simple-diet-changes

Tips to kick-start your weight loss.

Quite simply, to lose weight and improve your condition, you have to eat less, eat more often, and eat better.
Here are some simple steps to take:

1. Plan your meals.
It's the best way we know of to stick to healthy eating goals. Use the weekly meal planners in the personal planner, and give preference to chicken, fish, and bean-based dishes.

2. Eat more often.
The best approach for diabetes is to eat three moderate-sized meals (including breakfast!) and two healthy snacks a day.

3. Eat five servings of vegetables a day.
By eating more vegetables, you'll automatically eat more fiber and less fat. And vegetables are full of disease-fighting compounds. One serving is 1/2 cup canned or cooked vegetables or 1 cup raw vegetables.

4. Eat four servings of fruit a day.
A serving of fruit is one piece of whole fruit, 1/2 cup cooked or canned fruit, or 1 cup raw fruit. Have fruit with breakfast and as snacks.

5. Switch to whole grains. Whole grains such as whole wheat bread and brown rice contain fiber, which blunts the rise of blood sugar. Aim for 3-6 servings a day. A serving is 1 slice whole wheat bread or 1/2 cup brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

6. Calcium-rich foods. They facilitate weight loss. Aim to get 2-3 servings a day of low-fat calcium foods such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. A serving is 1 cup milk or yogurt or 1 1/2 ounces nonprocessed cheese.

7. Eat beans 3-5 times a week.
Beans are loaded with fiber, especially soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol.

8. Focus on "good fats."
While saturated fats (the kind found in red meat, butter, and ice cream) contribute to insulin resistance, "good" fats help stabilize your blood sugar. Favor fish over red meat and olive or canola oil over butter.

9. Watch your portion sizes.
Keep in mind that a main-dish serving of meat is only the size of a deck of cards, and pasta and cereal should be kept to less than 1 cup.

Ref: ChangeOne.com

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Six Symptoms Not to Ignore

Contact your doctor if you experience these symptoms.

1. Persistent Headaches

Everybody gets headaches now and then. If you've had the same pattern of headaches for years, chances are that it's going to continue that way for years more. But if your headaches are so severe that you miss work or social gatherings, or if over-the-counter painkillers don't help, see your doctor. There are new treatments now that work well, even for disabling migraines.

If you have an unfamiliar type of headache that's persisted for three days or longer and is associated with vomiting or visual changes, it could indicate an abnormality in or near the brain, such as a blood clot. If you have an unremitting headache on only one side of your head, near the temple or above the ear, it may be a condition called temporal arteritis. It can be cured it with cortisone or steroids, but, left untreated, it can lead to blindness. The most important thing to remember: Any new or extremely painful headache should prompt you to call your doctor.

2. Chest Pain
Colds and respiratory infections often result in inflammation of the cartilage next to the ribs, which can cause chest pain. Pneumonia or pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the lungs, can also lead to chest or rib pain. So if your chest hurts, don't panic, but do look into it.

Chest pain can indicate something as simple as a gas bubble in the stomach, or it could be a hearattack. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between the two. When a nerve near the heart (called the vagus nerve) becomes irritated because of a heart attack, it can cause stomach symptoms. If the pain goes away with an antacid, it's less likely to be related to the heart. Most times, it's probably not a heart attack, but if dull, pressure-like chest pain comes on for no reason, call an ambulance and get to an emergency room.

Why an ambulance rather than your neighbor? For two reasons: Many ambulances now come equipped with sophisticated monitoring equipment, and emergency personnel are trained to administer necessary medication at a time when every minute counts. A number of doctors also recommend that you take an aspirin to protect your heart from a blood clot while the ambulance is on its way.

3. Abdominal Pain

All of us suffer abdominal pains occasionally, and their causes are many. In fact, there are entire medical textbooks on how to evaluate this particular type of pain. In most cases, it's something that can be easily cured. Abdominal pain that occurs before meals and is relieved by food can indicate an ulcer. Treatment is generally simple, so why suffer? If the pain occurs when you eat, it might mean gastritis (an inflamed stomach), or a problem with the gallbladder or pancreas. The pain related to each of these conditions has somewhat different characteristics, so your doctor will probably ask such questions as where does the pain radiate, what eases it, what makes it feel worse, and whether the pain comes on when you lie down.
More serious causes of abdominal pain can include problems with blood vessels that nourish the intestines or with the aorta (the artery that distributes oxygen-containing blood from the heart to other parts of the body), gallstones, obstruction of the intestine, an infection, or cancer. Whatever the possible cause, have the pain checked out.

