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Curb Your Cravings and Silence Your Hunger

Written by admin December 6, 2011 Filed Under: Hormones, Weight Loss Leave a Comment

Written by Dr. Steve Sisskind, MD

Woman eating a donut - but you can eat a modest meal in the evening and never feel hungry the rest of the night

Imagine eating a modest meal in the evening, nothing too big, and then NEVER feeling hungry for the rest of the night… and I mean not even giving food a second thought.

That’s how things are supposed to be.
When your “hunger hormones” are working like they should, your brain receives a signal after dinner that you’re “full,” and the hunger pangs turn off and stay off.

The “hunger hormone” is called ghrelin (pronounced: GREL – in). And when levels of this hormone get too high, you feel hungry ALL THE TIME.

But if the ghrelin levels remain low, you will FEEL FULL after a meal… and satisfied without the need or urge to snack continually throughout the day…or night.

You see, when your brain is not being assaulted with the ghrelin hormone, it has the chance to rest and recover. That means it has the freedom to process another hormonal messenger called leptin.

Leptin is your body’s signal to STOP the hunger impulse.

But when ghrelin is too high, the call of leptin goes unheard.

By safely and reliably lowering ghrelin, you make an impact on leptin. That’s how hormones work. It’s a matter of balance and moderation.

Truth be told, you were never designed to be overweight and unhappy.

Nature intended for there to be a natural balance between the hormones that regulate your appetite and your ability to burn fat. It’s the overly-processed foods we eat and the toxins in our environment that throw off our body’s hormones.

Watch this important video on how to harness nature to fight the hunger-hormone domino-effect.

Causes and Cures for Monster Food Cravings

Written by admin November 1, 2011 Filed Under: Diet and Nutrition Leave a Comment

It happens to everyone that is trying to shed pounds or just eat healthy. You go for several days or even weeks being faithful to the promise we made to yourself. Then, Whammo! You get blind-sided by a monstrous food craving that we just can’t shake. Whether it’s sweet vs. salty or crunchy vs. chewy, all our logic and good sense succumbs to the overwhelming need to satiate the craving.

According to the Mayo Clinic, food cravings root from:

Restrictive Diets

As the progeny of Adam and Eve, you are prone to indulging the “forbidden fruit”. When you ban certain foods from your diet, doesn’t it seem that is all you think about? You are going to crave the very foods you are trying to avoid, and may end up binging on these restricted foods.

Bodily Needs

It’s possible that you may be craving nutrients your body is deficient in. Low blood sugar can cause carbohydrate cravings, since low glucose levels indicate that the body’s glycogen stores have become depleted (often due to heavy exercise or going long periods without eating).

Brain chemistry may also be involved in food cravings. Low serotonin levels (a hormone responsible for feelings of pleasure and relaxation) may lead to carbohydrate cravings, since carbohydrates supply the body with tryptophan, which helps to increase serotonin levels.

Lifestyle

Some cravings exist due to habit. For instance, your family may have eaten dessert every night after dinner while you were growing up. Now, if dessert doesn’t appear every night after dinner, you crave something sweet.

Or maybe the cravings are all in your head. The mind is a very powerful tool, and mental associations can often trigger cravings. Passing a bakery on your way home may elicit a craving for donuts, or a billboard ad for McDonald’s may trigger a craving for French fries. Certain activities are also linked to cravings. Watching movies, for example, is heavily associated with eating popcorn and candy, so just the mention of a movie can drum up a craving for junk food.

Comfort eating

Emotions can also lurk at the root of food cravings, especially if you consider certain foods “comfort” foods. If you continually reach for beef jerky every time you’re stressed out or upset, you may begin to associate the taste of beef jerky with feeling better.

Evolution

For early humans, high-calorie foods were scarce, and the human brain became programmed to crave these types of foods since they boosted the body’s calorie count. Now, when we go a long time without eating, the first thing most people crave is fatty food because high fat foods have more calories than protein- or carbohydrate-rich food, and will quickly make up for lost calories.

