10 Steps To A Better Metabolism

Are you sluggish and low on energy? Do you feel like you work and work toward your weight loss goal and never seem to make any dramatic improvement?

You could be suffering from a slow metabolism. Even though you may have a slow metabolism, it does not have to destroy your weight loss efforts. You can dramatically improve your metabolism, and boost your energy levels without taking supplements.

Your metabolism simply refers to the conversion of food to usable energy by the body. It is the biological process, by which energy is extracted from food, and the net result is how fast or slowly the body burns those calories.

A few steps you can take to improve your metabolism naturally are:




Drink Water – Water is great to drink and you should be drinking a minimum of 8 to 10, glasses daily, of course, more is better. It will help increase your metabolism and flush out sodium, toxins, and fat. Drinking water before meals will fill your stomach so you feel full and prevent overeating. Avoid excess colas, coffee, teas, and sugary juices. Caffeine will dehydrate you, and the sugar will do more damage than good in the long-run.




Eat Every Three Hours – Eat a small balanced meal every three hours, including snacks. Meals and snacks should be balanced, meaning they should contain a complete protein, carbohydrates, as well as natural fat. Failure to eat consistently can lead to a slower metabolism and fat storage. Also, skipping meals slows down your metabolism. To ignite fat loss you need to be consuming the right foods in a balanced manner throughout the day.

Don't Skip Breakfast – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gets your metabolism running in high gear. You wouldn't drive your car to work on an empty tank, and you shouldn't start your day without adequate nourishment. Your first meal sets your metabolism for the day and keeps it going, as long as you eat every three hours. If you get up early and eat a late breakfast, you miss out on several hours of burning calories.

Don't Fear Fat – Fat has developed a bad reputation. Many people think fat makes you fat. This is false. The type of fat and how much fat you eat impacts your body fat composition. Fat is needed by the body. Those who follow a very low-fat diet have a harder time ridding their body of fat. Choose natural healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, various nuts, flax, and natural peanut butter to receive your necessary fats.

Omit Trans Fat – Trans fat is the bad fat, the cause of weight gain, low energy, depression, cancer, and heart disease. You will never get the body you desire by eating "healthy" fast food, frozen dinners, and other processed choices. If it's man-made, it's not the best choice, and will halt fat loss endeavors. Eat the foods Mother Nature has provided to meet your fat loss goals.

Be Active Daily – Stay active at least six days a week. Take the stairs when possible or park further out to get that little bit of extra movement to keep the heart and lungs working optimally. The more movement you get daily, the better you will feel overall.

Do Cardiovascular Exercise – Cardio exercise is necessary for heart and lung health. It also burns calories. Doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach can tap into fat stores, and keep your body burning calories at a high rate for about an hour after cardio is finished. If you fail to eat adequately daily, first morning cardio on an empty stomach can work against you. Doing morning cardio on a very low-calorie diet can burn muscle. Another good time to incorporate cardio is in the evening after your last meal. This allows you to burn calories so you are not sleeping on them. You do not have to implement a morning and evening session, choose one or the other or cycle between the two to prevent staleness and boredom.

HIIT It – Blend some High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your cardiovascular program from time to time to give your body and metabolism a good shock. The body is programmed for adaptation. Therefore, doing the same cardio format day in and day out can become stale really fast. Take one or two days a week and implement some HIIT to give the body an added shock.

HIIT is basically alternating low intensity and moderate to high-intensity cardio training.  For example, a 20 minute HIIT session would look similar to this:

Minute 1 and 2 – Low Intensity (Walking) Minute 3 and 4 – High Intensity (Light jogging or running) Minute 5 and 6 – Low-Intensity Minute 7 and 8 – High Intensity and so on…

Weight Train – Resistance training builds muscle, which is metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you acquire, the faster your metabolism will be.  Adding more lean muscle tissue to your body will put curves in the right places and allow you to eat more calories a day.

Listen to Your Body – Killing yourself with workouts is just as dangerous as not working out at all. Listen to your body and get proper rest. Don't train if you are ill, still sore from the previous workout, or just simply too tired. Training in such a state can cause more problems than it solves.

If any of the above fails to prove results in 4 to 6 weeks, there could be an underlying problem, such as a food allergy, sluggish thyroid, hormonal imbalance, toxins, parasites, etc. If so, I recommend seeking a physician.

That is it for today. Until next time, Stay Safe & Stay Healthy.