4. Bruising and Bleeding

If you bump into something and get a bruise, it generally turns blue-purple over a day or two and then slowly fades to yellow over the course of another four or five days. That's normal and is nothing to be concerned about. In addition, many of us develop mysterious bruises from time to time and don't remember bumping into anything. But if you develop spontaneous recurrent bruises in places that aren't prone to being bumped, it could signify a disorder of blood clotting. It could also be because you're taking medications that predispose you to bruising, such as warfarin, which is a blood thinner, or aspirin.
If you cut yourself or brush your teeth too vigorously, you'll start to bleed. Put an antiseptic on the cut or ease the pressure on your toothbrush and you'll be fine. However, if you notice any rectal bleeding, any vaginal bleeding after menopause, any blood in your urine, or any blood when you vomit or cough, make an appointment with your doctor to find out the cause. It might be a simple problem, or it might possibly be serious.

5. Breathing Problems
If you have a cold, sinus problem, or allergies that cause nasal congestion, you may find it difficult to breathe. A cold will generally clear up on its own in a week, and you'll be back to normal in short order. But if a sinus problem or allergies continue to distress you, call your doctor for an appointment. A simple medication will often do the trick, and you'll be smelling the roses soon.

People who are out of shape certainly find strenuous activity more difficult than those who exercise regularly, so difficulty breathing on exertion can be a sign that it's time to start exercising. But it could also raise a red flag that indicates lung problems, heart problems, asthma, or even anemia. Also, if you become short of breath when you're lying down and have to prop yourself up on two or three pillows to sleep comfortably, it might signal heart failure. Call your doctor.

6. Sadness
I don't know a single person who hasn't felt blue or sad from time to time. These feelings are a normal component of human emotion and deserve attention and recognition, but not necessarily medical intervention. So if you're blue because a friend moved away or someone close to you is ill, that's unfortunate - but it's not a reason to call your doctor.
If you feel sad or irritable most of the day for at least two weeks, however, and you take less interest in activities that once gave you pleasure, then it's time to seek help. You could be suffering from depression, which is a painful and disabling problem. Other signs of depression include crying spells for no apparent reason, unexplained aches and pains that won't go away, difficulty in making decisions, an inability to concentrate, and a feeling that the future looks grim. Many people believe that persistent feelings of hopelessness are part of aging. That's not true. So by all means talk to your doctor. Fortunately, depression is treatable. Nobody should have to suffer from it, and nobody should have to live with it.

Ref: ChangeOne.com

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How do Alcohol & Muscles get along?

It’s a Friday today. Like every Friday I can hear my colleagues,neighbours and friends planning for a “get along with a beer party.” You may have wondered how detrimental your drinking habits really are on your muscle-building progress. Is it really that harmful to go out with the guys and have a few beers after work on a Friday? If you’re trying to get lean, does this mean you should forgo all alcohol for the next month or two? Or, if you are really diligent with the rest of your diet, can you indulge on the weekend with a few cold ones? Well these thoughts have clouded my mind ever since I have seen this Friday night boozing culture flourish like grass does every rainy season.

In a ‘lean’ world where everyone is busy cutting down extra calories and making endless efforts to loose a few pounds,many guys would rather have a few drinks on the weekend than cheat with food that’s not a part of their diet plan. While some struggle to cut out foods, for others, cutting out drinking is the real challenge.

So, what’s the answer to the correlation between alcohol and muscles? How does alcohol affect the muscle-building process?

By understanding what happens when you drink, you can make your own judgment calls as to whether or not alcohol should be included in your workout and muscle-building plan.

Alcohol and growth hormones

One major issue with the consumption of alcohol has to do with its effects on the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the substance in the body that plays a very large role when it comes to building muscle, stimulating other cell growth and development, and promoting optimal bone growth. When this hormone is low, you aren’t going to get the same amount of muscle development as you would when it’s at an optimal level.

Growth hormone is predominately secreted during the early sleeping hours of the night and because alcohol tends to disrupt the natural sleep rhythms that occur, it will decrease the amount of growth hormone released. This decrease can be up to as much as 70%, so it will really short-circuit the progress you are able to make.