According to Directions Data Research in Knoxville, TN, most people crave high fat foods, in the form of sugary carbohydrates (cookies) or fats (a chocolate bar) or both (French fries). So whether it’s pizza for men or chocolate for women (the top of their respective “most craved” list), sometimes it takes a little more than masterful will-power to overcome that disastrous drive to indulge.

Research has definitely shown that certain vitamins and minerals help us conquer cravings. Specifically, Chromium Picolinate helps with sugar withdrawal and Vitamin B conquers carbohydrate cravings, but with two caveats: 1)They need to be taken in super-large doses (much more than you can or should eat daily) and 2)When taken in pill form, it takes several hours for them to curb the craving.

That’s why Josh Bezoni, Nutritionist, Research Scientist and author of the best-selling “Belly Fat Free” Program developed Crave Cure. This crave-killing dietary supplement is scientifically-designed to curb your cravings and give you energy. It contains no sugar and tastes great (with your choice of Berry or Grape Flavor).

With no calories, Crave Cure ‘s proprietary formula includes high doses of the Vitamin B family as well as Chromium Picolinate, 5-HTTP, L-Tyrosine that combined, keeps you feeling full , satiated and energized for hours. It comes in a fast acting liquid form in 2 oz bottles that easily fits in your pocket, purse, gym bag or briefcase.

Click Here to Get up to ½ Off Crave Cure.

A Healthy Heart – Are You at Risk for Coronary Heart Disease?

Written by admin October 10, 2011 Filed Under: Heart Health Leave a Comment

Clearly, a healthy heart is paramount for healthy living. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t to many.

According to the American Heart association, Coronary Heart Disease, also known as atherosclerosis or “hardening” of the arteries” affects 14 MILLION people resulting in over 1.5 MILLION heart attacks annually. Even more frightening is that it is the #1 cause of all heart-related deaths.

The best ways to ensure a healthy heart, and its all-important job of developing nourishing blood to every part of your body, is to prevent plaque buildup and reduced blood flow in arteries. Here’s the background on coronary artery disease and arterial blockages and how you can prevent them through making healthy choices.

What is Coronary Artery Disease? – Blocked Arteries!

Many people do not realize they have coronary artery disease, or arterial plaque build-up (also called arthrosclerosis), until they wind up calling 911 with an attack of angina (heart pain), or a heart attack! Both can be caused by the arteries of the heart not getting enough blood usually from plaque buildup.

It was previously thought that a high saturated fat diet was the primary cause of arterial plaque. However, the French Paradox came along and taught us that oxidation has a lot more to do with cholesterol turning into those arterial plaques and blockages.

Are You At Risk for Arthrosclerosis?

There is no hard and fast picture of the person who will develop coronary artery disease. It depends on a few crucial factors. Are you committed to a making healthy living like:

Making healthy choices in food?

Quitting smoking?

Exercising regularly?

If you answered “No” to any of these, then yes, you are at risk for arthrosclerosis.

Healthy Choices for a Healthy Heart

Keeping your arteries clear involves a little effort on your part. However, that effort will reward you with enough heart health and stamina to live your live healthy and fully.

Here are the healthy choices you should make for a healthy heart:

Diet – It is critical that you limit saturated animal fat to 25-30 grams a day. Equally as important is to include a diet rich in anti-oxidants and polyphenols that helps dissolve saturated fats and stop oxidation. These include healthy choices like red wine, green apples, olive oil, oolong/green/white teas, Omega-3 rich nuts, coconut oils, apple cider vinegar. Also, high fiber foods like beans, peas, whole grains, absorb saturated fats and remove them through elimination before they enter the bloodstream as lipids.

Exercise – Interval Aerobic exercise, like walking, running, bicycling, elliptical, stair stepper, treadmill or jumping rope is essential to healthy living. Interval exercise is warming up slowly for 10 minutes and then going at your full capacity for 1-2 minutes then slowing down to a resting pace for 3 minutes and repeating for a set of 6 intervals. If you haven’t done aerobic exercise for a long while, take it slowing and increase a bit every week. This helps your heart adjust to sudden demanding loads. It also builds good HDL and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and burns body fat. You should also consider adding 20 minute of weight training three times per week. This creates muscle and burns fat even at rest.