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3 Must Do Steps To A Healthier Day

Losing weight and maintaining weight loss for an extended time requires some simple lifestyle adjustments. As long as you keep your adjustments within a sustainable reach, you should be able to lose weight and keep it off without much shock and interruption to your daily life.


Losing weight does not have to require extended trips to the gym or engagement in some fad diet. Here are the steps to a healthier day that can help you slim down on weight without slimming down on your free time.


Exercise Daily


Daily exercise can make a difference in your body shape and in the way your body processes calories. When you exercise, you work your heart, mind, and body. You are building your muscle mass, which in turn will increase the effectiveness of your metabolism.

Additionally, you encourage your heart to pump blood throughout your body more effectively, which means that you will have healthier blood and a reduced risk of heart disease. You reduce fatty deposits, which in turn helps reduce your risk of many health problems, such as diabetes. You also increase the number of endorphins that flow through your body, which means that you will note an increase in your positive attitude.

It does not require a large amount of time exercising to receive all of the above benefits. You simply need to 7workout regularly for a minimum of half an hour. Working out means taking a two-mile walk at a fast pace, throwing a Frisbee or riding a bicycle. Whatever the workout is, keep in mind that it should elevate your heart above the normal standing heart rate level and it should make you breathe slightly heavier than normal. It is also good if you can break a sweat or feel your muscles being challenged.

Eat All Things in Moderation


When you are trying to lose weight or sustain lost weight, you must allow yourself to eat all foods, but eat the unhealthy ones in moderation. The primary reason for many diets to fail is that people reduce the foods that they allow themselves to eat so drastically that they feel anxious after awhile eating the same things time and time again. When you allow yourself to give into simple cravings, you are rewarding your body and making it less tempted to crave larger portions of the bad foods.

You should also eat small portions of every food, regardless of its nutritional content. Eating smaller portions will help your stomach adjust to consuming less food. You can also drink water to help you feel full. Americans especially have a habit of eating more than one portion of food per meal, so be aware of your food portions!

Call a Buddy


Studies prove that having a Buddy help you work out increases your chances of maintaining a diet, exercise routine, or long-term weight loss. Buddies are fabulous motivators. They will keep you attuned to your habits and help you feel accountable throughout the day. If you must, enlist the help of a partner to be an appointed weight loss guardian. He or she will be tasked with ensuring that you stick to your weight loss goals by encouraging you to report your progress several times a week.

Have A SafeAnd Healthy Day

7 Tips For Beautiful Skin

For most men and women, part of the morning and evening routines involve a skincare regimen of applying creams, moisturizers, tonics, lotions, and the like. Why do we put ourselves through this? We do it primarily to combat the signs of aging, and to maintain youthful looks and beautiful skin! It is a safe bet, however, that most of us haven't put much thought into what is in the products that we are using.



Some of us probably do not realize that what we are putting on our skin may actually be undermining what we are trying to prevent to begin with. In fact, the average woman puts twelve products on her skin daily, most of which contain harmful chemical preservatives. Dr. Myron Wentz, founder and chairperson of USANA Health Sciences has this to say about beauty in the company magazine's June/July 2005 issue: "Some say that beauty is only skin deep. Nonsense!


I believe that true beauty is a reflection of true health, and true health begins deep inside each and every cell in the body. But true health and true beauty have an outer component, which is why we require protection from environmental insults such as solar radiation, pollutants in our environment and the drying effects of air. . . The fact is, you simply cannot have a healthy body if your skin isn't healthy. And your skin can't be healthy if you are subjecting it to toxic substances that are ultimately absorbed into your body."


So, what can we do? How can we combat environmental pollutants, the effects of solar radiation, and the drying effects of air? How can we be sure we are using the very best products on our skin so we can be healthy inside and out? Here are 7 tips to assist in this process:


1. Be very aware of what is in skincare products. Use products that are all-natural as much as possible.


2. Look for products that contain Dermal Surface Renewal Technology. DSR smoothes away existing signs of aging such as laugh lines, crows feet, and dullness.

3. Use products that have regioisomers. Regenisomers penetrate the skin to speed cell renewal after sun exposure. They also use the light of photosomes to undo sun damage and have ultrasomes to renew skin while sleeping.


4. Find products with Protein-C and Proflavonol-T. These two vitamins protect the skin from premature aging caused by the sun, pollution, and other environmental factors. They also provide advanced nutrition to the skin to keep it appearing smooth and firm.


