Obesity and Health

Millions of people today are considered obese. Obese weight levels are anything over 25% body mass. To find your body mass you can go to the Internet and find a BMI (body mass index calculator. Extreme obesity can cause many health issues relating to your weight because the body has to be able to carry the weight.

With weight problems, you will most likely experience high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. The weight that surrounds your heart makes the heart have to function at a more difficult pace. The heart will begin to strain trying to provide the brain blood and oxygen. It’s also the reason for high blood pressure. Many people who are over weight tend to develop diet problems and become diabetic.

There are many factors that can cause a person to become diabetic and the food and drinks that you consume is a major factor. People who consume a lot of sugar in their every-day diet may become diabetic. Diabetes is something to be alarmed about. It can cause the body to go into a sugar coma and many people have died because it.

Today, society does seem to put a lot of pressure on people to be thin. It’s considered beautiful. In some cultures outside of the United States, being heavy is considered beautiful. Dieting has nothing to do with beauty. Dieting is mainly a way to reduce the weight of a body and it may not be in direct relation to beauty.

If you find that you are over weight than for your own sake and health it is best that you find a way to shed the extra pounds. Dieting doesn’t have to be difficult, by eating right according to the food pyramid and getting some proper exercise you can easily lose the weight. Most diets will even let you have items from the goodies box on the pyramid. In theory, you can eat whatever you want but in little consumptions. That means no super sizing.

Obese people should not feel the pressure to be thin because of beauty but they should want to lose the weight for themselves and their health. Even a walk around the house or making your bed can give your body a good start towards becoming healthy. The side effect of being heavy is too devastating to your health to not want to take control of your diet and life.

Are There Diets To Control High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure can be a serious health problem.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common risk factor for heart disease and kidney disease and a host of other health problems.

Heart disease remains the number one killer of adults in the U.S. and one in four adults have high blood pressure as a health issue.

Some adults are aware of their high blood pressure and the health issues it can cause, and others are not.

High blood pressure can’t be cured, but it can be managed with medications, a healthy diet, and moderate exercise, among other things.

There are many things that a person who has high blood pressure can do.

One of them is to eat a healthy diet.

But what does a healthy diet mean?

Reduce the fat that you eat - Reduce your intake of fried foods. Grill, stew, bake instead.

Stick with unsaturated fats (Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated). Studies have shown that these fats actually lower the LDL (the bad stuff) cholesterol and maintain HDL (the good stuff) cholesterol.

Start having low fat dairy product, i.e. 1% - 2% fat milk, cottage cheese, yogurts. Even try non-fat dairy products.

Reduce the sugar that you consume - have fruit juice sweetened foods and drinks instead.

Increase the amount of fiber that you consume - Have five helpings of fruit and vegatables each day.

Have wholegrain and/or fiber enriched breads.

Have wholegrain cereals (shredded wheat, bran flakes and oatmeal)

Limit your intake of salt - one way to do this is to use spices, herbs and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table.

A healthy diet is one that is low in calories and fat, because one way to lower high blood pressure naturally is to lose weight.

If a person maintains a healthy weight, they can often lower their blood pressure without the aid of medication.

A person who has high blood pressure who wishes to have better health should drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, or not at all.

Some experts have also suggested taking a dietary supplement that is rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium and fish oils.

These things can also be found in a healthy diet in varying amounts.

A person with high blood pressure should consult their doctor and then meet with a nutritionist to learn about the kind of diet and foods they should be eating.

Another thing to increase the overall health of a person with high blood pressure is for them to have an active lifestyle and increase their exercise and physical activity.

They should also learn stress management techniques, such as yoga, Tai Chi, or meditation, if they are the kind of person who gets stressed easily.

Herbs for High Blood Pressure

This article is a quick review of the effective role played by herbs for high blood pressure treatment.

Although no scientific studies have actually conclusively proven that herbs for high blood pressure have a direct role in lowering hypertension, they are showing some true promise. The two herbs used to remedy this condition that are coming out in front include garlic and hawthorn. Both of these types of blood pressure herbal have been successfully prescribed by herbal specialists and alternative practitioners to their patients for many years. It is believed that they encourage the proper functioning of the circulatory system.

