Obesity And Overweight: Five Diseases And Health Conditions

A health care professional can readily tell if you are obese, overweight, or healthy by simply measuring your Body Mass Index, or BMI, in short. It effectively determines your weight in proportion to your height and the further it goes outside the scope of the standard range, the greater your odds are of developing a host of critical health issues from obesity and overweight.

Accomplishing and sustaining a healthy weight is something that cannot be achieved overnight and might turn out to be a challenging task for obese and overweight individuals in the long-term. Ensuring a healthy weight through appropriate means or at least preventing yourself from gaining more weight can help overweight people reduce the likelihood of developing specific medical conditions.

Obesity is on the verge of becoming a national epidemic in the USA and is associated with several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. The grave medical condition is responsible for an astounding 18% mortality rate in the age group of 40 to 85 among American population, as observed by a health research study carried out in 2013, questioning the deeply-rooted, prevailing notion of the medical and scientific community that a mere 5 in every 100 deaths in the country are related to obesity. The new finding essentially suggests that it is as fatal as cigarette smoking, when it comes to the discussion of public health hazards, as the particular way of nicotine consumption can be linked to 20 in every 100 deaths in the USA and is acknowledged as the major preventable cause of mortality in the country.

Almost 2 in every 5 American adults were diagnosed with obesity in 2015-16, which is a significant increase from 34% in 2007-08, and its impact became more profound with a steep increase from 5.7% to 7.7% during that time. While not a single state reported an obesity rate of over 15% in 1985, as many as 5 of them registered rates higher than 35% for the year 2016.

Obesity and overweight are often associated with emotional health issues like depression. People who are either obese or overweight may also experience weight bias as well as face the stigma of the medical care services providers and others, which, in turn, can result in guilt, feeling of rejection, or shame, further worsening the prevailing problems concerning one's mental well-being.

The major diseases and health complications caused by obesity and overweight are illustrated below in brief.

I. TYPE 2 DIABETES
When the blood glucose concentration becomes abnormally high on a permanent basis, the particular medical condition is termed as type 2 diabetes. About 4 in every 5 individuals with the said form of diabetes are known to be either obese or overweight. High blood sugar levels can manifest a large number of medical conditions, such as stroke, heart conditions, eye issues, neuropathic damage, eye problems, and other health issues.
Allowing yourself to engage in periodic physical activities and reducing 5% to 7% of your weight may prevent or postpone type 2 diabetes onset in the event you belong to the risk group for the particular disease.

II. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
When the blood passes through the blood vessels in your body with significantly more force, the particular medical condition is known as hypertension, or more commonly, high blood pressure. It can cause an alarmingly great level of damage to your blood vessels, strain your heart, and help increase the odds of stroke, kidney disease, heart attack, and even death.

III. HEART DISEASE
The umbrella term heart disease is routinely used to indicate a wide and diverse gamut of medical conditions that can affect the overall well-being of the organ. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, you are at a greater risk of having heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina, heart attack, or a heart rhythm that is not considered normal. Elevated fat levels in your bloodstream, high blood sugar concentrations, and high blood pressure may increase the odds of heart disease. Blood lipids or blood fats necessarily refer to triglycerides, High-Density Lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol, and Low-Density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol. Reducing 5% to 10% of your body mass is likely to help you mitigate the risks of developing heart disease and can help improve your blood flow, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure.

IV. STROKE
If there is a blockage or an incidence of blood vessel rupture in your neck or brain, it causes the blood supply in your brain to restrain all on a sudden, and the particular medical condition is known as stroke. A stroke can cause reversible or irreversible damage to your brain, resulting in partial or complete paralysis and thus, making you incapable of speaking or initiating body movements. To suffice, hypertension is recognized as being the vital cause of strokes.

V. SLEEP APNEA
Sleep apnea is a medical condition when an individual does not breathe frequently and is pretty much common in a large number of people around the globe. One may also cease breathing altogether for small intervals. If the said sleeping disorder continues to remain undiagnosed and untreated, it may increase the odds of other critical health issues, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Sudarsana Chakrabarti is a primary and urgent care doctor in Homer Glen, Illinois. She is actively engaged in health blogging over a decade and has penned umpteen blogs, articles, and guest posts concerning numerous medical complications and disease prevention/treatment, such as diabetes and blood glucose (sugar) monitoring, migraine and headaches, allergy testing, hypertension (high blood pressure), cough, rash, and sore throat, to name a few.

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Top 10 Healthiest Vegetables

Introduction

Do you know that people consume flaxseeds as food since the time immemorial? The historians say that these seeds are known to people about 6000 years ago. There are documents to prove that this might have been the world's first cultivated super-food. This rekindled the interest of the people in its properties. That was how the research on this particular food from nature had begun. In nut shell, the contents of flaxseed are found to aid digestion, lower cholesterol, improve the skin health, fight cancer, balance hormones, lower sugar cravings and promote weight loss. This research result is just the beginning of a new world of healthy living. In this article, we would look into the advantages of flaxseed.

Benefits of Flaxseed

People call flaxseeds as linseeds in some places. They are small differently colored seeds that come in brown, golden and tan colors. According to the biochemists, these seeds are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, especially alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). These unsaturated fatty acids help us to make several compounds to fight disease. Our body makes use of these compounds to create grey matter in our brain.

1. They are rich sources of lignans that form major part of food we consume. They are found to contain 7 times more lignans than any other plant source.
2. These seeds have high fiber content, especially mucilage gum. It has a curing effect on the intestinal tracts and aids in bowel movement.
3. Applying two table-spoons of flaxseed oil helps people keep hair, skin and nails healthy.
4. Alpha-linolenic acid found in these seeds benefits skin and improve its texture so that it glows. It also reduces inflammation on the skin.
5. Walnuts work in tandem with flaxseeds to lower fat absorption. These seeds also support weight loss. The fibers make the stomach feel full so that you eat fewer calories of food.
6. Adding linseeds in your diet will automatically bring down the cholesterol level in blood. The soluble fibers present in the seeds trap cholesterol and lower its absorption in the body.
7. The flaxseeds are gluten-free. It is an excellent replacement for gluten-rich grains that are inflammatory.
8. Another plus point for these seeds is the presence of antioxidants. In fact, these seeds are found to have huge reservoir of antioxidants.
9. Flaxseeds improve overall digestive health. Alpha Linolenic acid present in these seeds protects the lining of the digestive tract.
10. The contents present in these seeds also offer protection against the deadly disease of cancer.