Supplements – Ensuring your body gets the right amount of some key vitamins and minerals help to ensure a healthy heart.

1,000 mg/daily Omega-3 fish and krill oils boost HDL and lower LDL cholesterol

1-2 gm/daily of Vitamin C builds collagen which strengthens arterial walls.

CoQ-10, 100 mg, is a crucial anti-oxidant that works with Vitamin E to attach to LDL cholesterol and prevent oxidation.

As we age CoQ10 levels decrease so it is important to supplement them.

Niacin (and other B vitamins) is also effective at reducing LDL and boosting HDL cholesterol, 1-3 gm/day.

Smoking – Smokers are at much higher risk of developing arthrosclerosis because of the toxins in cigarette smoke which contribute to oxidation damage in your body. Do your heart, lungs, arteries and the rest of you a favor and quit!

That’s the basic healthy choices for keeping your arteries free from obstructing plaques and preventing coronary heart disease.

Read a FREE special report about a revolutionary all natural treatment for preventing Coronary Heart Diseaset <===CLICK HERE

Source: CoQ-10 Protects Your Cardiovascular System http://www.oralchelation.com/technical/coq101.htm

Source: Preventing Heart Disease, http://www.futurescience.com/howwedie.html

Source: Prevent Atherosclerosis, http://www.livestrong.com/article/13176-prevent-atherosclerosis/

Source: What You Can Do to Prevent Atherosclerosis, http://www.stjohn.org/HealthInfoLib/swArticle.aspx?1,1583

Heart Health – An All Natural Treatment for Heart Disease

Written by admin October 10, 2011 Filed Under: Heart Health Leave a Comment

Clogged arteries are the primary cause of heart disease and leads to a number of ailments including heart pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. All of these conditions stem from the same source, inadequate blood flow through arteries.

Many Doctors don’t share with you the alternative methods for dissolving plaque in your arteries. Expensive prescription medicines, Bypass Surgery and Heart Stent Implants aren’t the only treatment for heart disease. In addition to a healthy lifestyle, there is an important all natural remedy called Oral Chelation Therapy.

Chelation Therapy – An All Natural Health and Wellness Approach

Chelation therapy has been used since about 1955 for treating hardening of the arteries. The idea of using Chelation for heart disease sprang from using it for toxic lead, arsenic, and mercury levels. A compound called calcium disodium EDTA, an amino acid, binds to those metals. The EDTA-bound metal is then flushed from your body through urination.

Using this toxic metal removal model, it was thought that a variation of the same compound, disodium EDTA, would bind to the plaque hardening in the arties and remove it. Based on this same principle, oral Chelation formulas were created.

Oral Chelation Supplements

People have taken oral Chelation supplements for years to maintain their health and wellness and as an all natural treatment for heart disease. In fact, because of their widespread use, the National Institute of Health (NIH) recently began a clinical study to document the specific benefits of this revolutionary heart health natural remedy.

The best oral chelation formulas, contain a lot of heart health promoting vitamins, minerals, and food-derived chemicals that have been found to fight hardening of the arteries, including:

B-Vitamins – like B6, B12, and folic acid, known to be crucial to heart health in reducing homocysteine, a chemical that promotes hardening of the arteries. They also maintain energy.

Magnesium, potassium, selenium – these are heart health minerals that keep heart muscle functioning correctly, regulate heartbeat, and prevent cholesterol from oxidizing and turning into plaque.

Bromelain, malic acid, garlic – these food-based compounds from pineapples, green apples, and garlic dissolve saturated fats and prevent them from hardening into plaques.

TMG (trimethylglycine) – also known as betaine, derived from beets, this chemical IS actually FDA-approved for treating high homocysteine levels.

EDTA – as noted above, this chemical binds to arterial plaque and removes it. EDTA is also FDA, and USDA, approved as a food additive.

NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) – a chemical found in high protein foods, it is an amino acid that, like EDTA, also acts as a toxin binding/removal agent.

How Does Oral Chelation as a Treatment for Heart Disease Work?

Oral chelation formulas come in pill form and are taken like you would any other supplement. They go to work by binding to mineral deposits (namely calcium which causes plaque and hardening of the arteries), breaking it down and liquefying it so it can be removed. In addition to being an essential habit of a healthy lifestyle, drinking plenty of filtered water daily will help flush the chelated minerals and toxins out of your blood.

It’s a good idea not to take any mineral supplements until a few hours after you take a chelation formula as the minerals can be chelated out of your system. Prescription medicine should also be taken a few hours apart from chelation supplements.

Vitamin C and Vitamin E supplements should be taken as they are antioxidants which help prevent oxidation of cholesterol into plaques.

Benefits of Oral Chelation Therapy

There are several heart disease conditions which can benefit from the artery-flushing effects of oral chelation. They are:

Coronary artery disease, or CAD – (AKA: hardening of the arteries) blockages in the heart that can cause heart attack.

Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD – lack of blood flow to legs and feet causing pain.

Erectile dysfunction – resulting from blocked arteries, lack of penile blood flow.

Carotid artery disease – decreased blood flow to the brain, can cause stroke.

Although oral chelation therapy may still be a controversial subject, it has its following of loyal supporters. According to Everyday Health, a recent survey of people who used chelation therapy, 62% said it gave them a sense of control over their heart disease. For optimum effectiveness, chelation supplements should be combined with a healthy lifestyle choices and a commitment to health and wellness.

As with any supplement, read labels and be sure you have a quality oral chelation formula with ingredients such as those mentioned above. Consult a doctor familiar with the use of oral chelation formulas. They can monitor you, ensure their correct usage, and avoid any possible adverse effects that may arise.

Source: Can Chelation Therapy Help Heart Disease? http://www.everydayhealth.com/alternative-health/chelation-therapy-and-heart-disease.aspx

Source: Chelation Therapy for Heart Disease, http://mayoclinic.com/health/chelation-therapy/MY00159/DSECTION=results

Source: Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease, http://www.heartpoint.com/treatcoronaryartdis.html

Source: Trimethylglycine, http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21871

Source: Advanced EDTA Chelation http://www.arteryhealthinstitute.com/?gclid=CIDM45yUy6ACFVk65QoddSFBZA

Fruit or Not for Weight Loss Success?

Written by admin October 4, 2011 Filed Under: Diet and Nutrition Leave a Comment

To eat fruit or not to eat fruit for weight loss success?

Some experts say to avoid fruit at all costs if you’re trying to lose pounds.

Others say it’s OK to eat and you should, instead, avoid processed foods containing the chemically altered fructose derivates including high fructose corn syrup, table sugar and the like.

Confusing isn’t it?

Well, what causes this confusion is that many do not understand the difference between the sugar fructose (found in fruits) and high fructose corn syrup, the “manmade” sweetener that has been getting a lot of negative press lately (and for good reason).

Anyway, I think the reason fructose often gets a bad rap when it comes to weight loss is because it’s metabolized differently than most sugars. You see, most sugars make a stop at your liver which directs the sugar to be stored, burned for energy, or converted to triglycerides which is a type of fat in the blood.

But fructose bypasses the liver and is quickly converted to triglycerides and then stored as body fat much faster than other sugars.

To Lose Pounds, Eat the “Real” Stuff

So if you’re trying to lose pounds, you should avoid fructose, right?

No, just the chemically altered kind that is found in processed foods and drink. Not really. You see, studies have shown that people gained more weight consuming fructose compared to other sugars when drinking beverages with a very high percentage of fructose (around 50% to 75%).

The amazing secret about fruit is that it’s NOT made up of 100% fructose. In fact, many fruits contain only a small amount of fructose. Here’s a chart found at Mercola.com that shows the fructose content of many popular fruits:

What’s more, fruits contain important, disease-preventing antioxidants and fiber, which slows down the rate at which sugar converts to fat in your body.

