Eat right, keep moving.
You just have read all that you need to know about how to prevent being overweight. That simple set of instructions should be easy to follow, but not for 35% of Americans who are unable to prevent being overweight.
Of course, once we are overweight, we usually want to trim down for a whole lot of reasons, some related to health, others having to do with looks.
In addition, it is never too late to lose weight. But the fact is, it is a whole lot easier to prevent putting on pounds than to try losing them later on. And if there is one thing we all know, it is that weight gain is likely to happen if we do not take forward-looking steps to stop it.
Health experts say that most people who are into losing weight usually stray. They tend to go back to their old eating habits even after they learn to enjoy low-fat eating. They tend to return to sedentary ways even though they enjoy exercising.
But despite the momentum toward weight gain, you can stop it from happening, experts say. And there are plenty of good reasons to avoid excess pounds, reasons that go beyond vanity or social acceptance.
In fact, some health experts contend that the significance of excess weight is more than cosmetic. They say that it takes a huge toll on people’s physical health.
The Way to Losing Weight…Naturally
The nuts and bolts of eating right maintaining a healthy weight is not all that complicated. In fact, it is a good bet that most people know pretty well what is best. Hence, losing weight the natural way should not be a problem at all.
Consequently, a reasonable approach for losing weight naturally is to stick to a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates, high in fiber, moderate in protein, and low in fat.
A complex carbohydrate is a baked potato. Fat is the sour cream and butter you should not put on it. Fiber is vegetables. Fat is the oil you should not fry them in. Protein is a lean cut of meat. Fat is the gravy you should not pour over it.
Moreover, health experts say that dietary fat promotes weight gain because it is a very dense source of calories. Also, when you consume excess calories from dietary fat, you store those calories as body fat more efficiently than excess calories from other sources.
On the other hand, it can also help you lose weight naturally if you will not fall into the so-called “fat-free” trap. Manufacturers keep coming out with low-fat or fat-free versions of their best-selling foods, but Americans keep getting fatter anyway.
One of the greatest delusions of the 1990s is that “no fat” means “non-fattening.” The truth is, you are often getting just as many calories from the no-fat version, even if the calories are not coming from fat.
The term fat-free can be a trap if you start to believe that you can eat any amount of the foods that are advertised that way.
What’s more, it is best to respond to hunger with healthful snacks. Health experts say it would be better to try eating every three to four hours, which may mean a nutritious low-fat snack between lunch and dinner.
When you feel the urge for food coming on, snacking on something healthy such as a slice of whole-grain toasted bread is a better alternative. Never skip a meal and eat snacks instead because that is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to control your eating habits and weight.
Remember, if you want to lose weight naturally, you have to keep track of every food you eat and of every activity that you do. When you say natural weight loss means that you do not have to use some accessories or helpful aids just to lose weight.
Losing weight naturally is a process and not a fad. Hence, it would take a lot of dogged determination, self-control, and discipline just to achieve your ideal weight.
The race to fitness is on and a lot of people are getting into the band wagon. Some people do it to achieve a sexy body, some people just do it because they are embarrassed with the body they have now, while others do it simply to remain fit and heatlthy. As such, many fitness programs are out in the internet, in gyms, spas and fitness centers all over. Some are too expensive to afford that one may even lose weight just by trying to work out the money needed to pursue these fitness programs.
One may not have to go to the gym or the spa or any fitness center and spend much just to slim down to obtain that longed for sexy body. There are many books available in the bookstore which offer weight loss programs which are convenient and for free, of course the books are not though. These weight loss programs, or diet plans are gaining immense popularity with so much publicity, testimonials and reviews that one may be confused which exactly to follow. So before choosing which weight loss plan to follow, try reading these summaries about the most popular diet programs out today.
Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkins. This weight loss program encourages high protein diet and a trim down on the carbs. One can feast on vegetables and meat but should fast on bread and pasta. One is also not restricted against fat intake so it is okay to pour in the salad dressing and freely spread on the butter. However, after the diet, one may find himself lacking on fiber and calcium yet high in fat. Intake of grains and fruits are also limited.
Carbohydrate Addict's Diet by Drs. Heller. This diet plan advocates low carbohyrate eating. Approves on eating meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. however, warns against taking in too much carb. "Reward" meal can be too high on fats and saturated fats.
Choose to Lose by Dr. Goor. Restrains fat intake. One is given a "fat" budget and he is given the liberty on how to spend it. It does not pressure the individual to watch his carbohydrate intake. Eating meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafoods is okay. A go signal is also given on eating vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss plan is fairly healthy, good amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch triglyceride levels though; if high, trim down the carbohydrates and tuck in more of the unsaturated fats.
The DASH Diet. Advocates moderate amounts of fat and protein intake and high on carbs. Primarily designed to lower blood pressure, the diet plan follows the pyramid food guide and encourages high intake of whole wheat grains as well as fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. Some dieters think it advocates too much eating to procure significant weight loss.
Eat More, Weigh Less by Dr. Ornish. Primarily vegetarian fare and strictly low-fat. Gives the go signal on the "glow" foods but warns to watch it on non-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet is poor in calcium and retricts consumption of healthy foods like seafoods and lean poultry.
Eat Right for Your Type. Interesting because it is based on the person's blood type. recommends plenty of mest for people with the blood type O. Diet plans for some blood types are nutritionally imbalanced and too low in calories. And for the record, there is even no proof that blood type affects dietary needs.
The Pritkin Principle. Focused on trimming the calorie density in eating by suggesting watery foods that make one feel full. Eating vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy is okay. Although limits protein sources to lean meat, pseafood and poultry. Although it is healthy by providing low amounts of saturated fats and rich amounts of vegetables and fruits, it is also low on calcium and limits lean protein sources.
Volumetrics. For low-density calorie eating. Recommends the same foodstuff as Pritkin but restricts fatty or dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This plan is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as being low in calorie density and saturated fats.
The Zone. Moderately low on the carbs yet moderately high on the proteins. Encourages low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus veggies, fruits and grains. It is also healthy but lacking in grains and calcium.
Weight Watchers. High carbohydrates, moderate on fats and proteins. A very healthy diet plan and very flexible too. it allows the dieter to plan his own meal rather than give him a set to follow