Flaxseeds are rich in compounds that have medicinal properties. In this article, we would be looking at the properties of flaxseeds for the benefit of health-conscious readers. For more such information, they can visit the link http://tvmbala.blogspot.com.

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3 Reasons Why Women Over 50 Should Lift Weight

Most of my clients are women over the age of 50. As a group, I can say that they are the hardest working and most dedicated clients that a personal trainer could ask for. Hard working, dedicated, and totally focused on getting better and stronger. Girls definitely rule when it comes to training.

The biggest request I get when starting with a new client is "I need to get rid of this fat around my (fill in the blank)". The impression is that if they do tons of crunches, they will lose the fat that has accumulated around their bellies. It doesn't quite work that way. Exercises targeting a specific part of the anatomy doesn't burn-up all the fat in that one area. Sorry.

In addition to accumulating a little extra padding in those "problem areas", there are other changes happening in your body after 50. Here are just a few of the most common adaptations to age:

• Menopause ends the childbearing years
• Gray hair replaces natural hair color
• Vision fades requiring reading glasses
• Gravity starts to take over as everything starts to sag a bit
• Skin loses it's normal elasticity and feels loose
• Thickness around the waist and hips start to form

I could go on, but let's stop there. There is no way to stop the natural aging process. At 59, I am amazed at how my body has changed over the past 20 years. With every 12-month turn of the calendar, I have to work harder to just keep-up. Since I know I cannot stop the aging process, my goal is to simply slow it down a bit, and that should be yours as well.

Perhaps one of the best ways to slow down the effects of aging after 50 is to lift weight. Now, I'm not talking about the little 2-pound dumbbells. I'm talking REAL weight. Here are 3 reasons why you need to lift weight after 50:

1. Bone Density

You think drinking milk and taking calcium supplements is going to keep your bones strong and hold off the dreaded "hump back" caused by osteoporosis? Think again.

The best way to build strong bones is by lifting heavy weight. Think about it for a second - When you pick up something heavy, your brain (being the super smart computer it is) determines that you need a little more thickness in that arm-bone or else it will snap like a twig. So, when you consistently hoist heavy weight, growth hormone is produced and new bone cells created to increase the density and strength of the skeletal structure(your arm).

This is called "anatomical adaptation", and it is the fastest and best way to get your bones strong.

2. Burn Fat

Would you like to turn you body into a little "fat burning machine"? No problem. Just start lifting heavy weight. When you lift weight, your body produces lean muscle mass, which takes calories to support. This increases your basal metabolic rate and helps you to burn more calories during the day.

The more muscle you build, the more calories you burn. If the body does not have a ready source of sugar available, it will start utilizing body fat for energy. This is where good nutrition comes in. But needless to say, if you are lifting weight and building lean muscle, you will reduce the fat around your waist, hips, thighs, and arms.

3. Feel Awesome

I know this one doesn't sound very scientific, but lifting weight will elevate your mood and make you feel like you can do anything.

Seriously.

When you lift heavy weight, your body produces endorphins, which interact with the receptors in your brain and reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a "positive feeling" in your body similar to that of morphine. In essence, you get "high" when you workout with weights.

Lifting weight is less dangerous and certainly less expensive than taking drugs, both legal and illegal. It is very cool for me to be greeted at the door with a scowl (I'm not in the mood to train) only to have my client give me a huge energized smile when I leave. Yup, those endorphin thing really do work.

So, if you are a woman over 50, then give lifting weight a try. My advice is to work with certified personal trainer who can show you the right exercises and how to do them safely. A good trainer will also help you progress the movements and weight so that you keep getting stronger. If you need any help, just let me know.

About The Author
Mike Christie, personal trainer and nutritional counselor, invites you to visit https://goo.gl/7k7sbX for more weight loss, fitness, and nutrition articles like this one. You may also feel free to contact Mike by email at mike@mikechristiepersonaltrainer.com for fitness and nutrition advice and questions

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7 Tips For Eating Healthy When You're On A Tight Budget

When it comes to eating healthy, most people think it's impossible when they're on a tight budget. I'm here to share with you exactly how to shop and eat healthy while keeping your grocery bill low. I promise you eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive and you'll get the most bang for your buck. Sure, it would be amazing to eat only organic food, free range eggs and meats, but for now let's keep it simple and stick with whole foods and eating in season for saving money. Check out these 7 money-saving tips and strategies below:

1. Start by setting your weekly or monthly budget for food and stick to it!
This may involve a little extra work by reviewing all of your expenses but set up your budget and stay consistent. Keep track of your spending by reviewing your online banking or keep a physical notebook in your pocket.

2. Take an inventory at home and set up your meal plan
This will be your grocery list. Make sure you know what you already have in your cupboards that can be eaten or used in a recipe. You'd be surprised what might still be hanging around in your cupboards for example; flours and cans of beans - you can make your own bread, cookies and soups with these! Decide on the meals you want to eat for the week, a quick Google search will give you hundreds of healthy recipes so you can buy your ingredients accordingly.

3. Keep on top of the weekly sales at your grocery store
Most grocery stores send out flyers or they have their sales listed online. Review this before you shop and plan accordingly. If you have coupons then be sure to make use of those too. Perhaps with the money you save from coupons you can apply that money to any outstanding loans and debt even if it's just a few dollars (this is will be whole other article).

4. Buy in bulk
Try buying your staple foods in bulk such as oats, rice and beans. You're more likely to save money in the long-run because of a larger purchase at a discount. If there happens to be a bulk food store in your area shop there to save money on packaging and a brand name.

5. Stick to whole foods rather than processed foods
Your whole food choices are going to be the healthier and more nutrient-dense choices. Whole foods are actually less expensive than buying boxes or packages of processed food that provide little to no nutritional value. Why spend $4 on a box of a few sugary snack bars when you can spend $4 and get a bag of several apples or a big 10 lb bag of potatoes?

