Fitness And Health

Archive for the ‘lose weight’ Category

Are there cures for snoring? You probably already know that snoring possibly means you have sleep apnea and all of the dangerous things that may go with that — from just being tired all the time to high blood pressure, weight gain, and a host of things. It’s bad stuff.

Your doctor will send you for a sleep study that will cost you a lot even if you have good insurance and then it’s likely that you will get an expensive (even after your insurance pays their part) CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure).

Oxygen flow is reduced as your throat muscles relax and your airway is restricted. These machines help hold the airways open while you sleep by blowing air into your nose. They help some while others have wasted their money. Still others do not have access to CPAP due to the prohibitive costs.

Here is an anti-snoring program – remember some of the same issues cause snoring also cause sleep apnea, and snoring is a precursor to sleep apnea. This program uses exercise to strengthen muscles in the throat-neck, mouth, tongue, and nose to eliminate the problem. There are 24 exercises in the program to naturally and inexpensively solve the problem naturally by strengthening the air passages. Here is an example of one of the exercises:

Try out this jaw strengthening exercise

The best way to see how simple these exercises are is to try one out.

So here’s an exercise that helps to loosen your jaw – because tight or clenched jaws are considered one of the leading causes of snoring.

This exercise takes only a minute, but before you’re done, you should feel your jaw muscles strengthen and the back of your mouth opening up.

Start by lining up your upper and lower molars and put them together, very lightly.
Now imagine your molars are like a hinge (similar to your door). Lower your jaw while keeping your molars together and your lips closed. Open and close your lower jaw about 20 times.See how easy they can be?

This is just one of the 24 exercises that have been developed to stop people from snoring. Each exercise is designed to strengthen a specific area – turning relaxed, weaker muscles that block your airways and flap like a flag into toned and well-controlled muscles.

We’ve explained what causes snoring, That there are cures for snoring and this is an inexpensive program that you owe it to yourself to tryout.  Here is our affiliate link, the owners of this website will receive a commission if you order here.

You should always check with your doctor if you think you have sleep apnea. Have him work with you on the program.

By James LaValle, R.Ph, ND, CCN

Did it ever occur to you that the reason you can’t lose weight may be due to the fact that you are eating foods that you’re allergic to? This is a revelation to many people who have struggled unsuccessfully for years to get rid of unwanted pounds.

The prevalence of food allergies is on the rise in both children and adults.^1-2 Allergies can be responsible for a number of health issues including irritable bowel type symptoms³ and migraines.⁴ Very few people are aware however, that immune responses to foods can go on to create a number of metabolic disruptions that can contribute to weight gain.

At LMI where we counsel people to lose weight using our Metabolic Code Diet (MCD) eating program, we see this all the time. We had one patient in our diet group who had tried a very low carb diet in the past, and lost no weight. The reason? She was sensitive to dairy and didn’t know it. On her previous diet, she was eating a lot of cheese. On the MCD, which is a lower carb, low allergen eating plan, she cut out the cow’s milk cheeses and dairy products, ate according to our meal recommendations, and the weight started coming off.

There are several ways common dietary allergens can keep weight on you. When the body is having an immune reactivity to food, it can cause increased stress hormone production. Increased cortisol in particular can contribute to insulin resistance — and that reduces your body’s ability to process the glucose from foods high in carbs. And the increased insulin keeps you from being able to burn fat.

Increased cortisol can also go on to inhibit the body’s ability to convert your primary thyroid hormone, T4, to the active form, T3. Without enough active T3, it is very difficult to lose weight. If you have developed an immune response (an allergy) to certain foods, it can also go on to cause autoimmune antibodies which can attack any tissue in the body, including thyroid tissue. Autoimmune attacks on the thyroid cause one of the most common forms of low thyroid, called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

So, in a roundabout way, food sensitivities can slow metabolism and cause weight gain. By decreasing your consumption of any foods to which you might be sensitive, you may potentially improve insulin sensitivity, lower glucose, and promote better thyroid hormone production.

There are seven foods responsible for almost all food allergies — peanuts, other tree nuts like walnuts, fish/shellfish, soybeans, eggs, wheat and cow’s milk. The only two foods we limit initially on the MCD eating program are wheat and cow’s milk dairy. Why? Through years of clinical practice, we have found that wheat and dairy are usually the most problematic. So, we eliminate cow’s milk products and wheat, and anything made from them.