5. If possible, use products that are paraben-free. Parabens are synthetic chemical preservatives that are widely used in personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair styling products, make-up, facial masks, skin lotions and creams, and deodorants. They also are typically ingredients in baby lotions, shampoos, and other personal care products for infants and children. In addition, parabens are in many foods and pharmaceutical products. Researchers are beginning to find parabens in benign and malignant human breast tumors. While some studies have challenged their toxicity in many products and question their long term affect on humans, using products that are paraben-free can eliminate the risk of exposure to this harmful chemical.


6. Drink plenty of water! Water hydrates skin and hair as well as flushes toxins out of the body.


7. Limit stress or learn to manage it effectively. Stress is harmful both emotionally and physically. Find that stress reliever activity that works best and use it on a daily basis!


Follow the above 7 tips to true beauty and health.

That's it for today, until next time take it easy.

Are You Eating Yourself To Death?

Is your current diet killing you quicker?

Could your diet be causing all of your ailments?

Is your diet making you fat?

My immediate answer is YES, you are eating yourself to death!

I can just hear you all shout "Hold on a second there Arlo! I eat very healthy foods, and I only drink healthy fruit juices. I don't eat sweets, I only buy low fat and low carb products. I eat healthy, and don't need to read the rest of this article!" HOLD ON there a moment! You are not eating as healthy as you think! Let me tell you why.

Never in the history of man have we seen more obesity, diseases, syndromes and what not, than we do right now. Is this all thanks to food? No, BUT, a HUGE part is, and if you will indulge me for a short while, I will try my best to explain to you in an easy to understand manner, why this is so.

We live in an instant gratification and microwave society. If it is not quick, easy and now, it is so yesterday. BUT, at what cost?

I can write a whole book about all the "stuff" they put in processed or so-called fast foods, but I don't want to bore you to death with all the scientific names and what it does to your body. Let me rather simplify this for you, and say that if it is processed in any way, it is not good for you, and very possibly bad for you!

So, what exactly is processed foods, and why is it so bad for you?

Does it come in a can, sealed box, sealed bag, or is it ready-made? If so, it is processed. This is the vast majority of the foods that you get at the grocery store! Have a look, the next time you are at the store, and you will see this to be true.

Now onto why it is so bad for you. For this food to last long, have the right color, and not pick up all the bad bacteria associated with keeping food for long, a LONG list of chemicals are added to this food. A lot of these chemicals are known to have very serious negative effects on the human body. To name but a few of these "side" effects: Cancer, High blood pressure, high cholesterol, numbness, burning sensation, tingling, facial pressure or tightness, Chest pain, headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness, weakness, and difficulty breathing for asthmatics.

Now, forget all the "stuff" being added. What about nutritional value? Because of all the processing, there are little, if any, real nutrients left in any of these foods! Not only that BUT, the salt levels are WAY above what a human being should be consuming!

What about all these healthy bran cereals? Are they processed? YES. They contain more sugar than anything else! Your poor blood sugar levels do not know what to do with all the extra insulin that it gets with just about any fast or processed food!

So, what then is safe and healthy?

Anything that is fresh, not processed, and preferably organic. Plain and simple! YES, that means that nice cup of coffee you are enjoying while reading this is not very good for you!

Have a look at your grocery store. The vast majority of the fresh, non-processed foods are around the perimeter of the store, and not in the isles! This makes shopping so much easier!

"BUT, it takes so long to prepare!" The most common complaint I hear! Well, if you plan it properly, you can make all your fresh food in less time than it takes to get all your fast food during the day! Read that again! My wife and I prepare all our meals, for the 2 of us, and our 2 children, in 30 minutes in the morning! All fresh, all healthy, and ready to eat for the rest of the day!

How much, and how often should you eat? This is also very simple. You should be eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. Before you start screaming at me for telling you to eat so much, remember also that these meals should be much smaller portions of your regular 3 meals a day. This will equate to around 6 meals a day.

What will you be eating? Also quite simple. Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat. YES, fat! You need to eat lean meat, skinless chicken or fish for protein. If you are vegan, there are loads of alternatives. For carbohydrates, you will have fruit and vegetables. For fat, you will have fish, fish oil capsules or flaxseed oil.

That's IT! Sound boring? Believe me when I tell you, it's not!

Celebrity Weight Loss Secrets Exposed

Celebrities are always looking fabulous. Whether appearing on television, starring in a movie or strutting down the red carpet, they never cease to fascinate us with their larger than life presence. The truth is, it takes a lot of effort to look the way they do, and to be the public figures that they are.