Here is a list of a few inexpensive whole food options:
Oats, rice, potatoes, dried lentils, beans, bananas, fresh bagged spinach, frozen vegetables and berries

6. Look for the sale rack or discounted items
Most grocery stores will have these special racks for produce that no longer "look" as pretty and they will be marked down in price. If there isn't any mold on the fruit or veggies it's still fine to eat! Also consider finding out when the store gets their delivery of produce and meats so you can shop the evening before and maximize on all the discounted items. Just be sure to cook or freeze any meats right away because they are more than likely close to their best before date.

7. Buy fruits and veggies with the seasons and freeze the extras
Seasonal fruits and vegetables are usually less expensive than the fruits and vegetables that are not in season. Local produce especially at your nearest farmer's market is going to be the least expensive. Remember, we need to eat fruits and vegetables for good health and energy - they are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that protect our cells. Freeze any leftovers you have before anything goes bad and needs to be thrown out.

In summary, eating healthy on a tight budget doesn't have to be difficult. It takes a little bit of planning ahead with smart shopping strategies and you will be successful - your body will thank you too!

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Muscle Mass, Metabolism, and Maturity

THE PROBLEM

There's a distinct relationship between muscle mass, metabolism, and ageing. Basically, the older we get, the more we lose muscle mass, and the loss of muscle means a slow-down of metabolism. The result is obesity, and numerous health risks abound. Those deleterious risks include high blood pressure, high bad cholesterol, low good cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, poor eye-sight, and higher risk of cancer, heart disease, or stroke.

After the age of twenty most individuals lose basic metabolic rate of approximately three percent every ten years. Combine that with the usually muscle loss and you have a toxic cocktail of poor health risks. After the age of forty there's an average six pounds of muscle loss each decade. And the loss of muscle decreases metabolism. Therefore, the maintenance of muscle mass is the primary key to health fitness.

SYMPTOMS

There are numerous symptoms of muscle loss.

· Back and leg pain

· Poor posture and incorrect spinal alignment

· Osteoporosis

· Low metabolism

· Weight cycling or yo-yo dieting

· Fatigue, malaise, and general lack of energy

· Obesity

· Lack of balance and subsequent fall-related

BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING

Strength training helps you feel young, keeps your muscles strong, improves balance, strengthens joints, keeps the metabolism high, helps control weight, improves appearance, boosts confidence, and increases self-esteem.

People who integrate strength training into their lifestyles have higher BMR that is 10-25 percent higher compared to that of sedentary people. For every pound of muscle added, 50-90 calories more are burned per day when at rest. That means, for ten pounds. of added muscle per year, up to 900 at-rest calories are burned per day.

However, if you lose 20 pounds from a weight-loss diet without exercise, up to 30 percent or 6 pounds of the weight loss is from muscle. That reduces metabolism and results in weight gain. Studies show that diet combined with strength training helps maintain almost all the muscle mass, even with a substantial weight loss.

TIPS FOR STARTING

Start out slow. Even if you only perform one exercise per week, that is a step in the correct direction. Only ten minutes is needed per session. It's convenient to set the alarm ten minutes early, three days per week. And exercise before breakfast burns three times the calories as exercises performed after eating. Start out with simple exercises that can be performed easily at home, i.e. sit ups, push-ups, squats. You can do strength training while watching television. Use items around the house for weights, i.e. cans of soup. Or you can use resistance bands. Finally, try to relax and find ways to reduce your daily stress.

In the spirit of Unbroken, Tears in the Darkness, and With the Old Breed, the author of this article has written a World War II, creative non-fiction book under the pen name Chris Gregory. Dismounted Liberty, about a young man's challenging youth, his survival of the Bataan Death March, and horrific treatment as a POW, is available in paperback and kindle edition formats on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Gregory/e/B00FYXT8BA

To learn more about this heart-wrenching story, go to http://www.BuckshotPie.com

Happy reading and best wishes for 2015!

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Exercises for Older People Just Starting Out

We always encourage older people to begin an exercise program, but when they are just starting out it is important to know how to exercise safely. Whoever you are exercising has to meet that person's needs, and obviously by starting a program when at 60 those requirements aren't going to be the same as somebody who is exercising at 30 years old. First, a consultation with a doctor is always recommended just to be informed of what the exercise plan will be.

Then you can get started. This following routine will get your body going if you do them three or four times a week. These are some of the simple exercises that will get you started:

1. Knee lifts. As we age our hips and core can lose some suppleness if we fail to keep them full flexed. Do these by starting with your feet about shoulders apart. With hands on hips put all of your weight on your right foot, bend your left knee toward your chest. After one minute do this with the other leg. This will also be an excellent exercise for balance. To begin you might want to use a hand on the wall for support.

2. Calf raises. This is a great workout for strengthening the calve muscles. While standing with your feet shoulder distance apart, lift up on your toes slowly. Hold that position for a couple of seconds and then drop back down to your heels. Repeat this for one minute. To add intensity as you progress you can carry small weights in your hands. If you want to work on balance do the same motion but only one foot at a time.

3. Step and tap. This is another great exercise for balance, but it is also good for a light aerobics workout. While standing imagine that there is a line on the ground next to you. Step sideways over that line one foot at a time, then when both feet are across that imaginary line step back with each foot. Do this for about one minute at whatever speed feels comfortable for you. As you advance you can bounce back and forth with both feet together.

4. Arm circles. One of the areas that can lock up when not used is the shoulder joints. Like the knees they are big joints and should be exercise regularly to keep that full range of motion you will need as you age. This is a great exercise for keeping the joints supple, and it is to stand with your arms on your side outward in a T-shape with your body. Begin moving your hands in a circular motion, graduate making wider and wider circles with your hands. After one minute makes circles in the opposite direction for a minute. This can be enhanced by holding small weights.

5. Standing crunches. We all know that crunches are great exercises for the abs, but they are quite difficult to do. Standing crunches are easier and will still give the abdominal muscles a workout. With your feet slightly wider than your shoulders lift your left arm above and over your right side until you feel the left side stretch. Bring your left elbow down and crunch to the left and compress your torso as you bring your left knee up. Have the feeling of pinching something between your elbow and knee. After returning to the original position, continue with this again for one minute and then switch sides.