This part of the MCD eating plan can be a challenge at first for many people. Western diets are so centered around wheat and dairy there is almost no red-blooded American who doesn’t eat at least some wheat and dairy every day. But you would be surprised at the variety of breads, crackers, and chips that are available wheat-free. (You just need to be careful to eat them within your limited carbohydrate portions.) You can even find a wide array of goat and sheep’s milk dairy products in most supermarkets and health food stores. What most people find is that they may miss a few of the eliminated foods at first, but their quality of life improves so much, that eventually they don’t miss them at all.

We estimate that food allergies contribute to weight gain in at least 30% of our patients who come to us for weight loss. Of those, the vast majority doesn’t have to go any further than eliminating wheat and dairy to jump start their weight loss.

The Metabolic Code Diet is a sensible eating plan that you can follow for the rest of your life and never feel deprived or hungry. But most importantly, since it addresses all the potential causes of metabolic disruption, it’s an eating plan you can count on to get at the root causes of your weight gain, making it a better long-term solution for healthy weight loss and management.

References

1. http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/545808/
2. Kagan RS (February 2003). Environ. Health Perspect. 111; (2): 223–5.
3. Zar S, et al. (July 2005). Scand. J. Gastroenterol. 40 (7): 800–7.
4. Arroyave-Hernandez CM, et al. Rev Alerg Mex. 2007 Sept-Oct; 54(4):162-8.

[Ed. Note: James LaValle is the founding Director of the LaValle Metabolic Institute, one of the largest integrative medicine practices in the country. Dr. LaValle is the author of The Metabolic Code Diet: Unleashing the Power of Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss and Vitality and the Executive Editor of THB's The Healing Prescription. Let 2009 be the year to unleash the power of your metabolism. To sign up for "free" access to this exclusive, insider teleconference with Dr. LaValle, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

Myth #1: Dieting Will Help You Lose Weight and Make You Healthy

By Tim Reynolds, MD

Every day we are bombarded with medical garbage. It comes from all sources — maybe even your doctor. There are also medical myths that have been passed on from one generation to the next — unfortunately, no one has looked carefully at where the information started and whether it is in fact valid or not.

I hate budgets and I hate diets. I think I hate them for the same reason — they make me want all the things I can’t have even more. Have you ever noticed that the word DIET is a four letter word and that the first three letters are DIE?! That’s how I feel about dieting. So many times we go to the doctor and he/she says “Well you are overweight and you need to start on a diet”. Unfortunately, many health professionals do not know exactly what this means — it is also the wrong approach to take to lose weight.

Instead of going on a diet, why not change the way you look at food and the way you approach your health? Why not change your reality and realize that food is nutrition that is good for the body as long as it’s the right kind and eaten in moderation? Food is not the enemy — choosing the wrong foods and overeating is the enemy.

A major problem started with flawed research that was then capitalized upon by food manufacturers. In the 1970s and 80s, it was erroneously determined that our high fat diet was making us all fat.¹ Food manufacturers quickly caught on and soon every product had a label that said “low fat”. Unfortunately, we replaced the fat with sugar. As we all ate our low fat diets, the entire country got fatter.

A variation on the theme is being seen now with carbs. Everyone wants to be on a low carb diet. So now everything at the grocery store is advertised as “low carb”. Once again, most people have no idea what this means. There is more than one type of carbohydrate and not all carbs are bad.

Natural plant fiber is made from carbohydrates. Fruits are carbohydrates but should not be considered the same as carbohydrates from a doughnut. If we only look at the carb count, once again we will be led down the wrong path due to creative advertising.

So what are we to do? How can we figure all this out? I have two simple recommendations that will help. First get back to nature. I do not mean move to the mountains (although that does sound nice) — but start eating natural foods. Think of it this way — if you can’t catch it or pick it, don’t eat it. If you follow this rule, you can have all the fish, fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits you want.

In fact, if your diet consisted of just these foods, you would never be fat. As I write this, I am at a scuba diving resort in Borneo, Malaysia. This island does not have an overweight person on it. Why? Because they only eat what they can catch or pick. They have a natural high protein, low carb diet.

Second, if you are going to eat processed foods, always check the label. You will find protein content in grams, fat in grams, and carbohydrates in grams. Under carbohydrates it will list sugar in grams. If the grams of sugar are higher than 10 (8 if you want to be strict), put it back and choose something else.

You will be amazed at what does and does not have sugar once you start looking. Remember, it is not simply the fat or carbohydrates — as it turns out, the problem is the amount of sugar it contains.

Finally, I have an 85/15 rule. If you eat like I just showed you 85% of the time, you can eat what you like the other 15%. Food is energy — it is good for you. Choose the right foods and they will keep you healthy. Choose the wrong foods and they will make you ill. You are in fact what you eat.

