Aging can be defined as our body decline and wear as time goes by.  Some of these things are caused by our own bodies whereas the others are accrued as a result of time.  In itself, getting old is a mixture of changes occurring in our bodies as well as the effects of what we do with them.

The effects of time on our body normally occur on many levels.

Cellular Aging

In this case, cells age according to the number of times which they have  duplicated and a cell is capable of replicating about 50 times prior to getting to the point where the genetic material  cannot be duplicated accurately due to the shortening of telomeres. This means that as damage to your cells increases via free radicals and various factors, there is dire need for your cells to replicate.

Hormonal aging

Hormones are undoubtedly a big player in the aging process in growth from childhood, adolescence and maturity.  There is a continuous lifelong change in hormonal levels that lead to menopause plus other changes associated with age.

Metabolic aging

As you go about your daily activities, your cells convert food to energy thereby producing by-products which are potentially destructive.  The metabolism process coupled with the creation of energy tends to cause harm to our body as time goes by.  It is believed by some experts that there may be a slowdown in aging in humans if the metabolic process is also slowed by means of practices like calorie constraint.

Accrued damage

Harmful diets, the sunlight’s UV radiation, toxins and pollution affect our bodies.  Such toxins can cause tissue damage, thus making it difficult for the body to maintain and repair your cells, tissues as well as organs.

There are numerous aging signs and symptoms, most of which develop slowly.  They are varied, but it should be noted that diagnosing aging singularly on the basis of isolated signs and symptoms is impracticable.  There exists broadly varying degrees of such signs and symptoms in different people and among them are:

  • A general decrease in energy and dynamism
  • Variations in sleeping patterns
  • An inclination to easily tire out
  • Reduced memory
  • Variations in behavior
  • Variations in menstrual cycle
  • Changes in hair (such as hair loss) and skin, like loss of skin elasticity, brown blemishes on the skin and creases
  • Variations in hair color
  • Loss or reduced vision and hearing
  • Changes in the functioning of bowels
  • Belly obesity and difficulties in losing weight
  • Urinary complications like trickling, incontinence and variations in the rate of urination
  • A decline in libido
  • Sexual dysfunction

A large number of people tend to develop some of the degenerative ailments that are associated with aging which include the following:

  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Cancer
  • Stroke
  • Heart attack
  • Cataracts
  • Glaucoma
  • Hearing loss
  • Osteoporosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Alzheimer’s disease

All these conditions are painful and many patients suffer along with their family.  They are also economically very costly.

Presently, there are several anti-aging therapies on the market, which allegedly, are helpful in combating symptoms that are related with age and eliminate some of the side-effects.  However, one needs to be careful in the choice of any one of them because some can end up being harmful.

The latest anti-aging therapy caused a big stir when it hit the market and was recommended by medical experts as capable of slowing the process of aging.  The HGH, which is short for Human Growth Hormone, is a very significant hormone that exists in the human body, among others, with the pituitary gland which is situated under the brain managing its secretion.  It is significant in the process of growth in children and teenagers and also in the entire regenerative actions occurring in the bodies of grownups.  Without it, the repair of tissues, cells and organs in our body is not possible.

Anti-aging therapy to augment hormone levels

After the age of thirty, your pituitary gland yields reduced human growth hormone.  This is what leads in deficiency in hormone growth and several disorders in the body that includes the beginning of aging.  Thus, the compensation of low HGH levels in the blood can be achieved through the use of HGH releasers.  It may be possible to reinstate the production of the growth hormones needed by the body by using this kind of natural anti-aging therapy.

This growth hormone is credited for allowing the body organs to function normally once more with no health complications, helping the whole body to repair any damages and overwhelm any disease rapidly and in a more efficient manner.  You will be able to enjoy your night sleep and your general mood will receive a boost.  This natural HGH therapy has the ability to enhance memory, decrease wrinkles and age spots, increase muscle mass and help in losing extra weight.

You should beware of artificially made anti-aging treatments containing HGH that may not work for you after all.  The natural anti-aging HGH treatments are effective and safe with negligible or no side-effects.

aging