Where you carry your weight has a lot to do with your overall health, as it is a  marker for issues  having to do with the kidneys and liver. Read more about how to put on good weight through diet and exercise on our website  http://muscle4weightloss.com/. Rich Carroll is a writer and avid health advocate now living in Chicago.

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Is Nutrition Really 70% of Your Fitness Success?

General sayings and quotes are pervasive within the fitness community. Some do a great job of giving the public some guidance, while some in my humble opinion lead to more confusion. I address one of these sayings in this article which has to do with nutrition being the key to fitness success for everyone.

The real answer is one that will irk some.

It depends...

Without a doubt, for some people, eating a diet which includes plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean cuts of meat and poultry and healthy fats from oils, legumes and nuts. But for others, consuming a diet which is less "healthy" by nutritional standard, but exercising 5 to 7 days per week, produces the exact results they wish to achieve.

The point is, every one of us should be eating as healthy a diet as we can for general health, to try to stave off any dis-ease, and for optimal performance. The degree to which the diet or exercise becomes the primary focus of a person's plan is really a matter of experimentation to find the right balance between the two long-term.

The key is long-term.

Listen, it is difficult to eat meticulously 100% of the time for most people. Long-term health is not about exercise vs. nutrition, it's about making consistent choices which promote well-being and optimum performance. Work is going to get in the way sometimes. School will get in the way. The kids may get in the way. There are many, many factors which will come up that have the potential to knock you off balance on occasion. The goal is though, to try to make sure that 90% of your meals are contain the foods we talked about above, and to take it easy on yourself when you have to eat a meal which isn't quite so nutritious.

If you focus on this and not whether exercise or nutrition should consume your energy and focus, you'll generally achieve any goals you may have and live a healthier lifestyle.Begin by getting in plenty of vegetables with each meal. Colors matter! So, try to get in all the colors of the rainbow maybe not each day, but certainly each week. The colors of fruits and vegetables come from specific phytochemicals and phytonutrients which not only give the food its color, but also provide us with nutrients and intermediaries to serve as catalyst to many bodily functions.

Whether you are a Vegan or not is a matter of personal choice form most people. There can be food allergies and intolerances to both meats and certain vegetables and seeds and nuts. You do though, want to make sure you are getting in enough protein over the course of the day to satisfy you unique bodily needs primarily from whole fresh foods, and secondarily from protein supplements if you are unable to get them in via whole fresh sources.

Also get in healthy small amounts healthy fats and drink plenty of water and non-sugary drinks and you'll do quite well.

If you are doing all of this and weight loss is still a problem, then further digging into the proper amounts of foods being consumed and possibly hormone dysfunction may need investigation.

Experiment and find the right balance for you.

Paul T. Mitchell III, Pn1, CSCS*D
Nutrition Coach/Sports Metabolic Specialist
http://www.realplaymaker.com

Solution Based Nutrition and Exercise Programing

Any questions, please email us at: paul@realplaymaker.com

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How Your Health Benefits From More Fibre

Since the 1990s, medical researchers have discovered more and more benefits when dietary fiber is significantly increased in our diet. Fiber is a substance in plants. Dietary fiber, also called bulk or roughage, is the kind we eat. It is the edible portions of plant cell walls; hence, it is found only in plant foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as beans and legumes.

Fiber is a carbohydrate and is usually listed under "Total Carbohydrates" on the "Nutrition Facts" label. Humans lack the digestive enzymes to breakdown fiber. Therefore, it is undigested and not absorbed into the bloodstream and it arrives at the colon pretty much intact. Fiber has zero calories. Instead of being used for energy, it is excreted from the body.

The current recommended daily intake for adults who are 50 years or younger is 25 grams/day for women and 38 grams/day for men. For adults over 50 years of age, the recommendation is 21 grams/day for women and 30 grams/day for men. Unfortunately, for many who eat a typical American diet, it can be a huge challenge to consume that much fiber everyday. Most people top out at an average of 15 grams/day, regardless of how many calories they eat.

Maybe if we understand more about the different types of fiber and how they can immensely contribute to better health and lower disease risks, there will be more incentives to increase the daily fiber intake. Fiber is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Apart from helping us stay regular, fiber has a long list of other health benefits. The following will distinguish the different types of fiber, their specific health advantages, and which foods contain these fiber.

Classifications Of Fiber

There are several ways to classify the different types of fibre. However, as their characteristics do overlap, experts have yet to agree on the best categorization. For decades, the most commonly used classification is soluble and insoluble fibre. These days, as researchers discover the benefits of fermented fibre, another classification - fermentable and non-fermentable fibre - is also used. However, do know that both soluble and insoluble fiber have some that are fermentable and some that are non-fermentable, though soluble fibre is more easily fermented.

Soluble and Insoluble Fibre

The major difference between soluble and insoluble fiber is that they have different properties when mixed with water, hence the designation between the two.

• Soluble fibre is soluble in water. When mixed with water, it forms a gel and swells.
• Insoluble fibre does not absorb or dissolve in water. It passes through the digestive system in close to its original form.

Both types of fibre serve their own purposes and have different health benefits. Most plant foods contain both soluble and insoluble fibre, just in different proportions. For instance, wheat is about 90% insoluble fiber. Oats are 50/50. Psyllium plant is mostly soluble fibre.

Fermentable and Non-Fermentable Fiber

Some fibres are readily fermented by bacteria that colonize the colon, others are not. Fermentable fibre is used by the colon's friendly bacteria as a food source. Fermentation results in the formation of short-chain fatty acids (acetate, butyrate, and propionate) and gases. Epithelial cells that line the colon use butyrate as the main source of energy.

Researchers found that butyrate exerts a wide range of health benefits. It:

• Decreases inflammation and oxidative stress,
• Prevents colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Crohn's disease,
• Strengthens the bowel wall,
• Improves the body's ability to absorb essential nutrients such as calcium,
• Makes hormones that control appetite and anxiety.