So if you’re consuming 15 to 25 grams of “good” fructose a day from fruit while trying to lose pounds that’s completely fine. In fact, you should try to consum fruit after exercising because your body will be more apt to store the other sugars found in fruit as energy in your muscles rather than fat.

So a few servings of fruit is fine, but processed foods and drinks made from the “man-made” fructose is NOT a good choics. These sugars will quickly undermine your weight loss success by converting it to body fat and increase your appetite. BEWARE! These chemical sugars are found in many bottled juices.

But what about natural fruit juice? Even freshly squeezed fruit juices contain as much as 8 teaspoons of fructose per 8 ounce glass (because it’s concentrated).

So stick to WHOLE fruit and bypass juices and processed drinks to lose pounds (and to avoid heart disease and diabetes).

To discover more amazing truths about the right foods to help in losing pounds watch my FREE Video <===CLICK HERE.

(Note from Buck: To ensure your weight loss success, don’t forget Ultimate Trim – the Feel Good Fat Burner. It’s all natural ingredients will suppress appetite, boost your metabolism and energize you without caffeine or harmful stimulants. You can take $10 off your next purchase of Ultimate Trim by adding promo code 10THANKS when you check-out)

Will Being Fat Destroy Your Brain?

Written by admin June 28, 2011 Filed Under: Attitude and Motivation Leave a Comment

While my intention isn’t to throw you into a panic, the answer to this question is a resounding YES.

How being overweight affects the brain…

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh scanned the brains of 94 people over the age of 70. They were looking to see the differences in the brains of people who were of normal weight and had a normal Body Mass Index (BMI under 25), overweight (BMI 25-30), and obese (BMI over 30).

If you’re 5 foot 10 and you weigh 220, you have a BMI of 31.6 and would be clinically obese. If you’re 5 foot 10 and weigh 180, your BMI is 25.8 and you would be clinically overweight, for purposes of this study. Of course, certain athletes with a lot of muscle mass will skew the BMI and render it inaccurate. But for the rest of us, BMI is a valid measurement.

It turns out overweight people have 4% less brain tissue than people of normal weight. And obese people have 8% less brain tissue than people of normal weight. That’s huge!

According to Dr. Paul Thompson, a UCLA professor of Neurology, “This represents ‘severe’ brain degeneration. That’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at a much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain… But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s, if you can eat healthy and keep your weight under control.”

These scary results made me get motivated to lose weight!

Here’s some more bad news…

The areas of the brain that deteriorated for overweight people are critical to our everyday good health. And, they aren’t something we can spare!

The areas affected include:

Frontal and temporal lobes: Critical for planning and memory
Anterior cingulate gyrus: Responsible for attention and executive functions
Hippocampus: Important for long-term memory
Basal ganglia: Essential for proper movement and coordination

Furthermore, the brains of overweight people looked 8 years older than those people of normal weight, and the brains of obese people looked a whopping 16 years older!

Your physical health (your body) and your intellectual or mental health (your brain) can both affect your quality of life.

I wish there were a magic “brain pill” that could stop the damage of being overweight. But the only real solution is losing the excess weight.

You probably already know the only thing you can do in order to accomplish this is, to eat the right foods in the right portions. Lifestyle changes are necessary.

However, if we don’t have self-discipline, making these necessary changes can be difficult. Sometimes we need a bit of help. Hypnosis for weight loss can actually make people “want” to make the needed healthy changes in their lifestyle.

Exercise can help, but recent research demonstrates, that exercise plays a much smaller role than calorie consumption. In fact, it can hurt your weight loss efforts if you aren’t careful because people tend to overestimate how much more they can eat after exercising.

So when you do exercise, make sure to track the calories you burn. This way, you won’t exaggerate the effects in your mind.

If you have the desire to get to a normal weight, but for whatever reason just can’t seem to get yourself to eat right, know you’re not alone. You may need only to get motivated to lose weight.

Habits are hard to break, and we just aren’t designed to “not eat” the food that is around us. In this case, abundance takes on the shape of a double edge sword!