Very few people realize the profound effect that weight has on diabetes. Even instances of gestational diabetes are much greater in patients that are overweight than in those that are not. Type 2, or adult onset diabetes is more commonly found in overweight people than those that are within their 'ideal' weight ranges. In fact, almost 90% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the best gift you could possibly give yourself just might be the gift of getting your weight under control. 
Among those that suffer from Type 2 diabetes almost 40% have high blood pressure, which is another condition that is believed to be exacerbated by excess weight. Being overweight might also lead to a condition known as insulin resistance in which the body no longer responds to the insulin that is needed to assist the body in using sugar and glucose as fuel on a cellular level. 
There are some things you can do to help yourself out if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or labeled at risk for this devastating condition. First of all, take off the pounds. I know this is much easier said than done. Dieting is never easy and rarely fun for the average person. However, if you do not begin to take drastic steps toward procuring the best possible health for yourself you may not be able to enjoy the quality of life you had planned for your golden years. Let your condition be your motivation and make plans to enjoy watching your grandchildren and great grandchildren graduate college.
Fight it standing up. Don't sit down and let Diabetes control you. Stand up and take control of your body back. This is a fight to the finish and if you let it, diabetes will be your end. If you fight it standing up, lose the weight, get out there and exercise, listen to the doctor's orders and follow them. Find the strength within you to battle this disease head on. You'll be amazed at what happens when you decide to stand up and fight for your health. 
Get active. Find activities that you enjoy and get out there and do them. Don't make those activities passive activities either. Even if it's just going out to play shuffleboard everyday get out there and play. Enjoy your time in the sun. Pick flowers with the little ones. Take up golf. Do whatever it takes to get up and moving each and every day in order to remember why you want to live forever in the first place.
Watch what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out, right? You have strict dietary requirements once you've been diagnosed with diabetes. This means that you absolutely must follow your dietary restrictions. Learn to live within those limits in order to live and enjoy life to the fullest you can. The amazing thing is that there are all kinds of foods available that are friendly to those with diabetes that weren't around just a few short years ago. It is quite possible to live and eat quite nicely with diabetes if you stick to your plan. The most important thing about dieting with diabetes is that you never lose sight of how crucial it is to do so. 