Soluble Fibre

Foods High in Soluble Fibre

Fruits: blueberries, apple, oranges

Grains: barley, oats

Legumes: beans, lentils, peas

Seeds: flax

Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, carrots

Health Benefits

• Digestion and weight control. When soluble fibre dissolves in water and becomes gel-like, it helps prolong stomach emptying and slows down digestion, making you feel full longer and have less room for other not-so-healthy food cravings.
• Blood sugar regulation. Soluble fibre slows down the digestion rate of many nutrients, including carbohydrates, so it helps stabilize glucose levels and prevent after-meal blood sugar spikes.
• Cholesterol and heart health. Soluble fibre binds to cholesterol and bile acids (made by the liver and stored in the gall bladder for the digestion of fats) in the small intestine and promotes their excretion. Studies found that consuming more soluble fibre leads to a decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, hence, reducing the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Healthy bowel movements. Soluble fibre soaks up water as it passes through your system, which helps bulk up the stool and guard against constipation.
• Colon health. Prebiotic fibre is a type of fermentable and soluble fibre that is used by the colon's friendly bacteria (probiotics) as a food source. Prebiotics and probiotics work together to maintain the balance and diversity of intestinal bacteria, especially increasing the good bacteria like lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Foods High in Soluble Prebiotic Fibre

(In parenthesis is the name of the fibre)

Apple (pectin)

Asparagus (inulin and oligofructose)

Banana (inulin and oligofructose)

Barley (beta-glucan)

Burdock root (inulin and oligofructose)

Chicory root (inulin and oligofructose)

Cocoa (flavanol compounds)

Dandelion greens (inulin and oligofructose)

Flaxseed (mucilage)

Garlic (inulin and oligofructose)

Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke (inulin and oligofructose)

Jicama root (inulin)

Konjac root or glucomannan fiber (see Note)

Leeks (inulin and oligofructose)

Oats (beta-glucan)

Onion (inulin and FOS)

Psyllium (mucilage) - used as a fibrre supplement, always buy organic due to pesticides

Seaweed (polysaccharides)

Wheat bran (arabinoxylan oligosaccharides or AXOS)

Yacon root (FOS and inulin)

Note:

Konjac is native to Asia. Its fibre, known as glucomannan, has been used as both food and in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Today, glucomannan is used as a fibre supplement to promote colon health, lower cholesterol, and improve carbohydrate metabolism. It is also used in a food product called Shirataki noodles. These noodles are made of 97% water and 3% glucomannan, so the fibre content is very diluted. Though not a high source of prebiotic fiber, the noodles have zero carbohydrates, fats, protein, and calories. Thus, these noodles are suitable for diabetics and people who are looking to lose weight.

Fibre and Gas

Everyone has some intestinal gas and that is normal. The amount of flatus passed each day depends on your sex (men have more frequent flatus) and what is eaten. The normal number of flatus may range from 10-20 times a day.

If you are not used to eating a high amount of fermentable fibre, eating too much at a time can lead to excess intestinal gas, bloating, and mild cramping. So, increase gradually. When you consume vegetables with prebiotics or take a prebiotic fibre supplement, the flatus is often non-odoriferous. The foods that cause smelly flatus are usually the ones that contain high sulfur content, such as eggs and cruciferous vegetables.

If you experience severe gas and gut discomfort after gradually introducing more fermentable fiber, you may have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or yeast overgrowth. In this case, you need to work with a healthcare professional to address your gut issues.

Insoluble Fibre

Foods High in Insoluble Fibre

Fruits: skins of fruit

Fruits (dried): dates, prunes

Grains: corn bran, oat bran, wheat bran, whole grains (e.g. whole wheat, brown rice)

Nuts and seeds

Vegetables: green beans, green leafy vegetables, root vegetable skins

Health Benefits

• Weight management. Like soluble fibre, insoluble fibre can play a key role in controlling weight by starving off hunger pangs.
• Digestive health. Insoluble fibre helps to move bulk through the intestines. It lessens the amount of time food spends in the colon, hence, constipation and hemorrhoids are much less of a problem and bowel movements become more regular.
• Diverticulitis. This condition is characterized by inflammation and infection of pouches or folds that form in the colon walls. Development of diverticulitis is often associated with a low-fibre diet and becomes increasingly common after the age of 45. It exacerbates intestinal blockages and constipation. Eating more insoluble fibre can decrease the risk of having diverticulitis.
• Colon cancer. Insoluble fibre increases the rate at which waste is being removed from the body, therefore, it reduces the amount of time toxic substances stay inside the body. Insoluble fibre also helps to maintain an optimal pH (acid-alkaline) balance in the intestine, making it less likely for cancer cells to grow and prosper.

Resistant Starch is a type of fermentable insoluble fibre. It is a kind of starch that is not digested in the small intestine. Instead, it feeds the beneficial gut bacteria in the colon, just like the prebiotic soluble fibre with the same remarkable health benefits. When you eat resistant starch, it resists digestion and does not spike blood sugar or insulin.

Foods High in Resistant Starch

Cooked and cooled beans and legumes (properly soaked or sprouted), oatmeal, pasta, potato, rice, and yam (see Note 1)

Green (unripe) bananas, mangos, papayas, and plantains (see Note 2)

Hi-maize flour or Hi-maize resistant starch

Raw unmodified potato starch (not potato flour) - ideally organic or at least non-GMO

Notes:

1. By cooking and cooling these foods, the carb load is reduced by around 20-30% due to the formation of retrograde resistant starch. However, if you have trouble with blood sugar control or if you are looking to lose weight, you will still need to be very cautious with these foods as the majority of the absorbable carb is still present.
2. The unripe version of these foods have very little digestible carbohydrates. You know you are eating the resistant starch when the fruit is crispy or crunchy, and sometimes a little chalky.

Bottom Line

Dietary fiber is an essential component of a healthy diet. A high-fiber diet has many benefits: it normalizes bowel movements, maintains colon health, lowers cholesterol levels, regulates blood sugar balance, and helps in weight control.

Fiber is commonly classified as soluble, which dissolves in water, or insoluble, which does not dissolve in water. Most plant foods contain soluble as well as insoluble fiber, just in different proportions.