Will-power is kind of myth. Human beings only have the ability to exhibit conscious self-control in one area at a time. Difficult as this may be to digest, this summary of a ‘cookie study’ explains what I mean…

Subjects were brought into a room and asked to solve some brain puzzles. Another group was brought into the same room and asked to solve the same brain puzzles, but in this case, they had a plate of cookies in front of them – but were told that they *could not* eat them!

The group that was exposed to the cookies (who couldn’t eat them) performed dramatically worse than the group without cookies.

These results mean when you’re trying to avoid “bad” foods, it affects just about every other aspect of your day. Then, when a bit of stress hits, it’s goodbye diet.

So unless you have a stress free life, or amazing self-control – changing your eating habits consciously can be a tough row to hoe.

If you can’t make the change consciously, then you have to make these changes unconsciously. A great strategy for nudging your unconscious mind in the right direction is to control your environment. Get rid of the bad foods in your house and workplace. Put reminders on the refrigerator, plan and prepare your meals ahead of time, etc. The more you can improve your environment to prime your unconscious mind, the better.

And if this isn’t enough for you to get motivated to lose weight, try hypnosis for weight loss. Clinical studies have proven that hypnosis can increase weight loss by 146%! Hypnosis is the ONLY scientifically validated method for training your unconscious mind to eat right (and this is without using willpower – which just doesn’t work). Hypnosis for weight loss works at a totally different level in the brain. It actually works at the level of self-image.

So, losing weight isn’t just about the way you look and feel – it’s also about how much better your brain will function. It’s about your quality of life!

How to Lose Pounds…The Easy Way

Written by admin June 24, 2011 Filed Under: Attitude and Motivation Leave a Comment

In my work, I am in daily contact with people who struggle with their weight. I’ve found that they know what to do…eat less, exercise more, etc. …. but the problem is that…

… they don’t have the discipline to follow through.

So instead, they fall for the tempting illusion of over-hyped exercise contraptions or some fad diet…

… and actually end up gaining even more weight.

Recently, several fascinating clinical studies have shown that a rather unusual technique increases the amount of healthy weight loss 146%! More importantly … the results last long-term.

Instead of relying on magic or nail-biting will-power, this technique actually makes it easy to make the right food choices, plus get motivated to lose weight and exercise.

So what is this tool?

It is called Medical Hypnosis, and if you are skeptical that’s OK. I was too, at first. But, I did my research found out the American Medical Association has endorsed it since the 1950s, and more importantly…

….I tried it and got amazing results.

It wasn’t at all what I thought. No hocus-pocus. No barking like a dog. I just gained more control over all my eating habits and felt more motivation to lose weight. It was as simple, and powerful, as that.

Here’s the Weight Loss Program I Tried

It is a 4-CD set created by psychologist, Dr. Roberta Temes, and it really works. In this series, Dr. Temes provides the same sessions she uses with celebrities and other VIP New York clients that helps them to make the right diet and weight loss choices without the struggle.

Although she has worked with many famous people (sorry, I can’t name names), you don’t have to be a celebrity to effortlessly lose those extra pounds and experience real weight loss success.

You see, most people can’t lose weight because they give in to their cravings. But when you gain control of them, you start to lose weight quickly, without feeling like you’re depriving yourself.

If your brain isn’t constantly saying to you, “I want this,” or “I want that,” you won’t be eating this and that.

It’s not about denying yourself, it’s about not wanting what’s bad for you in the first place. It’s about rewiring your brain with the right messages.

When you do this, healthy weight loss and controlling your eating are a cinch.

Dr. Temes is on the Department of Psychiatry at the SUNY Health Science Center Medical School so everything she does is based on research and not “pop” psychology. This is why hers is the first weight loss hypnosis program I have ever recommended.