Beauty may be only skin deep, but skin is deeper than you think: it is marvelously sensitive to goings-on inside the body and is quick to break out in a rash of protest when it disapproves.
 Few beauty blemishes are harder to bear than unsightly skin. Yet pimples, eruptions, rashes, scaliness, dryness and changes in color do not often originate in the skin itself.
Usually they reflect some disorder of nourishment (in other than specific disease
processes) that affects the general health.
 Except for certain food allergies, such as the propensity of strawberries to cause hives, skin troubles are caused not so much by the foods you eat as by the foods you don't eat. The essentials of skin health, and consequently of general health, are deficient in the diet, or the nourishing bloodstream is carrying substances that the skin resents.
One of the first signs of vitamin shortage is unhealthy changes in the skin. Often both the causes and symptoms are vague and obscure. Persons who go on regulated diets for other reasons than beauty are frequently surprised to observe that blemished skins become soft and clear on balanced food intake.
 Indispensable to healthy skin is Vitamin A. It is the great regulator of epithelial tissue, the stuff your skin and the linings of your body cavities are made of. When A intake is diminished, an early sign is roughness and extreme dryness of the skin. It is a special kind of dryness, not relieved by ointments.
 Especially on thighs and arms, the skin becomes rough with goose-pimples. The hair follicles are plugged with cornified epithelium. "Cornified" comes from a word meaning "horn" and it means that your skin is on the way to becoming the same stuff that makes a bullfighter watch his step. In more advanced cases the skin may break out with eruptions similar to those of acne except that they are not pustular.
Not only the skin but the external layers of organs such as the eye become hard and dry in absence o£ Vitamin A. In fact, the eye can dry up so completely that blindness results. If you remain dry-eyed at a grand weepy movie, it may not be a sign of emotional inertia but simply an indication that the tear ducts are becoming dammed up from lack of Vitamin A. Absence of perspiration may mean that the sweat glands are becoming plugged.
 Hair and nails are modified forms of skin. Just as the skin becomes dry from lack of Vitamin A, so does hair become brittle and lose its luster. Brittle nails are often improved by high-vitamin diets. Brittleness in nails is also chargeable to the overenthusiastic use of some types of lacquer and polish that abstract natural oils.
Vitamin C deficiency can also cause papular eruptions of the skin, as well as patchy areas of vaguely darkened color.
 More characteristic of C shortage is the tendency of the skin to bruise easily, developing ugly black and blue spots from causes hardly more severe than being spoken to sharply. In fact, the skin can become black and blue entirely on its own initiative. Small red pinprick spots can occur spontaneously. These phenomena arise from the fragility of the blood vessels, characteristic of Vitamin C shortage.
Among the B vitamins, riboflavin and nicotinic acid are most commonly associated with skin disorders. The disease of pellagra, involving the skin, is caused by a dietary lack of nicotinic acid. In early cases the skin looks as if it were severely sunburned; it is burning, tender, and dark in color. Later the skin becomes thick and scaly and pigmentation deepens. Riboflavin (Vitamin G) deficiencies show up in painful fissures of the skin at the corners of the mouth.
 The tragic skin curse of adolescence is acne, which peppers the face with unsightly pimples at the very age when personal appearance becomes supremely important to boys and girls. The irresistible impulse to dig and gouge at the eruptions may leave permanent beauty blemishes in the form of scarred skin.
 In part, at least, acne is a skin response to the adjustment of the glandular system to maturity. Yet dietary management has a place in treatment. The mere restriction of fat, greasy, and sugar-heavy foods is often helpful. 
 Recently it has been demonstrated that Vitamin D is sometimes beneficial. Regular daily doses of 5,000 or more units of Vitamin D have reduced the number of acne eruptions in many cases. Although not a specific cure, enough work has been done to prove that Vitamin D is a highly valuable agent in acne treatment.
 Psoriasis, a skin ailment manifested by a curious silver scaliness, has also proved moderately amenable to Vitamin D. It is a mysterious disease, however, with spontaneous remissions, and dermatologists are very cautious in making any promises about it.
 Some soaps and cosmetics contain slight amounts of Vitamins A and D, and ballyhoo this virtue out of all reason. It is true that these vitamins can be absorbed to some extent through the skin. The advisability of taking them in this fashion is another matter. If the cosmetics are sold at the same prices as standard creams and ointments your druggist can show you, there is no need to avoid them; but if they are decked out in fancy prices, you can suspect that some canny manufacturer is aiming to cash in on public gullibility.
 Indeed, it is amusing to consider that some soaps, bill-boarding their Vitamin D content, may actually restrict your intake of that vitamin by washing off the skin oils from which you manufacture Vitamin D with the cooperation of sunlight or ultra-violet irradiation.
 In general, the avoidance of heavy, rich foods and greater dependence upon milk, eggs, liver, lean meats, fruit and fresh vegetables is a sound principle in building good health and consequent skin beauty. The elimination of foods to which you suspect you are hypersensitive is best left to the offices of a dermatologist, who can usually determine the offender swiftly with simple tests and thus save you from possibly eliminating from your diet the very foods that protect against deficiencies.