Both soluble and insoluble fibre can also be fermentable. Prebiotic fibre (from soluble fibre) and resistant starch (from insoluble fibre) ferment and feed the friendly bacteria in the colon. They have positive impacts on the diversity and number of beneficial intestinal bacteria in our gut. The more good bacteria we have, the harder it is for the bad bacteria to flourish. The by-products of fibre fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids like butyrate which has powerful anti-inflammatory effects that translate into protection against colon cancer, gastrointestinal disorders like constipation, diverticulitis, and IBS, and also obesity.

All dietary fibre is good for you. Ideally, you would want to get it from different sources of plant foods to reap their distinct benefits. Hopefully, this has given you more incentives to increase your daily intake of high fibrehttps://ezinearticles.com/?How-Your-Health-Benefits-From-More-Fiber&id=9956242 foods, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as beans and legumes. However, for individuals with blood sugar and weight issues, go easy on the carb-heavy fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes.

Carol Chuang is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Metabolic Typing Advisor. She has a Masters degree in Nutrition and is the founder of CC Health Counseling, LLC. Her passion in life is to stay healthy and to help others become healthy. She believes that a key ingredient to optimal health is to eat a diet that is right for one's specific body type. Eating organic or eating healthy is not enough to guarantee good health. The truth is that there is no one diet that is right for everyone. Our metabolisms are different, so should our diets. Carol specializes in Metabolic Typing, helping her clients find the right diet for their Metabolic Type. Her website is http://www.cchealthcounseling.com

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All You Need To Know About Obesity

Do you know that 'zero size' figure is a completely new phenomenon or trend that we are witnessing in the 21st century?

With the rise of social networking platforms, now every person gets the opportunity to share their pictures online for viewers to see. This has also made people more conscious about their figure or physique.

However, millions of people around the world suffer from obesity problem, which makes them look fat and unhealthy. Today, we will try to understand the basics of obesity, which may help us to fight it effectively.

What Is Obesity?

Many people often get offended when their doctors call them 'obese'. They need to understand that obesity is just a medical term used to describe your physical weight.

Obesity directly means having excess fat, so obese means a person with too much fat in his/her body. Generally, this is based on BMI (Body Mass Index), which can be calculated by using a BMI calculator. In this type of calculation, your weight and height are taken into account to find the results.

For example, if a person has his/her BMI from 25 to 29.9, then he/she is overweight, but won't be considered as obese. However, if someone has a BMI that's more 30, then he/she will be seen as an obese person.

How Your Health Is Affected By Obesity

You'll be surprised to know that obesity might be the reason behind some of your health conditions, such as,
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gallstones
• Heart disease and stroke
• High BP (blood pressure)
• Joint problems due to excess weight
• Sleep apnea
• Breathing problems

A Few Changes Can Make A Significant Difference

Fortunately you can find a way to get into shape. Also, shedding some weight can have a major effect to your wellbeing and how you feel. Even by losing a few extra kilograms, you can notice remarkable changes in your health condition and start feeling a lot healthier than before.

In the beginning, you can make a target to lose around 1 to 2 kilograms every 7-10 days. Overweight individuals should make a real effort to lose 5% to 10% of their excess weight within the first 6 months of their weight reducing campaign.

Are you prepared to change your life by reducing the excess kilograms from your body? Are you looking forward to lead a healthier life with a fitter body? If yes, then consult your doctor, gym trainer, and other experts to help and guide you to fight your obesity problem and achieve a healthy and fit body.

Have trust in yourself! Believe your instincts! Remember, with the right & positive attitude you can achieve anything and overcome any obstacle!

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Beating Obesity Into Submission

Why aren't we able to tackle the obesity problem in this country. We're not the only ones. America, Mexico, New Zealand, Hungary and Australia are equal or behind the UK in the obesity fight. Obesity and the illnesses it causes is well documented on TV and online. Why isn't the message coming through. The information is there.

Culture shifts toward fast foods has had a huge impact on our eating habits. 30 to 40 years ago, fast food was only accessible in fish and chip shops. McDonald's was only starting out in the UK then.

'Apps' like 'Hungary House' make it so easy to order food. One click of the button on your mobile, and your done. You only have to make the effort to get off the sofa and walk to the front door. Such hard work!

Eating habits are the key to healthy diets. It starts from the day you are born. What food your parents introduce to you sets up your eating habits for life. If you have a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and meat early on, you become accustomed to that. Going the other way, if you're introduced to lots of sweet high sugar foods at a young age, this becomes your norm. Sugar, of course has that added attraction for kids. The sugar rush as well the sweet taste are too hard to resist. The food markets know this and go out of their way to tempt everyone, especially kids. The sweets are always near the checkout, at a height where it right under the noses of youngsters.

What can be done?

We are creatures of habit. It's in our nature. Changing addictive habits like sugar or smoking are not easy to do. Adverts focused on the harmful effects of smoking changed people's outlook. Stark pictures of blood clotting from the end of a cigarette brought the unhealthy effects home.

This kind of advert applied to high sugar and salt intake could be powerful... but it has to be a sustained campaign. The campaign against smoking has gone on for over 20 years. The 'truth' campaign aimed at eliminating teen smoking in the United States started in 1999. The teen smoking rate was 23% back then. In 2016 the number was down to 6%.

The Government needs to invest in the anti-sugar campaign. The NHS face even more pressure dealing with patients with food related illness.

With the population's steady increase, the next 50 years could be a nightmare for healthcare. It could be avoided, but only with the will to do something about it.

Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, cancers, depression and anxiety. Severely obese individuals are three times more likely to require social care than those with normal weight. This includes hospitalisation and the associated health and social care costs.

The NHS estimated the cost of obesity for 2006/7 to be £5.1 billion. The costs account for obesity medication, increasing use of bariatric surgery and new equipment to accommodate larger people.

Education Is Key

My son is a personal trainer. He runs what are known as 'Weight Change Classes'. It's interesting what he has to say from his experience delivering these classes.