Here are some of the amazing things that will happen to you when you go through Dr. Temes’ seven session program:

Cravings will be reduced instantly, allowing you to stop binge-eating before you start
New neural pathways will be created that empower you to have healthy eating habits instead of unhealthy ones.
You’ll experience amazing weight loss motivation without relying on willpower
Your desire for sugary drinks will be eliminated and replaced with a craving for WATER!
You will lose pounds in days as you automatically eat healthy foods in the right portions, while committing to a fat loss workout program as part of your everyday routine.

This program is so easy to use……

There are no guide books or things you have to buy or do later. And, you can re-use the full sessions over and over again.
All you do is spend 15 minutes a day listening to the sessions and the changes start to happen.
It doesn’t require you to follow a specific weight loss diet or eat special fat loss foods. Just take your Doctor’s or Dietician’s recommendation on a diet for healthy weight loss.
You can use this program in the privacy of your own

Most people notice a dramatic change within just 21 days! Why carry around those unwanted pounds when you can finally get rid of them so easily? You’ll feel a lot better (both emotionally and physically), you’ll live longer, and you’ll look better than ever. You deserve it.“This is truly weight loss made easy

The Truth about Heart Disease

Written by admin June 24, 2011 Filed Under: Heart Health Leave a Comment

I just heard that one of my best friends from college had his SECOND heart attack…and he’s just 42 years old!

That shook me and my wife to the core.

First, it was just a few years ago that I was clinically obese, carrying around an extra 43 lbs of body fat with a high cholesterol count skyrocketing past 300. Although I am a weight loss success. after rigorously following a healthy weight loss diet and an exercise program for fat loss, I wondered if I somehow did permanent damage to my heart.

And, my wife is worried sick about what would happen to her and our beautiful children if I (or God forbid her) should suddenly suffer a heart attack or develop heart disease.

So, I rolled up my sleeves and started digging for the truth about heart disease. This is what I found out from the American Heart Association.

Myth #1) It’s a disease of the elderly.The average age of a heart attack victim is 47 years old.

Myth #2) It doesn’t affect children. An estimated 5,920 children die each year of heart disease or an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.

Myth #3) It doesn’t affect those who are fit and strong. Fitness reduces the potency of risk factors, but it doesn’t eliminate them.

Myth #4) I’d feel sick if I had high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Neither condition produces early warning signs, and both can lead to heart attack or stroke. In fact, 1/3 of adults have high blood pressure, and a 1/3 don’t even know it.

Myth # 5) Heart attack symptoms are the same in men and women. Half of women heart attack victims have no chest pain at all. The most common symptom for women is a feeling of severe tiredness or fatigue. (How frightening is that? That complaint is frequently made by most women with kids!)

Myth #6) Heart disease is genetic. If your parents didn’t have it, you won’t, either. There is a “heart disease” gene, but if you don’t have it and you smoke, don’t exercise or have more than 5% of body fat to lose, you are at equal risk as those who do.

Myth #7) Extra weight is just more to love. That may be true, but it is a fact, you don’t lose the extra fat, you are exponentially more likely to have heart disease.

Myth #8) Women are more likely to die of breast cancer than heart disease. The leading cause of death in women is heart disease, almost 10 times more than all forms of cancer.
.
Myth # 9) Diabetes is not a heart threat, as long as my blood sugar level is under control. People with diabetes are healthiest when their blood sugar levels are within a normal range, but diabetes itself causes inflammation that can damage blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease

10 If I were at risk for heart disease, my doctor would order tests.Don’t assume that; You need to make sure it happens.

According to my friend and colleague, Dr. Al Sears, there are even more dangerous heart disease myths embraced by the leading heart specialists in the country. If you are concerned about your heart at all,You must read his article – ‘Did you know a few bucks and a Glass of Water can save your life?’ and more importantly get his book – ‘The Doctor’s Heart Cure’.

Strategies To Get A Flat Stomach

Written by admin June 24, 2011 Filed Under: Flat Stomach Leave a Comment

People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest to get a flat stomach. Right now there are approximately 200+ ab exercise devices for sale.

You’d think with all these amazing new products that most people would be walking around with that nice, lean mid-section they’ve always wanted. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to give you a flat stomach. That’s because these exercise contraptions can’t eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abdominal muscles.

