You Don’t Always Need a Gym to Exercise

When I worked in high rise office buildings, I used to take the stairwells instead of riding the elevator. Other people walk laps around the soccer field instead of sitting in the car during practice. Walk to, or maybe even instead of lunch.

A recent study conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, concluded that some small changes add up to major health benefits. The results suggest that what you do every day can be just as good as going to the health club or gym. Most of us don't realize how little physical activity we really get and the importance of using every chance we get to be active.

Research suggests that we burn an estimated 800 fewer calories, which equates to about a double whopper with cheese and a large fry, per day than did previous generations, largely because technology has engineered physical activity out of our lives. For example, one 49-year-old aerospace engineer was able to drop 10 pounds and lower his cholesterol from 210 to 195 simply by taking a few extra steps at the office whenever he needed to use the restroom or get a bite to eat.

Here are a few ways to add extra movement to your day.

Park farther away in the parking lot or garage. It might also save a couple of dings in the car door.

Instead of just watching practice, walk the sidelines, or around the field or track, if there is one.

Never take an elevator fewer than three flights, take the stairs. My rule is up three, down four.

Turn your coffee break into a walk break. Walk to another floors vending machine, cafeteria or coffee shop to get your snack.

Set an "activity" timer or program your computer to remind you to take periodic walking and/or stretching breaks.

During TV commercials, get up, stretch, walk or get down and do some sit ups, or push ups.

Take your dog for a walk every day. If you don't have a dog, borrow one, or just walk your imaginary best friend.

Don't automatically drive. If you have multiple errands in a shopping center, walk there, instead of driving to each store and parking again. (Wear decent walking shoes or keep a good pair in your car.)

Install a chin-up bar in a convenient doorway, use it often to chin-up, pull-up, or simply hang.

Average Golfer needs to lose weight!

The average golfer is 20 or more pounds overweight. That’s not good for your health or your game. I know, because I am an average golfer. I do have some things that I am working on though, so I thought I would pass them along. They might help you lose weight fast.

Let me start by saying, “I don’t want to go on a DIET!” Diets don’t work! If they did there would be ONE! I have to change the bad eating habits, and overcome what has been learned incorrectly over the years. Yeah, just like my swing.Next, I am changing my attitude from “I’ll give it a try”. There’s no conviction in those words. I’ll fail before I start.

I MUST have firm and positive words in my goals. For example, “I am going to lose 5 pounds in 30 days”. “I will eat better every day”. “I am going to be successful no matter what”. These are my S.M.A.R.T goals. What does that mean? Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time Bound. It takes the loopholes out of my commitment to change.

Try, hope, and failure are words that should not be in my vocabulary. They are feeble and failure-oriented. Instead… words like “I will”, “I am going to”, are more success-minded. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Here is another nutrition tip. Change one eating habit right now! Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now!One thing I gave up a while ago was a big desert every night after dinner. You can do this also. Start today and replace it with a sugarless, low fat snack.

I eat sugar free jello or pudding which is real tasty. Or even better is a piece of fruit, Cantaloupe, Banana, Strawberries. Do this every day until it becomes a habit. It takes about thirty straight days to change a habit, so if you fall off the wagon for a day, you have to start over at one. Then it’s on to the next habit change.

One last tip. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. My cardiologist told me to take an hour a day just for me. I do aerobic exercises like stretching, and walking, and get my heart rate up to target for at least 30 minutes. I don’t always like it, but you can’t produce if you don’t have the capability. If I’m not good myself, I can’t be good for anyone else either.

If you’re looking for that extra boost to get you started for the rest of your life, here are some aids to lose weight and keep it off, take a look here, here, and here.

That’s Roughage to you!

Do you have high cholesterol? Increase your fiber!
Do you have high blood pressure? Increase your fiber!
Are you overweight? Increase your fiber!

What's the deal with fiber (aka roughage)? It seems to play a role in just about all our health problems.

With blood pressure and cholesterol, dietaty fiber binds to cholesterol in circulation and helps remove it from the body. Research has shown that for every 1-2 grams of daily soluble fiber intake, LDL (bad) cholesterol is lowered 1%.