He says "We like to keep a variety of exercises to keep the interest there. One week, it will be pull ups and press ups, shoulder press and leg press exercises. The next week more cardio based with some free weights like dumb bells and kettle bells. Another week could be kettle bells and TRX in a circuit training format. It's still weight based, but you keep the intensity up, and keep the heart-rate high.

He says about diet, "I really try to educate them about how bad sugar is, and too much 'carby' foods..to much pasta, rice, chocolate sweets, fizzy drinks. The number one reason for obesity is sugar. I don't monitor and measure what they eat, but give them an understanding of what they put into their body. Whether they change their diet or not is up to them. I just plant the seed in their mind, give them the knowledge they need, so they have a choice to either follow it or not".

Do you measure their weight loss?

Yeah, we do weigh-ins regularly. Typically, the clients that do see improvements are the ones that stick to the program. I've got clients that have listened to what I've advised and they've seen good results. At the same time I've given advice to other clients, and they've found it more challenging to stick to.

How long does it take to lose weight?

Some clients lose up to 2 pounds per week. Some can even lose 4-5 pounds per week.

A basic target of 2 pounds per week over a period of 3-4 months is a huge loss. About 1¾ stones.

Do you look at their fat percentage?

Yes, very important to look at fat percentage, not just losing body weight. If you weigh 60 kilograms, you've got to ask the question, 60 kilograms of what? You can break that down into body fat, muscle mass, bone density, and water retention. We can measure all that, so you actually see all the parts that make up the whole body weight. So we focus much more on the body fat, because you might lose muscle mass. That would be unhealthy. This is why we focus on the weight training to hold on to the muscle mass.. that and encourage high protein intake to keep muscle mass.

So after say 6 months, surely your clients should be able to go out on their own without your assistance?

Sure, 6 months down the line, you would have learnt so much, experimented with different exercises, recorded the exercises, so you have them to follow. Over 6 months you would have done these exercises so many times, it would be like second nature..So after this much time you don't need to be babied any more, you know what to do, you can go out on your own, so it's kind of like a lesson for life.

So you don't encourage people to starve themselves to lose weight?

"Oh no, starving yourself is like a quick fix but is quite damaging to the body. You have to look at food like it's fuel. It's like putting wood on a fire. It's going to keep your blood fuel burning. The fire burns out, your metabolism dies down. Keep the metabolism high and you'll be burning calories all day. Look at body builders, they're constantly burning calories, but they're never hungry, but they have hardly any body fat".

To keep weight down is something that takes dedication, self-determination and self-discipline.

With a little help from informed professionals, it is very doable. It takes self drive to achieve weight loss goals. Today there is so much help from places like YouTube and online articles. You never have to feel like your on your own with weight loss. To keep healthy into old age is worth it. We are much happier. We have never been so informed about health as we are today. There should be less obesity than was 30 years ago, not more!

If you want more useful information about health, fitness and diet, visit http://www.rhcopywriting.com.

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How To Lose Weight Fast For Men Over 40 (In 6 Easy Steps)

Yoga For Seniors And More Proven To Help Many From Normal Ageing Being Frightening

You, me, my neighbour, your neighbour, and everyone that we will ever have a conversation with in our lives, will sooner or later have to deal with the negative results of ageing.

This can vary in all ages and from your physical appearance to certainly more major issues that address your health and daily living.

- A concern that many people have as they age is Alzheimer's.

One terrific method to help keep the mind more focused and exercised are things like mindfulness meditation practice, yoga, and some have told me about learning a foreign language.

Even the ever-increasing popular chair yoga for senior citizens is wonderful.

Numerous research studies have actually been conducted which show that individuals who understand more than one language have actually a postponed start of Alzheimer's.

- Any language will do so select one that you feel would be fun to learn.

The Body Doesn't want that Nicotine!

Quitting smoking is by far an essential way to secure every element of your body as you age.

Since cigarette smoking already has negative effects like reduced breath, heart disease, and even lowering your taste for good foods.

A heart doctor once told my friend Ronnie when convincing Ron to quit smoking, which he did do, that the "three top causes of heart disease" are: "Smoking, smoking, and smoking."

There you have it!

To put it simply, giving up cigarettes like right NOW, is an apparent method to slow and reduce the impacts of aging.

Aging can have numerous undesirable impacts on the body, and nobody looks forward to the obvious signs of getting old.

To have a much easier time as you age, you have to make certain that you take care of yourself now, no matter how old you are.

Always be Moving Forward in Life

Previously I discussed facing life challenges by keep pushing forward in all areas of life.

Again, pushing forward might mean to consume a well-balanced diet, and attempt not to carry around additional weight is also key to the anti-ageing tips.

Not only will that make your everyday life much easier, it will likewise expand your life.

- Start an exercise for senior's commitment with weights, or yoga perhaps for many results, and so much more to keep the mind healthy.

As you age, you start to lose your muscle density, so you have to make the most out of the muscle mass you have left.

Enter a routine of weight-lifting a couple of times a week so that you can remain strong even as you enter into your later years.

- Vitamin A is great for skin.

Not just does it avoid acne and cancer, it also assists to rid the skin of complimentary radicals that are understood to trigger wrinkles.

Products that have retinol in them have vitamin A, or you can take a vitamin A supplement daily.

A crucial tip for those starting the ageing procedure is to look for the support and relationship of others in comparable circumstances and communicate with your Creator.

The Course in Miracles states, "Whenever you are in doubt what you should do, think of His Presence in you, and tell yourself this, and only this: He leadeth me and knows the way, which I know not."

Staying Active

By getting associated with social activities and peer groups, you will be able to keep your mind sharp and develop lasting relationships that will sustain you during the regularly tough process of getting older.

Noted above are a few of the best examples of ways to handle the effects of aging.

With assiduous application of this guidance, you will begin to feel and look like a newer, more youthful you, and it's never far too late to begin, either.

Agehttps://ezinearticles.com/?Yoga-For-Seniors-And-More-Proven-To-Help-Many-From-Normal-Ageing-Being-Frightening&id=9949384ing can have lots of unwanted effects on the body and already listed above are some of the finest examples of how to deal with the impacts of aging.

Getting old is a fact of life so embrace it and don't hide from it, but indeed do make the best of it.

(I like to always suggest searching the web for more helpful material on dealing with adversity and facing challenges in life.)