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic understanding of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat. First, we need to understand the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That’s what happens to most people.

So if your goal is to get a flat tummy, you first need to decrease or eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; it’s just some us also have a layer of excess fat.

A flat stomach not only looks good, it also prevents muscle imbalances between the hips and abs. This causes more than 80% of all lower back pain. So a strong flat stomach means a strong, healthy lower back!

The most effective way to get a flat stomach is to combine strength training (with extra focus on the mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and maintain a stable blood sugar (makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel and keeps you from adding additional fat):

Progressive Strength Training for Flat Tummy

The primary function of the abdominal muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso.

To get a flat tummy, the abs, like any other muscle, should be worked at most 3 times per week.

You also want to make sure you train progressively, i.e. work them harder each time.

If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:

1-2 forward flexion exercises (reverse crunch, knee raises, crunch, sit-up, etc.)
1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)
Choose at least 1-2 exercises that target the lower abs, 1-2 for the obliques (love handles), and 1-2 for the upper abs. There are thousands of ab exercises to choose from – way too many for me to list here. These are a few of the better ones:
Reverse crunch
Hanging knee raise
Torso rotation (twist)
Leg lowering
Side bends
Total crunch
Exercise ball crunches
Total crunch

Short, Hard Cardio Workouts Increase Metabolism and Weight Loss

Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store excess calories as body fat because they’re more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you’re more likely to burn off some excess body fat.

Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).

Warm up at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes… Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible)… perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)… Repeat this process 6-10 times… Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes

Stabilize Blood Sugar to Maximize Fat Loss

And, you must also stabilize your blood sugar! This is a critical factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too concerned with how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from. If there are extra calories…guess where they go? Yes, they show up as body fat!

This isn’t to say that what you eat is not important, because it is. It just doesn’t have a huge effect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible.

If you’re serious about your health and fitness goals, I recommend starting with the above strategies. They can help control your metabolism and burn off excess body fat. Take the first step to looking and feeling better, and get a flat tummy today!

Yoga and Weight Loss, Is that an Oxymoron?

Written by admin June 24, 2011 Filed Under: Fitness and Exercise Leave a Comment

Developed in India nearly 5,000 years ago, yoga is now practiced by millions of people around the world. It consists of a series of positions combining physical movement and mental focus.

Each position is held for a period of time to stretch and strengthen individual muscles and entire muscle groups, decreasing the muscle tension that interferes with concentration and relaxation. The smooth, rhythmic breathing taught with each movement increases the oxygen intake critical for stretching our muscles for more flexibility and, believe it or not, for burning fat sufficient enough for us to lose pounds!

Vinyasa Yoga for Weight Loss

Vinyasa yoga is an excellent weight loss workout for beginners. The name itself means “breath synchronized movement”. And it incorporates breathing techniques with a bit more active movement style.

Vinyasa yoga is a more suitable exercise for weight loss, because it incorporates vigorous movements. The rapid transition between poses keeps you burning fat comparable to weight loss workouts like running or lifting weights. But each movement also includes a “relaxation phase” to help you focus on releasing tension in muscles not used in the movement.

Hatha Yoga for Weight Loss and Flexibility

Hatha yoga is probably the form of yoga you are most familiar with. It offers a slower and gentler approach than many other styles of yoga, making it an excellent place to start when first learning.

Through gentle stretching and careful concentration, the practice of Hatha yoga provides you the stretching exercises to support your weight loss workouts, but it also helps to relax you and keep you more flexible to prevent you from experiencing pain from working muscles that have long been dormant.

Even though Yoga is generally believed to be a gentle exercise program, it really is a great weight loss exercise program and it works muscles that may have been long dormant. Take it easy early on to prevent pain from over-using these under-utilized muscles. But if you do over-do-it, there are all natural pain relievers available that are medically proven to be more effective and so much better for you the over-the-counter stuff like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. and prescription NSAID’s (like Celebrex®). Read more about this all natural pain reliever and how you can get a 30 Day Trial for FREE!

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