Reference

1. http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2008/02/dr-jamie-bailes-fat-free-fallacy.html

[Ed. Note: Tim Reynolds, M.D., is a practicing physician and a health and lifestyle expert. For more information, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

1. Set realistic goals. Anyone who has ever set an unrealistic weight loss goal will tell you that not meeting your own expectations is the fastest way to fail at weight loss. You should plan to lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week. In general, people who set realistic goals will exceed it during at least the first few weeks. Exceeding your weight loss goals will give you something to get excited about, and keep the weight loss process positive.

2. Get support. When you make the decision to lose weight, enlist the help and support of your friends and family members. Having people around you who will encourage you through the process is a great way to start. Be careful about telling those people who might be discouraging, either by not supporting your goals or by hounding you every time they see you eat something that they deem inappropriate for someone who is dieting. Neither of these scenarios is helpful!

3. Learn to keep things in moderation. When your goal is to lose weight, remember the old saying…all things in moderation. By following this mantra with eating and working out, you will lose weight at a reasonable pace and feel good while doing it!

4. Join a program. Weight loss groups like Weight Watchers are popular for more than just their diet plans. They help people to form a community with other people who have the same goals. This extended support network is great for making weight loss more exciting – having someone with whom you can share your excitement. It is also a great way to talk through some of the issues that you might be experiencing with your weight loss program. Support is crucial when you are attempting to make major lifestyle changes.

5. Buy yourself a portable music player. Music is one of your biggest allies when trying to lose weight. Listening to music will make exercise time fly by and it can definitely improve your mood. Consider buying yourself a new portable music player (mp3 or CD) when starting out on a weight loss program. You don’t need to make a huge financial investment, and you could easily buy a portable CD player for well under $100.

6. Get a buddy. Having a close friend or family member agree to lose weight with you is an excellent way to get the support you need. And it gives you someone that you can learn tips, swap recipes and try new exercises with. Losing weight with a friend is also good for people who need an understanding friend to talk things through with. Remember, weight loss is more than a temporary process, it is a major lifestyle change and you will definitely benefit from all of the support that you can get.

7. Choose your information sources wisely. If a friend or co-worker offers diet advice over a fast food burger and shake – you need to decide whether their advice is the right way to go. Instead find trust sources of information such as your family doctor, a nutritionist, the trainer at your gym or even a reputable website. Finding someone who can answer questions when you have them can take a load off your mind and make you feel good that you’re making informed decisions about your weight loss.

8. Dress for weight loss success: In order to start thinking thin, pay attention to what you are wearing. Overweight people tend to dress “bigger” than they actually are with baggy or oversized clothing. As you begin losing weight, consider some updates to your wardrobe that will accentuate your best features and help you to remember that losing weight will make you more attractive in your own eyes.

9. Remember, there are no guarantees with any weight loss plan. Keep in mind that there are no guarantees with any weight loss plan. While some people may see temporary benefits from fad dieting or other quick fixes, overall the best way to approach weight loss is by modifying your lifestyle and adopting a healthy way of living.

10. Stay off the scale. For best results, do not weigh yourself more than once a week at the most. Since a healthy goal consists of a plan to lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week, you may not see significant results until several weeks have passed. Spare yourself the disappointment of seeing little change and plan to weigh yourself as infrequently as possible.

The best way to build a stronger body is with the use of weights.
This can be with free weights such as dumbbells and barbells, weight machines, or a combination of the two.

Many purists believe that the only way to do weight training correctly is with free weights as they bring into play all the other muscles required to control and balance the movement of the weights.

It is correct that more muscles are required to lift free weights due to the fact that more control is required but the development of weight machines in recent years has been such that they can also offer benefits that free weights can’t give.

By eliminating the factor of control from specific movements it is possible to lift heavier weights and this in turn can stimulate more growth in the muscle.

In addition to this is the fact that many machines are designed to maintain pressure on the muscles throughout the full range of the movement.
Free weights, on the other hand, generally have the least effect on muscle growth at the top and bottom of any movement.

To explain this better we will use the example of the arm curl where a barbell is curled up from a position resting against the thighs to the chest using the bicep muscles.

When the barbell is at the top or the bottom of the movement there is no resistance on the muscle where as with a machine with the correct design elements there can be maximum tension even at those parts of the movement.

Cables and weight stacks will allow this to happen and due to this, you can expect to get additional benefits that aren’t possible with free weights.

Obviously a combination of both free weights and weight machines will deliver the optimum results in the least time.