Some physicians believe that herbs for high blood pressure are a complement to traditional Western medicine. They recommend that patients with high blood pressure consume at least three or four cloves of garlic per day. While many people are turned off by the odor of garlic, garlic supplements are an alternative to smelly breath. Most grocery stores as well as health food stores sell a variety of brands of garlic.

Doctors recommend that patients choosing to take garlic supplements choose one that is an enteric-coated tablet. An enteric coated form of garlic to best encourage the proper absorption of Allicin. Allicin is the ingredient in garlic that is believed to be responsible for lowering blood pressure. Always follow the directions closely that are on the label of the type of garlic supplement you choose to buy

As far as blood pressure herbal, the herb hawthorn works best when it is taken along with vitamin C. Both of these items help to increase the dilating action of the blood vessels, which allows the blood to flow through freely because the arteries and veins are as open as they need to be.

When an individual’s blood pressure measures anywhere from 140 to 159 in regards to their systolic pressure and in the range of 90 to 99 for diastolic then this is classified as mild to moderate hypertension. At this point blood pressure herbal is a good idea. If garlic, vitamin C and hawthorn do not do the trick then turn to other blood pressure herbal options such as supplements of the mineral calcium and magnesium.

Calcium’s unique ability to improve hypertension has been borne out in some research studies. However it is not significant enough to work alone. Calcium plays a vital role in the contraction of muscular tissues and therefore is beneficial to the health of the heart and the blood vessels. Magnesium works in concert with calcium to make the walls of the blood vessels more elastic as well as to relax the muscles that are found there. Magnesium also increases the efficiently of other essential minerals in the bloodstream which include both potassium and sodium.

Other blood pressure herbal options that are being studied for their effectiveness at lowering blood pressure include coenzyme Q10 which helps to encourage normal blood pressure levels and a selection of fish oils that are composed of the essential fatty acids that support a health heart and circulatory system.

Home Remedies for Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

• Diet plays a very important role either in aggravating or subsiding PMS problems. Eat complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads, pasta and cereals, fiber and protein. Cut down on your sugar and fat intake.

• Start avoiding salt for the last few days before your period start as it would reduce bloating and fluid retention.

• Avoid caffeine in any form as it makes you less irritable and also eases breast soreness.

• Alcohol is no savior in such times as it depresses you even further.

• Drink plenty of warm water, coconut, raisins, papaya and sweet juicy fruits.

• Get a relaxing massage. Use unscented lotion or massage oil onto your palms and add 1 or 2 drop of essential oil of clary sage, chamomile, geranium, lavender or orange blossom. After mixing this mixture in your hand, massage it on your aching abdomen or lower back.

• Turn vegetarian and increase your diet with fiber as it helps remove excess estrogens. Also consume magnesium rich diet like millet, buckwheat and barley.

• Keep exercising and remain fit. Exercise helps in better functioning of the brain which keeps you in good mood.

• Get a mineral bath as it would keep your muscles relaxed and at ease. In a tubful of warm water add 1 cup sea salt and 1 cup baking soda to. Soak yourself into it for 20 minutes.

• Live a stress-free life, to get through this PMS problem more easily.

• Do not lose your romantic touch try to have a normal sex life because the intercourse stimulates the blood which otherwise remains sluggish and lethargic.

• Have smaller meals to keep your blood sugar level steady and also prevents the craving for sweets.

• Avoid saturated fats like red meat, cheese and butter as it increases the bad prostaglandins level causing uterine discomfort, bloating and mood swings.

• Suffering from cramps, drink a cup or two of red raspberry leaf tea. For bloating drink a cup or two of dandelion tea. If suffering from both drink both teas.

• Use oils like evening primrose, borage, flax seed and pumpkin seed which contain Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). These acids are changed into ‘good’ prostaglandin in the body. You can have primrose oil daily 3 to 6 grams. You can also use one tablespoon flaxseed oil for salad dressing.

• Chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus castus) is an herb, used immensely to reduce PMS problems. Take 10 drops of chaste tree berry extract every morning from mid-cycle until your period begins. It may take a nearly three months to see the results.

• Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) is a Chinese herb used widely for PMS. It contains phytoestrogens and is a good hormone balancer. It helps relieve pain and also uterine cramps. Have 3 to 4 ml of Dong quai tincture three times a day during the second half of your cycle. Before consuming this herb you should keep in mind that it produces photosensitivity and should not be used if you have heavy menstrual flow or are pregnant, as it increases the flow.