On the weight control side of things, fiber increases how full you feel, which aids youer efforts to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight.

Things You Need to Know to Make Dietary Fiber Work for You:

There are two types of fiber.

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber remains relatively intact as it passes through the digestive system. The primary function of insoluble fiber is to move waste through the intestines and maintain intestinal acid balance.

Soluable Fiber

Soluble fiber is the type of fiber responsible for lowering total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Sources of insoluble fiber

These include, fruit skins and root vegetable skins.
Vegetables (green beans, celery, cauliflower, zucchini, beets, turnips, potato skins, and dark green leafy vegetables)
Wheat and whole-wheat products
Wheat oat
Corn bran
Seeds and nuts

Sources of soluble fiber

Oat and oat bran
Legumes (dried beans and peas)
Nuts
Barley, rye
Flaxseed
Fruits (i.e. oranges, apples, prunes, plums, berries)
Vegetables (i.e. carrots, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions)
Psyllium husk

How much do you need?

Nutritionists say 25-35 grams of dietary fiber everyday. Of this, 15 grams should be soluble. In the US the average fiber intake is 12-18 grams/day.
If your current diet is very low in dietary fiber, don't increase to 35 grams overnight. A sudden increase will result in gastrointestinal (stomach) distress and unpleasant side effects (flatulence and diarrhea). You want to increase your fiber intake gradually.

So, select high fiber foods, especially foods that contain soluble fiber. Click here, or here, to find sources of fiber supplements online!

Diabetes in Women and Low-Fat Diets

A new health study on postmenopausal women concluded that just maintaining a low-fat diet is not enough to reduce the likelihood that they will develop diabetes. But, among women on a low-fat diet who also lost weight over the 8-year study, fewer of them developed diabetes, the researchers report.

"Weight loss, rather than nutrient composition, may be the dominant predictor of reduced risk of diabetes," the investigators conclude in the Archives of Internal Medicine. A study conducted at a Research Center in Seattle, measured the effects of eating a low-fat diet on diabetes risk in over 48,000 women ages 50 to 79 years who were free of diabetes when they entered the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial.

The women were randomly assigned to continue eating their usual diet (the control group), or to go on to a low-fat diet (20 percent of calories from fat) with increased amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, during the study period from 1993 to 2005.

The study itself was not used to help lose weight, and neither the diet group nor the control group was given goals for weight loss or physical activity. By the end of the study, diabetes developed in 7.1 percent of women on the low-fat diet and 7.4 percent of those in the control group. This does not constitute a significant statistical difference.

What was observed, among women on the low-fat diet, was a trend toward reducing the risk of getting diabetes, when total fat intake was decreased, along with weight loss. Further analysis showed that most of this effect was attributable to weight loss.

Women in the low-fat diet group lost about 4 pounds more weight over the course of the study than women in the control group.

In a related commentary published with the study, Dr. Mark N. Feinglos and Susan E. Totten from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, suggest that "the critical issue" in the development of diabetes may be total caloric intake and subsequent weight gain rather than the composition of the diet.

"We have to assume that calories trump everything else," they write. "Our number 1 goal for the reduction of new cases of type 2 diabetes should be to reduce the intake of high-energy, low-benefit foods, particularly in young members of the most vulnerable populations."

So if you know that you are at risk to develop diabetes remember to eat sensibly, but keep the weight off, and maintain an exercise regimen.

Got Something to Lose? Try it with Lipodrene from Hi-Tech Labs

Lipodrene is an ephedra-based weight loss pill. If you have a lot to lose, or a lot to prove, and are looking for a supplement that helps you lose a lot of weight in a fast, safe and effective manner, you may have just found it.

However, losing weight is not as easy as changing your skin color or your hair color. It takes hard work, effort, and time. If you opt for a surgical procedure, like liposuction or a gastric bypass, be prepared to lighten your pocket book considerably.