At times you can almost see Vitamin C vanishing in a cloud of ectoplasm. Green leafy vegetables wilt at room temperatures, and as they wilt much of the vitamin is lost. Reject limp and wilted vegetables from your produce dealer. Store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. Foods that provide their own containers, such as oranges and bananas and potatoes, hold onto their Vitamin C well. The flightiness of Vitamin C makes it advisable to serve it raw whenever possible.
The B vitamins, as well as C, are water soluble, and you get the most out of them by serving the juices they're cooked in. Vitamin Bi is an acidulous little fellow who resents going on the alkaline side; so does Vitamin C. The addition of baking soda to cooking water, as is ' frequently done to preserve the green color of vegetables, causes these vitamins to go to pieces.
Vitamin A is a hairy-chested citizen who can take most anything except long continued high temperatures. Ordinary cooking procedures do hot affect it much, but oxygen will hasten its breakdown, as it will for other vitamins, and therefore closed vessels are advised for cooking when they are practicable. Vitamin G (riboflavin) is water soluble but reasonably immune to cooking losses. Vitamin D can be more or less ignored by the cook.
An ancient and unhonorable superstition holds that commercial canning processes wreak havoc with the vitamins in food. Whatever may have been the case fifty years ago, it just isn't true today.
Foods from modern canning plants, processed in airtight vessels to minimize vitamin destruction, not only compare favorably with fresh foods but in some cases may even be superior in vitamins. Fresh produce bought in open markets during hot weather, for instance, is likely to contain less Vitamin C than foods rushed from the fields to the canning factories. Of course a careless cook can destroy canned vitamins as well as fresh ones. 
Innumerable laboratory checkups disclose that canned foods have practically the same Vitamin A value as the corresponding fresh foods. Vitamin B1 is well preserved. There is a slight sacrifice of Vitamin C, although foods of an acid nature, such as tomatoes, grapefruit, orange and grapefruit juice, when canned by modern methods, are nearly as rich in Vitamin C as fresh foods available in city markets.
There is a strain of frigidity running through the vitamins. They don't resent being chilled and wrapped in cartons that come to us as quick-frozen foods. But they are a little nervous and eager to escape when the package thaws. You'd feel the same way about it if you were kept below zero for a few days. 
 How Well Do You Know Your Vitamins?
Don't allow frozen food to kibitz in the kitchen until it is completely defrosted—unless, of course, you are serving it raw. Store the package in the coldest compartment of your refrigerator and when you are ready to cook it, plunge it immediately into boiling water.
Ready for a little quiz about vitamins?
Unless you can answer at least 10 of the following questions it is probable that you are not getting full vitamin-value out of your food dollars.

1.         What colors usually indicate good Vitamin A values in vegetables?

2.         How should frozen fruits and vegetables be prepared for eating?

3.         Are the vitamins you buy in a drug store the same as those you obtain in foods?

4.         Why are boiled foods likely to be low in Vitamin B values ?

5.         Are canned foods good sources of vitamins?

6.         What is  the outstanding vitamin value of citrus fruits and juices?

7.         If it is difficult for you to find your seat in a darkened movie theatre, what vitamin deficiency may be indicated ?

8.         Are constipation and lack of appetite ever aided by increased vitamin intake?
 9.                  Are the white inner leaves of lettuce, cabbage, etc.,as rich in vitamins as the coarser outer leaves?

10.       Why is it recommended that at least one raw fruit or vegetable be eaten every day?

11.       ARE THE IMPORTANT B VITAMINS STORED IN YOUR BODY IF YOU CONSUME A SURPLUS?

12.       What is meant by "fortified" or "restored" foods, in reference to vitamins?

13.       Does an expectant mother require more vitamins than she otherwise would?

14.       What vitamin is important in preventing rickets in children?

15.              Is there any danger of your diet providing too many vitamins?

Answers
1. Green and yellow. 2. Vegetables, plunged into water before thawing; fruits to be consumed raw, thawed just before using. 3. Yes, except that foods may provide other undiscovered vitamins. 4. They are soluble and likely to be thrown out with the water. 5. Yes. 6. Vitamin C. 7. Vitamin A. 8. Yes, by Vitamin B1 (thiamin). 9. No, white leaves are low in vitamins. 10. Because of Vitamin C content, easily destroyed by cooking. 11. Not in any significant amount. 12. Fortified foods contain more vitamins than normal; restored foods have vitamins added to make up for normal values lost in processing. 13. Yes. 14. Vitamin D. 15. None whatever; massive doses of pure vitamin D may be toxic .

Nuts

Valuable for protein and Vitamin B1 nuts are also rich in fats and rank as concentrated, high-calorie foods. Best to forget about them if you want to reduce, for a couple Brazil nuts equal about five servings of boiled cabbage.