• Use light therapy to ease PMS symptoms. The idea is to sit in front of a therapeutic light box for 20 to 45 minutes a day. Any ordinary light would not do, you have to buy this light box to get the right results.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

The Best Tool For Losing Fat And Building Muscle

Resistance training is the best long-term tool for losing fat and building muscle.

The more lean muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn at rest and on the move. The more muscle tissue you possess, the more energy your body will require to maintain that muscle.

It gets that needed energy from burning and utilizing calories. And again, the more calories you burn, the more likely fat loss to occur.

Muscle is a very metabolically active tissue. It takes a lot of work for your body to maintain it. Fat, on the other hand, takes no work to maintain. It just sits there, lumped together like, well, fat.

This is an important concept in weight loss because the more lean muscle tissue you can build, the more calories that will be burned off, without you having to do any extra work. Your muscle will burn off more calories 24/7 than if you didn’t have that extra lean muscle.

This makes the case for why weight training, also known as resistance training, is so important to include in any weight loss program. Simply because if you can add a couple pounds of lean muscle to your frame, you’re going to burn off more calories, even while sleeping, than if you didn’t have that extra muscle.

The more calories you burn off at rest, the more likely that the calories burned off during exercise will create a calorie deficit in your body. A calorie deficit is a must for weight loss to occur.

Remember how weight gain occurs from consuming more calories than your body burns off during the day. Since there is no deficit of calories, your body does not have to dip into stored body fat to get energy. In fact, due to the surplus, it stores the extra calories as body fat.

If you create a calorie deficit, meaning, your body has used all of the energy from calories it has received from food and it still needs more (like to support muscle tissue) it is going to go after your fat stores to get that energy.

Fat is a highly condensed form of energy. So, when your body starts taking fat from fat stores to use as energy, that is how weight loss occurs.

Weight training may benefit any weight loss program, possibly more than any other component.

Weight training can be a future investment for permanent weight loss and weight maintenance because as you continue to lose stored body fat and gain lean muscle, your muscle will continue to aid in the calorie burning process.

As there becomes less stored body fat to use as energy, the muscle tissue will start to directly utilize the calories you consume on a daily basis.

Since there is now more muscle tissue than there is fat to utilize calories, chances of storing any excess calories as body fat is greatly reduced.

Resistance training may offer the most benefit of all to women past the age of menopause. It can help prevent or reverse the effects of osteoporosis by strengthening and maintaining bone density often lost by diet alone.

So how much resistance training is necessary for long-term weight loss to be successful and to increase your lean muscle and strength? Not as much as you would probably think.

In fact, any more weight/resistance training than 2 to 3 hours a week may be counterproductive.

The best results I have witnessed while in the personal training field come from 3 sessions a week with weights, less than an hour each session.

Most people like the Monday, Wednesday, Friday approach to weight training. This leaves Tuesday and Thursday for cardio, which should be done separately from weight training.

Keep your weight training routine simple. It is more productive to focus effectively on a few tasks (exercises) than it is to work out with less intensity on many different ones.

On each set, try to progressively add a little more weight each time. Keep records of your weight lifts so you can try to outdo (progress) each and every workout!

Again, for the many weight loss and weight management benefits of weight training to occur, you do not have to stay for hours in the gym.

Give yourself 2 hours a week to do some form of resistance training.

If you cannot make it to a gym, invest in a pair of weight-adjustable dumbbells purchased from a nearby department store that you can use at home.

In fact, for less than the cost of a 3 month gym membership, you could probably purchase a great home gym set up with a couple pairs of dumbbells and maybe a bench and mat.

If that is even not within budget, simply lift what you have around the house, like water jugs (full, of course) or soup cans, or rocks from the garden.

Resistance is resistance and having your body progressively lift heavier weight will force it to become stronger and adapt to this demand placed upon it.

When you force your body to adapt to this resistance, it does so by creating new muscle tissue growth to handle the weight.

With this new tissue growth comes a new need for energy to maintain this muscle tissue. That is when stored fat is used and burned off.

That’s why weight training is the best tool for losing fat and building muscle.

Should Everybody Do Muscle Training Or Weight Training?

When it comes to fitness, there are many options to choose from. You can do anything from aerobics to muscle training. Each depends on the benefits you are looking for specifically. While aerobics is designed primarily to lose weight, training is used to tone up your muscles and sculpt them. Aerobics and weight training can be combined to maximize the benefits as well.

