Posts Tagged ‘supplements’

The Best Ways To Shed Weight

February 8th, 2010

If you decide that you want to keep to a traditional style diet, as a rule of thumb, you ought to find a weight loss plan that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables; low-fat dairy products; white meat and fish; whole grain cereals and plenty of drinking water and by that I mean at least eight to ten 250mm glasses a day.

Being heavy can cause a lot of other issues, in addition it being a problem in its own right. Obesity makes rapid movement, stretching and reaching tricky. Surplus perspiration can be an embarrassment and it can result in chaffing. The range of fashionable clothing obtainable can be constrained too. Besides these issues, studies have shown that being overweight invariably leads to health problems such as hypertension, heart troubles, sleep apnea and diabetes.

The only solution to this bundle of problems is to lose those spare pounds around your waist by embarking on a healthy weight loss diet plan and following it faithfully. I will give you a few general pointers below to help you slim down and decrease the risk of spending your latter years running in and out of hospital.

Almost all of the traditional weight loss diet plans proposed by dietitians and nutritionists start with the simple exhortation to reduce your food consumption to the amount you require to carry out your every day routine. The problem is that it sounds simple, but it is one of the hardest things to do. It takes a lot of determination on your part. However, you could start by eating and drinking three-quarters of what you normally eat. Once you can handle that, reduce the percentage again.

Try to make every calorie count. By that, I mean, if you are going to eat 200 calories, make certain that they are contained in food that will do you good and keep you feeling satiated. A bar of chocolate will give you a blood-sugar rush for 20-30 minutes, but a doorstep of a cheese and salad sandwich made from whole grain bread washed down with a glass or two of water will give you plenty of fibre and vitamins and fill you up for a couple of hours.

It is always a good idea to keep a journal of what you consume and when. This way you can compare days and weeks and see what works best. It also helps if you are reducing your consumption in stages. Mark what you eat with the amount of calories in that portion. If you do not know accurately, guess it. Writing something down is better than nothing.

The next part is the part I don’t like – exercise. Regular exercise. The good news is that it does not have to be too much. Two thirty minute walks a day is quite helpful. Once in the morning and once in the evening. Or walk in your lunch time and after your evening meal. If you like, frequent visits to the fitness center are even better, but they are also easier to miss or give up altogether.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with lose weight programs. If you have an interest in losing weight too, please go over to our website now at Why Can’t I Lose Weight? You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.

Menopause And Weight Increase

January 27th, 2010

Studies of women aged fifty and over reveal that most women in this age group are convinced that their weight increase is connected with the menopause in their judgment. If you take into account the fact that some people might be using this as an excuse and that others may not have made allowances in their diet for decreased levels of activity due to lifestyle alterations, it is still difficult to explain why women in this age group have a tendency to put excess weight on different parts of the body, in particular the abdomen, whereas any weight gained in younger women tends to be on the hips.

In fact, the truth is that hormonal changes do have a part to play in this phenomenon, although the method is not completely understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, her monthly menstruation periods end, and her body produces much lower levels of the female hormone estrogen, which is responsible for the ovulation process.

Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight gain in animals and it is almost certainly the reason why women’s bodies change shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after the menopause they amass it on the abdomen instead, like men. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.

At the same time, both men and women tend to find muscle turning to fat as they grow older and the metabolism slows down. This means that if you do not adjust your eating habits, you will probably find that your weight increases. A person of 60 just does not need as many calories as a person of 40.

Hormonal therapy with estrogen is sometimes prescribed to control menopausal symptoms. Many women will be surprised to hear that studies have shown that hormonal therapy does not result in weight increase. Some women go through bloating and water retention in the early stages of hormonal therapy but this is usually temporary.

Hormonal therapy can diminish the risk of heart disease by preventing the changes in storage of body fat around the abdomen and lowering cholesterol. On the other hand, hormonal therapy has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in some studies.

If you find that you are gaining weight around the menopause, there are several things you can do.

Firstly, you should eat a healthy, low fat diet with plenty of fibre and avoid sugar.

Secondly, you need to take regular exercise. As people get older their physical activity levels naturally go down. Work frequently becomes less physically demanding, there are no kids to run around after, we take less active holidays and do things more slowly. Thirty minutes of moderate physical activity every day will help to balance out the effect of this.

Thirdly. you must preserve your muscle strength and mass. Use weights for arm muscles and walking or cycling for your legs.

Fourthly, try not to become worried about the changes to the shape of your body. If you are not too overweight, but just have a thicker waist and slimmer legs, then don’t worry.

As usual, you should seek advice from your doctor before commencing any exercise routine, if you have any medical conditions or if your fitness levels are low. Your doctor can also help with symptoms of the menopause and weight gain.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with how to lose weight online. If you have an interest in losing weight too, please go over to our website now at Why Can’t I Lose Weight? Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Free Weight Loss Plans

January 11th, 2010

The race to fitness is on and plenty of people are getting in on the act. Some people do it in order to achieve a sexy body, some people just do it because they are embarrassed about their body, while others do it just to remain fit and healthy. As such, there are many fitness programs available on the Internet, in gyms, spas and fitness centres all over the world. Some are very – so expensive that you will lose weight just by trying to earn the money needed to pursue these fitness programs.