Fruit Juices

Fruit juices in general are excellent sources of Vitamin C; tomato juice has the additional advantage of being a good source of Vitamin A as well. Carbonated drinks (except a few rare ones that may contain slight amounts of fruit pulp) are made from soda water and heavy syrups, contributing no vitamins, nothing but carbohydrate calories. A typical 12-ounce bottle of soda pop contains the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar.

Using Your Cook Book

If you are your own cook you can probably persuade yourself to follow your own advice with a minimum of ill-feeling. If someone else does your cooking, however, you may have to speak softly but carry a big stick.

You have probably been struck by the fact that reducing diets look ample enough to satisfy a generous appetite. So they are. But the foods must all be prepared in the simplest way possible

The trouble with a good cook (aside from the quality immortalized by Saki in his remark: "She was a good cook, as cooks go, and as cooks go, she went") is her deep-grained habit of cozening the customer's appetite with three-decker confections, pastries that melt in your mouth, and rich sauces à la Escoffier. Hunger and appetite are two different things. You can be hungry and have no appetite, as after a four-day fast. And you can have an appetite when you aren't hungry, as when you're tempted by an extra serving of shortcake.

So, as diplomatically as may be, you lay down the law:

Foods may be boiled, broiled, roasted or baked, but not fried.

Butter, fat and cream are to be used in cooking only in extremely limited amounts—better yet, not at all.

What butter is permitted is to be served soft; it spreads more easily and goes farther.

As far as possible, eliminate sugar in preparing foods. Saccharin may be substituted as a beverage sweetener in moderate amounts.

Serve some raw foods every day, usually as salads, but allow no mayonnaise or fancy dressings. Vinegar, which has no food value, is permitted, or lemon juice, valuable for Vitamin C. Not all digestions, however, can tolerate large amounts of raw foods, so be temperate.

If desired, a mineral oil dressing of negligible calorie value may be prepared according to this approximate formula: I cup mineral oil, ½ cup vinegar, 1 egg (can be omitted), condiments: teaspoon of salt, teaspoon of mustard, pepper, teaspoon of paprika, garlic if desired.

The disadvantage of mineral oil dressing in the light of recent findings—that it prevents absorption of much Vitamin A in the carotene form in which it occurs in plant foods—has already been commented on. If you use mineral oil dressing, it is advisable to take a Vitamin A concentrate.

You can cut down your calorie consumption substantially merely by making your cook hew to these lines.

Who says you shouldn't eat between meals? Time-honored admonitions to this effect turn out not to be true at all.
How can you make the limited calories of your reducing diet linger with you longer? Spread them out into five or even six meals a day. The break up of your diet into breakfast, lunch, and dinner is purely conventional. As long as you do not exceed your total calories, you can rearrange the order of the day's food intake, and the frequency of eating, within wide limits.

Suppose you save a slice of toast and a piece of fruit for a mid-morning snack, some orange juice and a couple of soda crackers for 4 p.m., and a glass of milk before bedtime, subtracting these items from the other three meals of the day. What happens? You are more satisfied with your reducing diet, full of pep and ginger, rambunctious and rarin' to go.

The direct relationship between food intake and muscular efficiency has  been  studied  by  Dr.  Howard  A. Haggard and Dr. Leon A. Greenberg of Yale University, among others. They recorded the results of frequent feedings on factory workers. Most accidents and errors in the factory were occurring shortly before noon and before the evening whistle. By the simple expedient of allowing the workers a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack hour, their output was surprisingly increased and there was a substantial drop in errors.

On such a schedule—and this is the part that will fascinate reducers—the workers were satisfied with smaller lunches and dinners.

Shortly after a meal, your muscular efficiency increases about 30%—that is, you are able to get more work out of the same amount of calories, or you are able to perform the same amount of work with less fatigue. Starches and sugars are most quickly converted into usable energy; hence the advisability of reserving sweetened fruit juices, toast, milk, or fresh fruit for your "extra" meals.

"But doesn't my stomach need a rest?" you may be wondering. "Won't five meals a day overwork it?"

Stomachs live to work. When they're empty they invest their energy in hunger contractions as a signal for you to renew the supply of raw materials. Several light meals keep your stomach happy, whereas a large, heavy meal wins only a gastric groan. So important is it to keep an empty stomach from terrifying itself by its own voracity that a standard treatment for stomach ulcer calls for practically continuous milk feedings.