A celebrity can not afford to slack off when it comes to taking care of their physical appearances. Their livelihood largely depends on how they look. Aside from the clothes, the hair and the makeup, celebrities have to take good care of their bodies.

So it is no surprise that these stars have their own secrets when it comes to staying fit and gorgeous. Their health routines can range from extreme workouts to well-planned meals. Who doesn't want to know their secrets in staying sexy? Here are some of their SECRETS.

1. Jennifer Aniston
 
The star of the phenomenal television show "Friends" not only mesmerized audiences with her adorable comic sense and her famous hairstyle. She was also known for having one of the sexiest bodies in Hollywood, as she appeared on countless magazine covers. To stay trim, Jennifer follows the 40:30:30 diet method. The diet consists of:

40% Low glycemic carbohydrates
-Foods such as beans, fruits and vegetables, legumes

30% lean proteins
-Tofu, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and low-fat dairy products

30% essential fats
-nuts and seeds, fish and olive oils

It is essential that every meal should contain macronutrients to attain the balance of hormones and maximum weight loss.

2. Kate Hudson
 
The gorgeous daughter of actress Goldie Hawn gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy, which she needed to shed quickly before moving on to her next film. She switched to a higher protein diet., consuming high protein meals with smaller portions. She combined this diet with an exercise program that includes weight training and cardio. After getting a lot of flak because of her post-pregnancy figure, Kate removed all that baby weight in only four months and has gained abdominal muscles that gained the envy of many in Hollywood.

3. Oprah Winfrey
 
As one of the most successful talk-show hosts in the world, there is no question that Oprah needs to maintain her physical appearance for her millions of fans. Known as one of those celebrities who are constantly battling weight gain, she has recently toned up her figure, by combining a regular exercise regime and diet plan. Oprah works out five days a week, spending 30 minutes on the treadmill and using free weights. Her eating plan consists of legumes, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, chicken and dairy products that are low-fat. She limits her consumption of white sugar and flour. Oprah also credits her trim figure to her habit of not eating anything after seven in the evening.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow
 

A lot of people may find it hard to believe that the perpetually slim Academy award-winning actress actually needs to diet. Gwyneth actually follows a healthy eating plan that resembles Oprah's, avoiding sugar and white flour. She usually follows a macrobiotic diet, eating foods like vegetables, brown rice, and lean meat. She also eliminated dairy from her diet, and does yoga every day.

5. Madonna
 

The pop star known as the Material Girl has always flaunted a body that is to die for and has become a true fitness paragon over the years. She keeps herself in tip-top shape by doing Ashtanga Yoga and follows a strict diet that mostly shuns junk foods. She adopted a macrobiotic eating plan that includes organic foods rich in lean protein.

6. Claudia Schiffer
 

The bodacious German supermodel eats salad and steamed vegetables for dinner and eats only fruits before the afternoon. While on locations, she prefers to eat black grapes and drinks tomato juice and herbal tea.

7. Christie Brinkley
 

Long-time supermodel maintains her all-American good looks by being a vegetarian. She does not keep junk foods of any kind inside her home, to make sure that she does not eat them when cravings occur. She snacks on sweet potatoes in place of candy bars, and she adopts a liquid juice diet when she needs to slim down fast.

TO SUM IT ALL UP

Celebrities are ordinary people, they need to maintain their figures and live healthy just like everyone else.

WE SHOULD ALL LOOK GOOD AND LIVE HEALTHY

Create or find a diet plan and workout routine that works for you. Push yourself, "effort always brings change", and stay consistent. Before you know it you will have the Body Of Your Dreams.

8 Reasons To Lose Weight

Obesity is the second leading cause of death after smoking. It is associated with an increased mortality rate of all ages including children. Losing weight though commercialized is still to your benefit if you carry more weight than you should. 

Obesity and Overweight are terms often used interchangeably. However, technically they refer to two different things. 

Being overweight technically means excess body mass. This includes all the body tissues. Obesity, on the other hand, refers explicitly to excess body fat e.g. a professional heavyweight bodybuilder is overweight because of excess muscles but is not obese. 

Obesity is what should concern you. Losing weight is no longer an issue you can afford to procrastinate, and probably a good health scare is in order.

Reason #1 To Lose Weight

Diabetes: It is well known that 80 -90% of type-two-diabetes patients are overweight. Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., as well as the leading cause of adult blindness in the world. One of the direct causes of obesity is eating the wrong foods. Some of these wrong foods include high glycemic foods. High glycemic foods are energy-dense foods that quickly increase the level of blood glucose in your body after being eaten. This results in the body reserving the unnecessarily high glucose/energy into fat. This makes losing weight very difficult.

