How Fasting can Benefit you

        

            

Fasting has been touted by health enthusiasts as a way to stay healthy, cure certain ailments and to live longer.  But, on the other hand, there have been those who maintain that fasting is problematic for certain people. Which is it?

 

This brief post will present some of the latest findings on fasting and what it can do for the body.  Of course, if you suffer from health ailments, check with your primary healthcare provider before you begin a program of fasting.

Three ways that fasting can help your body

Scientist have stated that fasting can help the body in three ways:

1. Oxidative stress -  Fasting can decrease  the accumulation of free radicals (oxidative stress) in the cell. (Remember free radicals go scavenging around the bodies cells seek to disrupt things; ultimately, by stealing oxygen from cells, they can cause aging and sickness)  Fasting helps to prevent damage to cell proteins, lipids and nucleic acids which are associated with aging and disease.

2. Increases insulin sensitivity - Fasting increases insulin sensitivity along with mitochondrial energy efficiency (the mitochondria is the power house of the cell).  This helps to slow aging and disease.

3.  Increased capacity to resist stress, disease and aging - Fasting brings about a cellular stress response in which genes that increase the capacity to cope with stress and resist disease proliferate.
("The Intermittent Fasting Dilemma: How Many Meals Per Day Should You Eat?" Dr. Mercola)

Source:

"The Intermittent Fasting Dilemma: How Many Meals Per Day Should You Eat?" Dr. Mercola

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How to Burn Calories at Your Desk

       

 

Most people who have been on any type of weight loss program know that not partaking in enough activity can thwart your best efforts in loosing weight.  It-the weight-can stick to you like crazy glue-believe me, I do know. And for those of you who have sit down computers jobs, the challenge becomes not only about what to eat, but picking up extra ways to burn fat.

 

Here are interesting information pertaining to inactivity and chronic illness.

Information on Sedentary Lifestyles

The latest stats on sedentary lifestyles and chronic illness are pretty disturbing.  According to the WHO (World Health Organization), inactivity is listed as the fourth greatest killer of adults. Further, Dr. Joan Vernikos, one of the doctors involved in preventing astronauts from deteriorating in space, says in the article, "Tips for Staying Active in the Office to Counteract the Ills of a Sedentary Job" that it is important to stand up every ten minutes or so so that the body can function optimally. This was actually reported as being more beneficial than walking.

The  statistics show that prolonged sitting puts an individual at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney disease. And to prevent a full picture on how urgent this is, even if a person is normally active, but sits for prolonged time during the day, he is still at risk for these chronic diseases.

What can be done?

Some innovative ways in which to burn calories include:

-holding stand only meetings at work.
-structure the layout of the office in such a way that everything is not at your fingertips.  Put regularly used information on a shelf that will require some stretching.
-Use an exercise ball for a chair to get exercise.
-Use an upright chair with no armrests which will encourage frequent repositioning.

Basically, the body needs perpetual movement to function optimally.  Avoid sitting for long periods of time.  Get up out of your chair about every ten minutes to allow the body to interact with gravity.
In this way, the body will have an opportunity to burn many additional calories which greatly helps with weight loss.

source:

Dr. Mercole,"Tips for Staying Active in the Office to Counteract the Ills of a Sedentary Job"

         

 

 

            

 

Weight loss through imagining food

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

While scouring through a health magazine I came across an interesting bit of information regarding imagining foods as a means to reduce the amount of food consumed when it was actually eaten.  Most people are afraid of dwelling too long on having a large bowl of ice cream or a bag of potato chips. I know that I am. With little thought, it doesn't take too much to finish off the whole thing. But contrary to popular thought, and according to a series of experiments on volunteers at Carnegie Mellon University, researchers found that people who imagine eating a certain food actually ate less of the food when it was later offered to them.  It was reported that folks who weren't offered the food actually ate more.

The bottom line

It seems that trying to block thoughts of food isn't always a good dieting technique.  Hmmm, I wonder. 

Readers are invited to voice their opinions by commenting.



Source: WebMDWire "See Food" WebMD the Magazine

Can cool temperatures help you to lose weight?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Weight loss is probably the favorite American past time. And, if we aren't talking about it, we are looking for new ways to achieve it -particularly if it means little or no effort.

Researchers have found some interesting new facts out about speeding up the metabolism, burning calories and achieving weight loss.  One of those methods may be as easy as just turning down the thermostat.