You might not have to go to the gymnasium, the spa or any fitness centre and spend much just to slim down and get that longed for beautiful body. There are so many books in the bookshops offering weight loss programs which are convenient and free. However, the books are not cheap though. These diet plans are gaining immense popularity due to their publicity, testimonials and reviews and you may be confused as to exactly which one to follow. So before you choose which weight loss plan to follow, try checking out the following summaries of the most popular diet programs out today.

Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkins: This diet plan promotes a high protein diet with a restricted carbohydrate consumption. You can dine heartily on vegetables and meat, but must not eat bread, rice or pasta. You are not restricted with your fat intake so it is all right to pour on the (correct) salad dressing and freely spread on the butter. However, during the diet, some people may find themselves short on fibre and high on fat and cholesterol. Grains and fruits are also severely restricted.

The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet by Drs. Heller. This diet plan also recommends low carbohydrate food. It approves eating meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. however, warns against taking in too many carbohydrates. “Reward” meals can be very high in fats and saturated fats.

Choose to Lose: by Dr. Goor. It recommends restricting your fat intake. You are given a “fat” budget but you are given freedom on how to spend it. It does not force people to regulate their carbohydrate consumption. Eating meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafood is no problem. You may also consume vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss plan is quite healthy, because it recommends healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch your triglyceride levels though. If they are high, cut down on the carbohydrates and eat more unsaturated fats.

The DASH Diet. Advocates moderate amounts of fat and protein but lots of carbohydrates. Primarily designed to lower blood pressure, so the diet plan follows the pyramid food guide and encourages a high intake of whole wheat grains and fruit and vegetables and low-fat dairy. Some dieters think it advocates too much consumption to produce significant weight loss.

Eat More, Weigh Less: by Dr. Ornish. Mostly a vegetarian food and low-fat program. Advises to look out for low-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet plan is low in calcium and limits the consumption of healthy foods like seafood and lean poultry.

Eat Right for Your Type: This plan is really unusual because it bases its recommendations on your blood type. For example, it recommends plenty of meat for people with the blood type O. However, diet plans for some blood types are nutritionally unbalanced and too low in calories. Furthermore, just for the record, there is no proof that blood type can affect dietary needs.

The Pritkin Principle: It focuses on cutting back on the amount of calories by eating ‘wet’ foods that make you feel full. It recommends eating vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy, which it says is fine, although it also limits protein sources to lean meat, seafood and poultry. It is healthy since it allows low amounts of saturated fats and rather large amounts of vegetables and fruits. However, it is low on calcium and restricts lean protein sources.

Volumetrics: It provides for eating fewer calories. It advises roughly the same foods as Pritkin but limits fatty food and dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This program is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruit and vegetables. It is also low in calories and saturated fats.

The Zone: It is moderately low on carbohydrates but fairly high on proteins. It encourages low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus vegetables, fruits and grains. It is also a healthy diet but lacking in grains and calcium.

Weight Watchers: They recommend high carbohydrate meals, but are moderate on fats and proteins. A very healthy diet program and very flexible too. It permits the dieter to devise his own meals rather than offering recipes, although there are Weight Watchers’ TV dinners in the supermarkets.

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Do Your Warts Need to Be Removed?

November 1st, 2009

Do you have warts on your skin? If so, you are definitely not the only one. A large number of Americans suffer from warts. In fact, many individuals have more than one wart. If you have a wart, are you thinking about having it removed? Although you might think that you need to have it removed, the choice is really all yours to make. In almost all cases, wart removal is completely optional.

If you have a wart or a number of warts on your body, you may already know what they are and how they are caused, however, I would like to say that warts are known to be caused by a strain of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Normally, warts are totally harmless. This is because they are ‘benign skin growths’. ‘Benign’ is another word used to describe ‘non-cancerous’. Therefore, since there is a good chance that your wart is totally harmless, you do not have to have it removed.

Although you do not necessarily need to have warts removed, you may nevertheless want to. Despite being harmless and usually painless, there are some warts that can be painful. In most cases, you will find that any pain associated with warts depends on where it is located. For example, warts on your feet may be painful, if you are walking on them each day. Also, warts on your hands may be painful, if you use your hands all day at work. If that is the case, you may very well want to have your warts removed. After removal, you will likely find yourself without pain.

You may also want to have your warts removed if they are very noticeable. Everybody knows that some warts, especially large ones, are unattractive. Sure, you shouldn’t worry about what everyone else thinks, but you do have to do what is right for you. So, if your warts are causing you discomfort, physically or mentally, maybe you ought to think about having them removed.

It is important to note that warts can be passed on. Although this can be the case, it doesn’t always transpire. Some individuals are more susceptible to warts than others, but since you do not know who those people are, you may want to think about having your warts removed anyway.

You may want to do this, no matter where your warts are, but especially so, if the warts are on your hands, since you probably shake hands. If you regularly mix with other people, maybe you may want to think about wart removal for their sakes, if not your own.