When it comes to this form of fitness you must take into consideration that the pounds lost, do not necessarily reflect your total success. When you use muscle training in your routine, you are building muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than the fat; therefore you may be getting slimmer even without losing a ton of weight on the scale. Inches lost are usually a more accurate and better indicator when it comes to muscle training. If you are muscle training as part of your fitness routine, another great indicator is muscle tone and definition.

Not only can you train in combination with aerobic exercise, you can also do it all by itself. This can be done primarily for that extra boost of confidence after weight loss. Muscle training alone can help your clothes fit better. This training alone is usually reserved for those who are at the weight they desire, but just want more definition. Sometimes it can be used for those who are underweight. By building muscle mass, they can appear healthier and fitter.

Just remember when it comes to weight training, do not over do it. Unless you are a body builder, too much muscle training or overtraining can make you bigger than you wanted. Your best bet when it comes to such training, is to find a personal trainer. A personal trainer can determine how much and what kind of training will work best for you. Based on what you tell them your goals are, they can devise a training program personally for you. They can develop a muscle training program that targets specific areas and even avoids some, if you wish.

There are many varied reasons that people use muscle training. From weight loss, to sculpting, to building bulk, all use muscle training. There are also many benefits to muscle training as well. A better physique, an extra boost to weight loss, better fitting clothes, and just being healthier are all reasons for muscle training. Including it in your routine is always a good idea if these seem like benefits that you would like.

Exactly What is an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders are some of the most destructive illnesses today. Although a commonly used term, the meaning is often a source of confusion for many people. Basically, eating disorders happen to people whose diet patterns have gone awry somewhere along the way and ultimately lead to eating habits that are damaging and dangerous.

Even though these disorders have occurred in many as stand alone ailments, they are often accompanied by feelings of rejection and extreme stress.

Many more women than men have eating disorders and it is a cause for alarm in the field of medicine. It often starts with girls eating less to maintain their figures or to look attractive. In doing so, they are not taking in enough of the necessary nutrients their bodies need. As a result of which they don’t get adequate nutrients in their body. The organs in the body are affected and it often leads to a permanent infirmity or even death.

Doctors have come across many different types of eating disorders. Two of the best known are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. These may occur together or separately. Sometimes people eat too much (which leads to obesity) and sometimes people eat too little (which leads to anorexia), both are exceedingly harmful.

Bulimia is eating of too much of food and then throwing it all up to remain thin. Orthorexia is the mania of eating the correct food. Some people are afraid, at times irrationally so, to eat certain things.

An aberration from the normal course of things, these atypical forms of behavior are disturbing, to say the least as it, disrupts good eating habits, affecting your health in a negative way.

What causes these disorders is the question. There has been much speculation on it. When someone is overly conscious of how he or she looks or how fat or thin he or she is it may very well result in an eating disorder like these. Both excessive love of food and excessive narcissism are often responsible.

The results of an eating disorder are deadly and it is important that a patient is treated with utmost care because the disorder, more often than not, has a psychological explanation. It is not only related to the amount of food one consumes but also why one does it. It is important to uncover the real reasons in order to set the patient on the road to recovery.

Eating disorders can create an emotional toll too. People with this disease are often found to be withdrawn and depressed. Although eating disorders are very dangerous, don’t lose hope. Talk to your doctor about what you’re feeling. That’s the first step on the road to recovery.

How To Lose Weight - And Keep It Off

The best way to lose weight is about living a healthier life than what you may be living now. You will need a complete lifestyle change and you will need to be committed. The body loses about 2 pounds a week optimally and that’s 2 pounds that stay off. When you drop at a faster rate your body could potentially rebound and either plateau your weight loss or put extra weight on. If you are committed then you should reach your goal.

There are 5 most important things that must go together in any workout program. These are part of changing your complete lifestyle to one that is healthier. They also help you to naturally optimize your metabolism. The faster your metabolism the better your body uses your food for energy, instead of storing it as fat.
I put them in the order of importance.

1. Eat more. Yes eat more. More meals that is. It is best to eat a small meal every 3-4 hours. The meal should be just large enough to where you are not hungry, as opposed to eating you are full. There is a difference, think of it as no bigger than the size of your two fists put together. Eating 1 or 2 meals a day slows your metabolism down. You should have at least 4-6 meals a day. For most a ratio of carbs-proteins-fats should be 50%-25%-25% is good, but each person is unique.