Boost weight loss with  a lower thermostat

One of the more recent studies that I've heard about is from the ABC news health segment, "Cool temperatures and weight loss" http://www.abclocal.go.com/. A study of 1,000 people found that the risk of obesity cut dramatically with every hour of sleep they got.  In addition, they also found that cooler houses boosted weight loss.

Scientists are concluding that sleep deprivation disrupts hormones.  People sleeping in cooler houses burn calories to stay warm.  Unfortunately, researchers don't know exactly what the temperatures need to be nor for how long to experience weight loss.

Cinnamon and weight loss

Image by Darwin Bell via Flickr

Some many people have been on the weight loss merry-go-round for years losing 10 pounds, then gaining 20 pounds, only to purge the body of the excesses through a combination of dangerous dieting and medication.  Due to  such unhealthy practices, the body's metabolism is thrown way off track thus likely causing more weight gain. Sadly,  people have put themselves at risk for adverse drug reactions to these medications.
Nowadays informed consumers are learning about natural food substances that enhance weight loss without the dangerous side effects of drugs.  One such substance is that all around spice -  cinnamon. Yup, the same things that we bake sinfully delicious pastries with pies and cakes

Cinnamon benefits

Yes, good old cinnamon, the same stuff that is so good in pies, cakes, donuts, cookies and other sweets.  Scientists conducting a USDA study have found that cinnamon has beneficial antioxidants that are beneficial in battling heart disease and diabetes.

How does cinnamon affect weight loss?  Well, fat cells are more likely to store glucose in the abdomen since there is a large blood supply there, due to the presence of the digestive organs.  Interestingly, glucose is readily stored in the abdomen due to this blood supply.  This is why this abdominal fat is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is a precursor to  numerous disease including diabetes and heart disease.

How much should I take?

It is recommended to take 1/2 teaspoon to two teaspoons daily.  But, of course, taper this dose to your own stomach and any other medical conditions that you may have.  Also please see your health care provider for  his okay.

There are also many interesting recipes that can help with this recommended dosage:

cinnamon with applesauce
cinnamon in hot drinks, such as the flavored coffees
Oatmeal and other cereal

Have fun and experiment with the recipes.Your health will thank you.

Sources:

Shomon, Mary, "Cinnamon: help for insulin resistance and weight loss"www.about.com

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Practical guides for weight loss

Image via Wikipedia

Americans are spending astronomical amounts of money on losing weight.  Just take a look at the health and beauty aisles in the local drug stores and phamacies. They are absolutely bursting with pills, drinks, and so-called natural and herbal products that promise to get flush out the fat, kill the appetite and deliver a new and trimmer you.  Hmm, sounds too goo to be true.  What's worse is that doctors and surgeons have jumped on the weight loss bandwagon by performing questionsable surgeries that will deliver rapid weight loss. No one is even interested in the long term health problems that these procedures and drugs could be causing.  Who is looking out for the American public?

What do the facts show?

Science and research have shown though that the healthiest and lasting way to weight loss occurs through making simple changes in eating. Take a look at the Food Pyramid.  This is a relatively reliable guide as to what we should be eating and in what quantities.  For example, a serving of meat (2 ounces)is a far cry from what we are normally accustomed to eating.  A serving of a carb like rice or spaghetti (1/2 cup) is tops for one meal.  Hmm, takes some real mental conditioning to make changes.  Not drugs or surgery.

Imagine, just a short generation ago, our parents never ate like that! We have become a super-size society. Our foreparents probably ate about one half of what we now eat.  How healthy could that be? Well, look at the bumper crop of diabetes and obesity, much of which starts in childhood.  Yes, kids today, due to inactivity, bad food choices and video games are getting high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Lets take a look at how the simple changes can help you to permanently lose weight.

Don't diet
If you really examine the facts, when you diet you imply a temporary change in eating habits just long enough to get rid of a desired amount of weight. Wrong.  Most nutritionists  will tell you that permanent weight loss results in a complete change of lifestyle.

Try seeking new and creative ways to prepare vegetables and snacks.  Carrots and raisins are a great combination.  Plus, the added fiber, along with drinking extra water helps fill you up. Fresh cut celery sticks really help flush the body of excess fluid helps in controlling high blood pressure. Chewy snacks such as figs and prunes should be a good subsitute for sugary candies like gummy bears.

Exercise
 
Getting out and enjoying the cool autumn air by brisk walking is a great cardio booster which will also help curb your appetitie for those bad food choices,  Or, if you prefer, join a gym.  It is also a great place to meet folks.

Hopefully, by partaking in some of the recommendations in this article, you will see that true and lasting weight loss and health can be achieved without dangerous drugs and medical procedures.

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