Alcohol and testosterone

The next factor to consider is alcohol’s effect on testosterone. As you likely know, testosterone is another huge hormone associated with muscle growth and is the reason why men carry a great deal more muscle mass than women (since men have more testosterone flowing through their bodies).

When you consume alcohol, however, a substance is produced in the liver that is toxic to the release of testosterone. This substance decreases the concentration of testosterone in the body, resulting in lower muscle mass and definition.

Alcohol and recovery

Another area that alcohol affects when it comes to muscle building is your ability to recover. Since alcohol is a toxin to the body, energy is going to have to be expended in order to remove it from the system and to recover from any negative effects it has had on the tissues.

Since this takes time and energy reserves, you won't have as much energy in store to recover from your workouts, therefore you will not be as fresh when you return for your next gym session.

Alcohol and muscles don't usually get along, so consume with care...

Alcohol and dehydration

Dehydration is another issue you have to watch out for if you choose to drink alcohol while trying to build muscle and work out. Since alcohol acts as a diuretic in the body, unless you are sure to replace the extra fluid with water or another non-alcoholic beverage that doesn’t contain caffeine, your natural water balance will be disrupted.

Dehydration has a number of negative effects on the body, from inducing feelings of fatigue to causing low physical performance, making you feel hungrier (which is especially problematic while dieting), and disrupting the ability of the muscle cells to produce ATP -- which is your primary source of muscular energy.

Alcohol and glycogen synthesis

Aside from ATP, the next source for muscular work is stored muscle glycogen. Unfortunately, though, when you consume alcoholic beverages, alcohol synthesis will take precedence over glycogen synthesis, resulting in decreased stores in the muscle cells.
When you go to do your next workout, your body will have less energy to run on, causing fatigue to set in early.

When your workouts are ended prematurely , you won’t derive as many benefits in terms of increases in strength since the necessary overloading stimulus (which is partly defined through volume of weights lifted) will not be increased.

Alcohol and aerobic ability

If you aren’t as concerned with your strength levels and figure this means alcohol is a safe bet for you, you may want to think again. Even when it comes to aerobic activities, alcohol affects performance.

In this scenario, alcohol can cause an increase in blood pressure throughout the body and a corresponding increase in heart rate.


Since your heart will already be working at an increased rate during aerobic activities, the additional stress from the alcohol will only amplify the heart rate and make the exercise feel harder than it should.  

Alcohol and body fat

Finally, the last issue surrounding alcohol consumption is that it contains calories, and these do add up quickly. Typically, you’ll likely find yourself drinking beer, wine or hard liquors, which do contain fewer calories than the fancier, sweeter-tasting cocktails that women often drink, so at least that's an advantage.


Still, at seven calories per gram, after three or four drinks, these calories would equal a good-sized meal. Unless you are going to cut down on food intake in order to make room for these calories (which is rare, as usually you’ll actually find yourself snacking on high-calorie items such as nuts, pizza, wings or nachos), fat gain will result.

Booze Builds Bellies

So, next time you’re contemplating whether or not you should have that drink, keep these factors in mind. Definitely, alcohol and muscle building are not a good pair, as stated by all these points, but if you aren’t training for any major athletic event or getting ready to step on stage for a bodybuilding competition, chances are that you can afford yourself one or two drinks once in a while without having to worry too much.


Just keep moderation in mind and try your best to consume extra water with the alcohol, eat more vegetables during the rest of the day (to increase nutrient content of the diet while decreasing calories), and allow for a little extra sleep time if you can after you’ve had a few drinks.

Ref: http://www.askmen.com/

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What you should know about Smoking and Oral Health?

Besides the link between tobacco and heart disease, stroke, emphysema and cancer (especially, lung and throat cancers), smoking leads to the following oral health consequences:

• Bad breath
• Tooth discoloration 
• Inflammation of the salivary gland openings on the roof of the mouth
• Increased build up of plaque and tartar on the teeth
• Increased loss of bone within the jaw
• Increased risk of leukoplakia
• Increased risk of developing gum disease, a leading cause of tooth loss
• Delayed healing process following tooth extraction, periodontal treatment or oral surgery
• Lower success rate of dental implant procedures
• Increased risk of developing oral cancer

How Does Smoking Lead to Gum Disease?