Many reducers are victims of the grand matinal delusion that they're off to a splendid day if they confine breakfast to a cup of coffee. Perhaps they go lightly on lunch too, so by evening their appetite is way out of bounds and they stow away a lumberman's dinner— at just the time of day when they need it least. Moreover, they have gone through the working day at a low pitch of energy, wondering why they're tired out and "dopey" when the trouble simply is that they're hungry. These remarks do not apply to overweight persons on short-term diets who have to cut down on calories all through the day.
Get up a little earlier, leave the dishes unwashed, take your shower the night before—anything to save time for breakfast. You are most rested and free from physical fatigue when you get up in the morning, but your muscular efficiency is at its lowest because it is 10 or 12 hours since you ate anything. A skimpy breakfast, except for short-term reducers, is an invitation to that tired feeling to dog you all day, with its unhappy by-products of jitteriness and irritability.

Let a couple of boiled eggs and maybe a slice of ham lick the no-breakfast blues. You'll even find it easier to got along with your boss or your husband or wife.

You probably always hear the expression ‘take a hike!’ You know what? Health experts are actually encouraging you to follow that particular advice.
Walking, or the art of traveling by foot, is human’s natural means of transportation. However, with today’s society full of vehicles, walking is slowly becoming a lost art. And this should not be, health experts said, as
walking has numerous benefits to us.
Here are some that we have compiled just for you.
Health Benefits
Walking is a cardio vascular workout that can help reduce your risk of heart disease; aids in alleviation of depression and lower back pain; increase your muscular strength; improve coronary condition; reduce risks of infection and hypertension; aids in maintaining a healthy weight; and curbs the decrease in bone density. Likewise, it also helps in maintaining flexibility and coordination hence, reducing the risk of falls. Like almost all forms of exercise, it adds more health and zest to your life.
Social and Economic Benefits
Aside from the obvious health benefits, walking can also have a very large social and economic impact in today’s society.
Walking is free. In comparison to the cost of operating a car, which is approximately 5,170 dollars a year, walking will not cost you anything.
In addition to this, walking will also give you more time to interact with others. Walking has been shown to improve self-esteem, relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve mood. Walking, particularly in pleasant surroundings, and with other people, offers many opportunities for relaxation and social contact.
Environmental Benefits
Moreover, walking is the only form of transportation that will not contribute to air pollution.
Motor vehicle emissions represent 31% of total carbon dioxide, 81% of carbon monoxide, and 49% of nitrogen oxides released in the United States alone, and thus create 60 percent of air pollution. Although individual cars are much cleaner today than they were in earlier years, if total traffic continues to grow, overall air quality will deteriorate. Moreover, cars and trucks burn millions of barrels of oil, a non-renewable energy source, every day.
Transportation Benefits
Walking will not contribute to traffic and requires less space than automobiles.
Moreover, it reduces the risk of vehicular accidents on the road. Walking can help to reduce roadway congestion. Many streets and highways carry more traffic than they were designed to handle, resulting in wasted time and energy, pollution, driver frustration, and gridlock.
So do not discount walking. It can actually do you good.
Health experts encourage us to include exercise as a necessary part of our daily routine to promote our general well- being. Together with healthy and balanced diet, adequate rest and relaxation, exercise is recommended to promote optimal health.
People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis.
Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve significant health benefits.
Greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity) of physical activity.
There are many benefits of exercise, not only as an aid in effective fat/ weight loss, but also in reducing our risks of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death. Here is a general overview of what exercise can do for us.
1. Exercise reduces our risks of dying prematurely.
2. Exercise reduces our risks of dying from heart diseases, cancers (including uterine, colon, and breast), stroke, diabetes and arthritis.
3. Help us lose weight, especially fat weight by decreasing our Body Mass Index (BMI), reducing our total cholesterol and reducing the circulating levels of triglycerides in our blood and increasing our metabolic rate. Perhaps this is why active people can "Eat anything and not gain weight." and why other folks "Gain weight just by looking at food."!
4. Exercise improves the functioning of our Immune System as well as blood and oxygen circulation for our vital organs.
5. Exercise increases our insulin sensitivity to prevent against type 2 diabetes.
6. Exercise increases our energy and endurance level.
7. Exercise slows down aging by improving our physical, mental, emotional and psychological well- being.
8. Exercise reduces our risk of developing many bones and joints diseases or disorders.
9. Exercise even helps in enhancing creativity and imagination. It is also linked with improved mental vigor, including reaction time, acuity, and math skills.
10. Exercise helps in providing physical and mental rejuvenation, making us feel good about ourselves and thus improve our esteem and confidence.
11. Exercising improves mood and due to the chemicals it releases in the brain called endorphins, it gives you an overall feeling of well-being. This is the same chemical that being in love or eating chocolate induces!