Releasing a hormone called insulin does this. Type-Two-diabetes occurs because the body cannot produce enough insulin to remove the excess blood glucose and store it as body fat. This will occur after straining insulin production for some time. And that’s how you end up being fat and diabetic. 

Reason #2 To Lose Weight

Stroke: Obesity is associated with arteriosclerosis, the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries throughout your body. This makes them narrow slowing blood flow and among other things increases the risk of blood clotting. Arteries at risk include those supplying blood to the brain. If clotting occurs due to a narrowed artery, it blocks the blood supply to an area of the brain resulting in stroke. Losing weight reduces this risk. 

Reason #3 To Lose Weight

Cancer: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 25% - 33% of cancer worldwide are overweight and physical inactivity related. Body fat evidently promotes higher levels of insulin production and excess estrogen, a hormone. Both insulin and estrogen accelerate cell division.

As research has indicated, the faster cells duplicate the more they increase the chances of cancerous cell development. The situation is further complicated as the rapid cell division caused by the excess hormones lead also to rapid cell reproduction of the one cancerous cell, hence cancer starts to develop actively. In addition fat cells tend to keep carcinogenic i.e. cancer-causing agents, trapped in the body which increases the chances of developing cancer. 

Types of cancers you will be at high risk to get include:

Breast Cancer- affecting the breast possibly in both men and women. 

Colorectal Cancer- affecting the colon and rectum. 

Prostate Cancer- affecting the prostate gland in men. 

Endometrial Cancer- affecting the uterus. 

Esophageal Cancer- affecting the esophagus. 

Renal Cell Cancer- the cancer of the kidney, etc.

Reason #4 To Lose Weight

Respiratory Problems: Obesity causes the lungs to “become smaller” in size and the chest wall to become heavier to lift in the process of breathing in. The most common respiratory problem is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where an individual stops breathing for some time while asleep. A soft tissue in the throat collapses around the airway. For the severely obese sleep apnea may get more complicated with hypoventilation. Hypoventilation is an accumulation of toxic levels of carbon dioxide (the gas we breathe out) in the blood, due to inadequate breathing. Losing weight would be the only permanent safe and healthy solution to sleep apnea. 

Reason #5 To Lose Weight
Urinary Incontinence: This is the involuntary release of urine. Being overweight can contribute to urinary incontinence. A heavy abdomen due to body fat deposits may cause a valve in the bladder to be weakened. The weight also exerts pressure on the bladder to push urine out. This results in leakage of urine when coughing, sneezing or laughing. This is because of a slight relaxation of the bladder valve that normally would not result in leakage. It can even result in bed wetting at night. This particular problem can be a very effective motivator to lose weight. 

Reason #6 To Lose Weight

Varicose Veins: Also known as Venous Stratis Disease. The leg and thigh muscles assist the heart in blood circulation just like most large muscles in the body. They are involved in pumping blood against gravity back to the heart with the help of valves that close to avoid a backward flow. Pressure as a result of a large abdomen may increase the workload on the valves eventually causing damage. Damaged valves then allow for blood to back up, due to gravity, causing high pressure in these veins leading to swelling, thickening of skin and skin ulcers. 

Reason #7 To Lose Weight 

High Blood Pressure: The BMI (Body Mass Index) and age together are the strongest indicator of risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. At least a third of hypertension is related to obesity. 

Reason #8 To Lose Weight

Other Diseases: Other diseases which MAY occur as a result of being overweight include

• Gout 
• Coronary Heart Disease 
• Lower Back Pains 
• Osteoarthritis 
• Rheumatoid Arthritis 
• Gall Stones 
• Pregnancy disorders such as
• Neural Tube Defect 
• Prenatal Mortality 
• Maternal Hypertension
• Gestational Diabetes 
• Impaired Immune Response 
• Liver Disease 
• Pancreatitis 
• Bad Body Smell 
• Depression 

Research shows that modest weight loss of even 10 pounds, significantly reduces the risk of developing these diseases. Weight loss is, in fact, a challenge taken by many every year. 

Unfortunately many fail in this healthy endeavor, all because of one thing; they lack proper information on effective weight loss. Effective weight loss is permanent. 

Weight Loss Is Serious

Your Life Depends On It

I hope this helps some of you out.

Effort Brings Change