If you want to have your warts removed, you have a variety of options. You can have your warts removed by your doctor within a few minutes, if you are concerned with the cost of seeing a doctor, you should be able to perform your own wart removal. This can be done by purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) wart removal products. These products can be purchased for a reasonable price in most department stores. You could try home remedies, although you should be caution when using them. Home remedies can be found online with an Internet search engine.

Nevertheless, the final decision is yours alone as to whether or not you want to have your wart removed. However, although it may not look like a big decision to have to take, it is really. Wart removal is not always totally successful – your warts could return after a while and therefore, you should thoroughly weigh up all of your options before taking the plunge.

Are you worried about the removal of warts? If you are and want to know more, please visit our website on warts at Cures for Warts Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Acne Does Not Equal Zits

October 13th, 2009

There are quite a few different types of acne, depending on how or why the acne started. Some of the forms of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety, acne vulgaris (also known as ‘puberty spots’). In this article, we will concentrate on acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris may be defined as: ‘an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits’ (see article on “Acne” in Wikipedia).

Acne is most common in white Western teenagers, although it is to be found in every country in the world, so there could be a genetic predisposition to it. It is possible that it could be an abnormal reaction to fairly average levels of testosterone. For most sufferers, the condition lasts only until the age of twenty or so, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it can be a life-long affliction. It most often appears on the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot does not constitute acne.

Acne vulgaris manifests itself in many forms, including: whiteheads, caused by pores that are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the top; blackheads, resulting from pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.

Whiteheads do not usually last for a long time; blackheads do last a long time and pustules are what people call spots or zits. Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a much larger and more painful type of pustule and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps just under the skin’s surface. They frequently cause scarring and should never for any reason be squeezed, since this could cause them to last for months longer.

A ‘cyst’ can appear like a nodule, but it is pus-filled, and has been described as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can leave scars and cause pain. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last very much longer than if it had been left alone. Dermatologists have ways of lessening swelling and avoiding scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is not true that acne sufferers are not meticulous about their hygiene.

In fact, over washing can irritate acne. There are many, many fake ‘cures’ on the market and many, many old wives’ remedies. However, any honest skin expert would advise you that there is no sure-fire remedy for acne and that the sufferer has to follow a deliberate regimen of cleansing until the acne eventually ‘disappears’ of its own accord.

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Professional Wart Removal

October 3rd, 2009

When it comes to wart removal, many individuals make the decision to remove their warts themselves. This is often done at home. While many individuals would rather remove their own warts in the comfort of their own home, not everyone is so happy with the idea. It is important that you examine all of your options when dealing with wart removal, including the advantages and disadvantages of each. If you are leaning more towards having your wart removed professionally, you are urged to look at the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.

Maybe, the greatest benefit of having your warts professionally removed, usually at a doctor’s surgery, is the fact that it is being done professionally. Almost all doctors, including dermatologists and primary care physicians, have experience with wart removal. This means that you do not, in most cases, have to worry about complications arising; complications that could arise if you decide to remove your own warts at home.

In addition to having your warts professionally removed, you will also find that you are given professional care and professional advice. After having a wart removed, it is important that you take good care of your skin until it is completely healed. This could include keeping it covered up or regularly applying antibiotic cream. When you visit your primary care physician or a dermatologist, you will be given a detailed list of directions. In fact, your doctor or dermatologist may even give you free supplies, such as a special type of skincare cream or bandage.

When considering resolving any health condition, including warts, people are always advised to consult a doctor. That is why many individuals erroneously believe that there are no disadvantages to having their warts removed by a professional. The reality is that there are a few disadvantages, despite the many benefits. Unfortunately, these disadvantages may prevent you from seeking professional help, when it comes to having one or more of your warts taken away.

One of the few disadvantages of professional wart removal is the cost of it. The cost tends to be higher with a professional, compared to a traditional primary care physician. Despite the high cost of wart removal in the doctor’s surgery, you could want to have a professional removal. If you have health insurance, you are advised to check your policy. A large number of health insurance plans in the United States cover warts that have to be professionally removed. If you do not have health insurance, you are urged to consult your doctor. A lot of primary care physicians and dermatologists will allow you to establish a payment plan, thereby making wart professional removal achievable.

Another disadvantage to having your wart removed professionally is one that really shouldn’t even be a problem, but it is for some. A lot of people, maybe even yourself included, are worried about the appearance of their warts, despite the fact that warts are harmless. Many people do not want others to know that they have them. That is why a lot of people take the decision to carry out their own wart removal procedures. Of course, you can do whatever you want, but it is important to remember that doctors are used to seeing warts. You should not be afraid of showing your physician your warts. Not only can they remove them for you professionally, but they can also reassure you that warts are common and nothing to be embarrassed about.

When making up your mind whether or not professional wart removal is right for you, you are urged to bear the afore-mentioned advantages and disadvantages in mind. If you are not interested in visiting your local doctor or dermatologist, do not worry, you still have a variety of different options. So, if professional wart removal is not for you, perhaps you should begin examining your other options.

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