12. Exercise will help you sleep better. Just be sure not to exercise too close to your bedtime if you exercise at night, because it may keep you awake. If you need to exercise within a few hours of going to bed, make sure it's only a brisk walk. Experts say you should allow yourself about three hours between exercise and going to bed.
So get off that couch and start moving. Remember, the time and effort that you put in exercising today may spell your health and well- being tomorrow. Take our word for it!
If you live in America, you know that all food must be labeled. The only food that doesn't have to be is, food that is in individual packages inside of a box or container. Even with that, the container that they come in have to be labeled. Do you buy your food according to these labels? That makes you feel smart, like a good consumer. What if I told you that those labels are nothing more than hog shit? Well, you would probably get angry at me. For the most part that is true. Like most things in life, people want to deceive you. Let's be
honest, they want your money. They will do whatever they have to do to get it.
Why not lie? Is the new formula a break through? Chances are it isn't. Chances are it is just a slight diversion from the old one. Why do they tell you it is?
Because that will make you buy it. It really is that simple.
Is the product new and improved? Well, the packaging might be. If it is new and improved, wouldn't that make it a whole different product? If not, then listen to this. If the product is new and improved, then what were they selling you before? Were they selling you some shit that was worthless? If they were selling you the best quality item before, how could they make it better?
What does patented formula mean? It means nothing. Nothing that should concern any of us. It just means that whatever is in the stuff, is patented. That shouldn't be too alarming. I mean, do you really think that Coke isn't patented?
What are labels good for? You might be thinking that all of this negative stuff means that they aren't good for nothing. That isn't true. What you have to determine is, what is hype and what is real. They are going to try to do everything they can to sell you the product. Even if you don't need it. That is what some may call hype. On the other hand, actual info on the food is what you are after. You just want the facts, just the facts. On the back of the label, should tell you all that you need to know. Just turn the container around and have a look see.
What kind of information should you find back there? You should see what the ingredients are. It should say in fairly simple terms what is in the product. If it has loads of big words that you don't know what they are, I would move on to another product and see what it says. It should tell you what the serving size is. It should also tell you how many servings are in the container. This is important when you are shopping on a budget. You should always pay attention to how many servings are in the container. Compare the price per serving with other brands of the same item. If you do this often, you can save yourself a lot of money.
Also the label should tell you the info on the food. How much fat, vitamins, minerals, cabs and so forth that is in the food. That is important if you are on a diet. You need to know what you are putting in your body. If at any time you feel that you don't have enough info on the product, you can always check to see if they have a web site. If they do, there might be some info on it. If they don't, check to see if there is a number that you can call. If there is a number, chances are there will be someone there who can answer your question.
Though they do label how much fat, they don't tell you what kind of fat is in it. This can cause some problems if you are on a strict diet. Like I said before, you can try giving them a call for the info that you are looking for.
Of course some foods won't have labels. Like foods found at the farmers market or stuff that is sold at a bake sale. You can always ask the person at the bake sale what they put in the food item. If they say it is a secret recipe, tell them it is a secret where your wallet is and walk away from them. There is no reason why they at least can't tell you what is in the things. The farmers market really isn't that big of a worry. I mean, you know what is in an onion.
You might ask what type of chemicals they use on their farm. They should have no problems telling you this.
To summarize about food labels. Don't believe the hype. The front of the label is where they try to sell the product to you. Instead, pay close attention the portion of the label that gives you the nutrition information.
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If you want to lose weight, it has to be a 50/50 partnership of diet and exercise.
It's no simple task to lose weight. Saying you're going to start a diet, or eat healthier or get in shape is a far different thing than putting those plans in motion. Its takes an honest commitment and hard work on your part. For most of us with busy schedules, and usually living on a budget, it seems like a daunting task. But, if you're ready to lose weight in a healthy manner and actually see positive results, then stick to these five really easy to follow tips.

1. Set realistic goals

You're not going to lose 50 pounds this week, or the next. You can most certainly start losing the weight though. Being honest with yourself about what you want to accomplish and when that can actually be accomplished will help you avoid giving up. You can do this. Just be patient.

2. Choose your method

Have you tried restrictive diets in the past and wound up with more frustration than weight lost? Then don't do get burned twice. That method isn't the best for you. Let's face it, there are as many ways to lose weight as there are cures for hiccups. Do your homework and visit with your doctor. Then decide on the plan that's right for you.

3. Reward yourself

If you aced an exam or got promoted at work, you'd likely celebrate. So don't forget to reward the milestones in your weight loss journey. Get a pedicure for that first 10 pounds. Buy a new outfit for that extra 20. Hit the 50 or 100 pound marks? Take a vacation you've always wanted. This will keep you from becoming discouraged and help you to keep looking forward.