I am assuming that the majority of people want a quick, easy and effective solution to the issue or dilemma that they are currently faced with. This is why supplements, diet pills, and the entire weight loss industry are so popular right now. Weight loss pills are the cheap, easy to use, and effective alternative to surgery. A good example of this is the Lipodrene weight loss pill.

Lipodrene is an ephedra-based weight loss pill manufactured by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals. Each tablet of the Lipodrene weight loss pill is made with a proprietary blend of ingredients. Here are the highlights of what is in Lipodrene:

• Green Tea extract (which is included in almost every weight loss supplement on the market because of its overall positive effects on the various systems in the human body.)

• Phenylethylamine (A ingredient found in chocolate that is similar to amphetamine in producing a sense of well being and general happiness. And I like chocolate)

• Naringen ( A powerful supplement derived from grapefruit, Naringen increases and extends the effects of Caffeine as well as being known for lowering cholesterol levels.)

• Yohimbe ( A natural aphrodisiac that is also claimed by Lipodrene as an aid in losing weight, this component is known to do strange things to blood pressure so it should be approached with caution.)

• Commiphora Mukul ( This derivative of an Indian tree resin, also called Guggul, has been used by ayurvedic medicine for many centuries. It is included in for it's powerful effect of reducing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while raising the good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood stream.)

Overall this combination of ingredients results in a power-packed weight loss pill that promotes fast and effective weight loss. While everyone does not react in the same way, this supplement is considered as effective as anything around today.

Just remember, if you are under a doctors’ care and taking prescription drugs, to check with them before taking this or for that matter anything else. You don’t want one pill counteracting something else.

Zylene and Advantra-Z, an excellent team for weight loss

Do you feel that the job market is down, so you work longer, or have a second job. Gas prices are soaring, and gulp down our fast food, and can’t find time to exercise like we should. How about all that time in front of the tube or surfing the net?

This lifestyle is typical, and when all these factors combine, it’s not surprising that we’re seeing a dramatic rise in obesity and obesity related diseases (cardiovascular problems, hypertension, type 2 adult onset diabetes, etc. These are real problems in America today.

But you are thinking about your lifestyle and your need to live more healthily – and probably lose weight. Starting a program of healthy living and increased exercise are now a priority in your life and you should be pleased with yourself.

If you want to give that new program of losing those unwanted pounds, you might want to try a weight loss pill like Zylene. Diet pills (or weight loss pills) can be an additional aid for someone wanting to lose weight, and they may help your efforts also.

When you see the weight you have lost with the help of a diet pill plus improved diet and exercise, this builds motivation to keep on with your weight loss plans and reach the target weight that’s right for your height and bone size.

Zylene works in many ways to help you achieve your target body weight. Zylene acts as an appetite suppressant. This is a real aid during the initial stages of any diet plan, whether you’re trying a particular diet plan (e.g. Atkins, South Beach, etc.) or just trying choose things that are lower in fat and sugar.

Sugar is one of the top three addictions to break (the other two are cocaine and caffeine), so being able to curb your cravings can help you change your habits.

And because Zylene is an appetite suppressant, it can help you if you’re trying to eat less, since it reduces the desire to eat. Zylene also contains many natural ingredients that work together to make Zylene more than just an appetite suppressant.

Some of these herbal ingredients lower bad cholesterol, which means that you not only lose weight, you have the chance to reverse some of the health problems caused by poor diet and lack of exercise.

Other ingredients in Zylene increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, and thus reduces your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.

In Type 2 diabetes, which usually happens as you approach 40, your cells become desensitised to the amounts of insulin that are produced to deal with a high-sugar, high-carb diet and so do not respond to the body’s natural insulin. Increasing insulin sensitivity with Zylene is one way to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The herb Hoodia is certainly popular within the diet industry these days, and dieters may be attracted to Zylene due to its inclusion. Hoodia, has been shown to generate real weight loss, due to appetite suppression.

It is also believed by many that results will be much more significant when this herb is paired with a powerful fat burner.

I strongly suggest if you are interested in more natural approaches, to look into products with Hoodia and Advantra-Z®, (which is a patented, potent metabolism booster.)