To embracing the grace of age!

You can find related info on topics like, 'perhaps boost your confidence, here we uncover how to overcome adversity in life,' and so much more: http://jamesnussbaumer.com/boost-your-confidence-now-a-better-life-podcast-overcoming-adversity/

The link above gives you access to further helpful material and for folks who are interested in letting go of the past and moving on in life to attaining Real Abundance, Purpose, and Wellness in their lives.

Hi, I'm James Nussbaumer, I'd like to introduce myself through my thought provoking self-improvement and inspirational books, articles, videos, Podcast, and other content for a better life, where I reflect on the principles of A Course in Miracles. It's about being all you can be and a life of success and happiness. Thank you for visiting.

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EMOTIONAL & INSPIRING DAD BODY TRANSFORMATION | SION MONTY

Exercise Does Lower Blood Pressure!

Can you "walk off" your high blood pressure with an investment of just two hours a week? Read the results of this exciting new study...

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. If your numbers aren't at 140/90 or below, you've got it. What do you get with it? A massively increased risk of having stroke - high blood pressure is the #1 cause of that disabling condition - and heart disease.

The good news is that many studies have shown that a combination of exercise, stress reduction and a change in dietary habits can reduce that pressure as well as better than those drugs.

Now there's even better news. A ground-breaking new study offers conclusive proof that just engaging in a regular exercise programme can drop your numbers enough to pretty much make those drugs unnecessary.

Got 2 Hours a Week?

That's all it took. The researchers started out with 27 overweight, out-of-shape men with mild hypertension, weaned them off any blood-pressure medications they were taking and broke them into two groups.

One group did the real exercise: a half-hour of "fast walking," jogging and/or stationary cycling four times a week at 65 to 80 per cent of their maximum heart rate.

The men in the other group did a fake exercise. They did "slow calisthenics and stretching" for an equal amount of time, but their heart rate stayed below 60 per cent of the maximum.

Heart rate was carefully monitored in both groups of men so that the researchers could be certain the real exercisers were keeping theirs above 65 per cent and those doing the fake workout stayed below 60 per cent. (If they moved out of those ranges, an alarm sounded!) This "proof of exercise intensity" makes this study fairly unique.

And the Results?

At the end of 6 weeks, you could see a significant difference in the two groups. The men doing the real exercise had lowered their diastolic reading (the bottom one) by an average of more than 6 points.

At the end of 10 weeks, it was down almost 10 points; from an average of 94.8 to an average of 85.2. Those doing the fake workout saw their diastolic reading go up: from 93.7 to 94.4.

Systolic, the top reading, went down 6 points in the real exercisers from an average of 136.6 to 130.2. In the fake exercisers, it went up from 134.9 to 135.8.

Or, as the researchers put it, 9 out of 10 men in the real exercise group got their diastolic reading down to less than the magic 90. All of the men doing the fake exercises were 90 or higher.

As the researchers explain, previous studies about exercise's effects on blood pressure have come up with all kinds of results. But this one has several edges.

The researchers monitored the men's exercise levels like never before and insisted that they make no changes in their diet. They kept the weight and fat levels the same in both groups Why? Because some people had felt that such "confounding variables" as diet and weight loss were the cause of any drops in BP in earlier studies, and not the exercise itself.

The researchers might also be the first in medical history to include a group that did placebo exercises for comparison.

The result is powerful evidence that many men can literally "walk off" their high blood pressure with an exercise investment of two hours a week.

There are millions hits on the internet search drive for Wellness - from mental to physical health, cardiac fitness, cancer, yoga, how to overcome certain ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, stoke, and tips on weight loss and how to grow taller, with many other ideas getting honorable mention. It takes quite a bit of research to find any one site that has so much to offer on all these fronts, let alone one that can combine all the needs for your innermost wellness - joy, bliss and beyond. For wellness' sake you can stop looking out there, and take some time for yourself, a sort of one-stop-shop: Balanced Lifestyle Wikipedia.

Also, stay informed about genuine reviews of the trendy products like Lean Belly Breakthrough, Grow Taller 4 Idiots, bioptimizers masszymes and many more to nourish and transform your everyday self.

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Did You Know You Already Have A Six Pack?

Did you know you already have a six pack?

You already have a six pack.. You just can't see it!

Your abs are a group of muscles called the rectus abdominus, which are the six muscles that cover the stomach.

Apparently, we're all born with a six pack and it already exists. Believe it or not, you have a flat stomach right now. It's just that you can't see it because it's covered and concealed under the few or many layers of fat on your body. If you really want to see the lean stomach and expose those deep cuts, you've got to burn off the fat sitting on top of it.

Now you might think that 1,000 crunches a day is the key to burning that fat off. Well, it's NOT! There's NO such thing as spot reduction! You can't crunch off the fat covering your abs. So while crunches will certainly train your abs muscles, they will do nothing to the fat sitting on top of those muscles.

The question now is... just how you burn that fat and how to uncover your six pack?

Are you ready for this? Here it goes:

By Lowering your body fat percentage!

Voila! This is all to it. Simply losing some body fat is the super secret key.

And how do you burn body fat?

You create a caloric deficit by eating less calories and burning more calories. This is the only way to strip the fat from your abs by gradually burning it off from your entire body through cardio, diet, and weight-training.

The human body gains and loses fat in a pattern that is predetermined by our genetics and can't be changed. And it is commonly seen that the fat covering the abs is usually the last to go and the first to come back, which makes getting/keeping abs all the more difficult.

Therefore stay persistent with creating a calorie deficit through a clean diet, resistance training, and cardio regimen and lower your body fat percentage. Once you are lean enough you will see your abs pop out. Directly training the abs a little will make them stronger, better developed and add more definition to the ab muscles (just like what happens to every other muscle group when you train it).

Abs require a lifestyle shift and immense discipline - it's definitely not a quick fix.

Actually speaking, instead of saying we want to get a six pack, we should say we want to uncover a six pack. Because really, that's what needs to happen!

This Article By Written By:
Rashmi Jolly
Online Fitness Coach & Founder of Body Redesign
Website: www.body-redesign.com

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