4. Write it down

Journaling is not a new concept. People have been keeping diaries of their daily lives for hundreds of years. Journaling has also proven to be a great way to help people lose weight. Carry a small notebook with you and make note of everything you eat or drink. This will help you identify calorie counts, times of day, weaknesses and even what you've been doing right. You can also use your weight loss journal to outline goals (and rewards!), exercise an more.

5. Keep moving

Don't believe the hype- you're not going to lose weight unless you exercise. If you want to lose weight, it has to be a 50/50 partnership of diet and exercise. The E-word is not a popular one, but you'll realize serious results if you do. It can be as expensive or cheap as you like and it can absolutely be on your terms. Spend 30 minutes a day, 3-5 times a week engaging in physical exercise. If you're new to exercise, get your doctor's OK first. Start out slow and don't over exert yourself. If you hurt yourself, it's not going to do you any favors. Find an exercise program that you enjoy. If running turns you off, but you love laps in the pool- then do the laps. You're more likely to stick to it if you enjoy doing it.
It might be hard for some people to believe, but snacking is actually good for us. Doctors tend to recommend that we snack during the day. Snacking gives us that boost of energy that we need. The problem is, most people snack with the wrong types of food. They will snack with potato chips or with candy. While that is okay from time to time, I wouldn't make a big habit out of it. I would like to think that the best approach to the bad things is this. Eat them one day of the week. Have the chips on Saturday while you are watching the game. You will enjoy them more during the game than you would at your desk. So, what should you eat for a snack? Don't run to the burger joints or to the vending machine at work. Neither of those places have what you are looking for. First I would suggest that you take a look at what your over all diet is. More importantly, how much coffee you are drinking. If you are drinking too much coffee, I would
suggest that you cut back and start to eat more fruit.
I would never suggest to you that you eat the energy bars that they sell in the health food store. I think if you are snacking during work or at home, you don't need such a thing. Maybe if you are hitting the gym, but if you are hitting the keyboard at work, there is no need for them. All you are doing is wasting your money. This is what I do. I cut up a variety of veggies and put them in plastic sandwich bags. I might cut up celery, bell pepper, carrots, and so forth.
Anything that you will eat is okay to put in your snack pouches. That is what I call them, my snack pouches. I also keep a salt shaker in my desk. I find that I am more likely to eat the veggies if I put a little salt on them. Try it, you will be amazed at how good they taste.
I try to keep some whole fruit on hand. What I mean by whole fruit is... Things such as peaches and apples. I don't keep any canned fruit at work. Sometimes I will get those fruit cups and put those in my desk. If you do that, make sure that you get the ones without the sugar added. By nature I am a tight wad. So I don't buy the fruit cups very often. I find that I can make the same thing for much less money. What I will do is make my own fruit cocktail.
Here is how I do it.
I take a few peaches and slice them. I take a handful of grapes and put them in.
I don't chop them up, but I do wash them. Then I cut up a few pears and throw them in. Then I peal and slice some banana. I might throw in some kiwi or some apples. You can add whatever you like. I didn't give exact measurements because you should put how ever much in as you like. Don't like bananas? Don't put any in yours!
If you have ever eaten the stuff in the stores, you know that there is a little fluid in the can. Some times this is heavy syrup. Basically that is water and sugar. I am sure we all have seen this before. I find that when I eat my own fruit cocktail I miss that liquid. What I do instead is, I add some orange juice to my fruit cocktail. This gives me the wetness that I crave without having to add a bunch of calories by adding sugar. Try it, you will be amazed.
Yogurt can also be a great snack to get you through the day. Try to get the low fat variety. Make sure not to get the ones with the fruit on the bottom.
Sometimes they add sugar and that is calories you don't need. Get plain yogurt or get the vanilla kind. You can throw in what ever fruit that you like. I like strawberries in mine. I would suggest that you think about getting a food dehydrator. You can use these for all kinds of things. The nice thing is, you can dry fruit in them. I love to take a bunch of dried fruit and throw it into my desk. It won't spoil for a long time. Your coworkers will make sure that it isn't around long enough to spoil. They will keep asking you for some every time they see you.
Another little treat that I like to do is bring some whole wheat crackers along with me. Make sure you get the ones that aren't loaded with fat. Some of the snack crackers are. I drink a little orange juice with my whole wheat crackers.
That is one of my favorite snacks.
Snacking is a bad thing. I recommend that all of you snack. Make sure though, that when you snack, you are eating healthy. You will notice the difference in no time.