2. Drink more water. Most of us don’t have enough water. This means our bodies are dehydrated. Two things a dehydrated body has trouble doing, one is releasing water. In order to lose fat you must be able to release water, because fat cells in your body are composed of mostly water. A dehydrated body cannot build very well. Muscle tone indicates a constant building state in your body. If your body isn’t building that means it is losing muscle and it’s never good to lose muscle that slows your metabolism and makes you look flabby.

3. Maintain a balanced workout regimen of cardio and resistance (weights). Cardio is good for fat burning and it’s easy to do and to progress yourself. Resistance is a little harder because it’s not as easy to know what to do. If weights aren’t your thing then try Yoga or Pilates. Both are very effective resistance and core training and can help you maintain lean muscle and increase your overall metabolism.

4. Smart supplementation of your diet is your best solution to making sure you get the nutrients your food doesn’t give you. A daily multivitamin will suffice in most cases, and if you don’t like pills they sell it in liquid form. Plus cleanses, as well as detox formulas are awesome for eliminating toxins we take into our bodies without knowing.

5. Sleep is a very important part of any healthy lifestyle regimen. When we sleep our bodies and minds refresh themselves and allow us to function at an optimal level. Sleeping allows muscles to rebuild themselves and when they do that, it speeds your metabolism.

You may ask why I gave you this long list instead of just telling you what exercises to do. The reason is if you think that exercising is all you need then you are mislead. If exercising is all we needed to look and feel great then everybody who works out at the gym would have great bodies and be healthy. If you have been to a gym before you know its not true.

Will Eating Less Frequently Help Me Loose Weight

Many people believe that eating less throughout the day will help them lose weight. The question is, ist that a smart way to go about losing weight?

QUESTION:

If I eat one meal a day, and go walking 20-60 minute almost everyday of the week, can I loose weight. Could I loose a lot by this? It is what I’ve been doing for three days now, and I wanted to know if it will work?

ANSWER:

Your answer simply put is No. You may experience a brief initial weight loss of a few pounds, but during the long run you will not. You will however force your body to change its natural functioning habits to accommodate you new life style.

Decreasing the amount of times you eat each day begins to interfere with your body’s natural internal functioning. You may lose a few pounds short term, but you are not necessarily losing fat, or becoming healthier.

The first problem you have is your diet. Eating only one time, whether physically active or not will put your body into “starvation mode”. This happens when the body loses its regular energy source obtain through the diet and a new system is adopted with less frequency.

When regular eating patterns are established the body will become accustomed to using all of the energy from meals as sources of energy.

When people adopt a 1 or 2 meals per day diet, the body goes on the defensive. During this time the body does not know where its next meal is going to come from because of the few times its being fed. Just like humans when our natural resources run low, we begin to conserve those resources. The body does that same thing.

At this point instead of utilizing all of the carbohydrates, fats and proteins for necessary bodily functions, the body goes on starvation mode and decides to use some for energy, and save some for later. What this means is that you don’t get the full benefit of your diet, no matter how great your diet may be.

Considering that most people who eat only 1 or 2 times a day do not actively make sure that those meals are healthy, eating less really loses its benefits. Imagine consuming a bunch of grapes.
During starvation mode, your body will you use over half of that bunch for energy, but then store about a handful of grapes right on you hips (thighs, arms, rear, neck etc.) in the form of fat, as a reserved energy source until its next meal.

In essence, eating only one meal a day can actually increase your body fat percentage. Your body may store more fat, and switch to other sources of energy like muscles (protein). Decreasing your amount of muscle will automatically increase your body fat percentage.

My advice to you is to adopt a regular diet. Try eating 3 meals and 3 snacks throughout the day. First, start with eating about 3-6 times per day, then focus on portion control, and finally content.
Eating a regularly on a balanced diet will increase your metabolism. This happens the body has no reason to create reserved energy sources since it knows it will automatically be fed throughout the day.

It can burn calories without regard for its next meal, and this is what helps you to loose body fat, which is more important than just pounds. A larger amount of calories burned means, more fat lost, which means a leaner healthier you.

Add this to your regular workout, and you have a great starting point for achieving your fitness goals.