Tobacco products damage your gum tissue by affecting the attachment of bone and soft tissue to your teeth. More specifically, it appears that smoking interferes with the normal function of gum tissue cells. This interference makes smokers more susceptible to infections, such as periodontal disease, and also seems to impair blood flow to the gums — which may affect wound healing.

Do Pipe and Cigar Smokers Experience Fewer Oral Health Risks Than Cigarette Smokers?

No. According to results of a 23-year long study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, cigar smokers experience tooth loss and alveolar bone loss (bone loss within the jawbone that anchors teeth) at rates equivalent to those of cigarette smokers. Pipe smokers also have a similar risk of experiencing tooth loss as cigarette smokers. Beyond these risks, pipe and cigar smokers are still at risk for oral and pharyngeal (throat) cancers – even if you don't inhale – as well as face the other oral health downsides of smoking – bad breath, stained teeth, and increased risk of periodontal (gum) disease.

Are Smokeless Tobacco Products Safer?

No. Like cigars and cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products (for example, snuff and chewing tobacco) contain at least 28 chemicals that have been shown to increase the risk of oral cancer and cancer of the throat and esophagus. In fact, chewing tobacco contains higher levels of nicotine than cigarettes, making it harder to quit than cigarettes. And one can of snuff delivers more nicotine than over 60 cigarettes.

Smokeless tobacco can irritate your gum tissue, causing it to recede or pull away from your teeth. Once the gum tissue recedes, your teeth roots become exposed, creating an increased risk of tooth decay. Exposed roots are also more sensitive to hot and cold or other irritants, making eating and drinking uncomfortable.

In addition, sugars, which are often added to enhance the flavor of smokeless tobacco, can increase your risk for tooth decay.Chewing tobacco users were four times more likely than nonusers to develop tooth decay.

Smokeless tobacco also typically contains sand and grit, which can wear down your teeth. Finally, use of smokeless tobacco products increases the risk of cancers of the cheek, gingival (gums) and inner surface of the lips by about 50 times compared with nonsmokers.

Kick the Habit

Regardless of how long you have used tobacco products, quitting now can greatly reduce serious risks to your health. Eleven years after quitting, former smokers' likelihood of having periodontal (gum) disease was not significantly different from people who never smoked.

Even reducing the amount you smoke appears to help. One study found that smokers who reduced their smoking habit to less than half a pack a day had only three times the risk of developing periodontal disease compared with nonsmokers, which was significantly lower than the six times higher risk seen in those who smoked more than a pack and a half per day. Another study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that the mouth lesion leukoplakia completely resolved within 6 weeks of quitting in 97.5% of patients with these lesions who used smokeless tobacco products.

Some statistics from the American Cancer Society present some other sobering reasons to quit smoking. They state that:

• About 90% of people with cancer of the mouth, lips, tongue and throat use tobacco, and the risk of developing these cancers increases with the amount smoked or chewed and the duration of the habit. Smokers are six times more likely than nonsmokers to develop these cancers.



• About 37% of patients who persist in smoking after apparent cure of their cancer will develop second cancers of the mouth, lips, tongue and throat compared with only 6% of those who stop smoking.

How Can I Quit?

Your dentist or doctor may be able to help you calm nicotine cravings with medications, such as nicotine gum and patches. Some of these products can be purchased over-the-counter; others require a prescription. Other medications (such as Zyban) require a prescription.

Smoking cessation classes and support groups are often used in tandem with drug therapy. These programs are offered through local hospitals in your community and sometimes through your employer or health insurance company. Ask your doctor or dentist for information on similar programs they may be familiar with.

Herbal remedies as well as hypnosis and acupuncture are other treatments that may help you kick the habit.

 

Ref: WebMd.com

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Overlooked Fat Loss Factors

We're often told that losing weight is a simple mathematical equation of calories in, calorie out. Burn more calories than you eat and you’ll lose fat. However, is it really that simple? The truth is that the actual “number” of calories you consume is not the only factor that affects your fat-loss efforts. In this article, we’ll discuss five other things that should be considered when determining the effect of your diet on your waistline, primarily overlooked fat loss factors. Incorporate this knowledge into your workout and nutrition routines and soon you'll be ripped like Ryan Reynolds -- and attracting the Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian of the gym for it

1- The thermic effect of the food you eat

The thermic effect of food (TEF) measures the amount of energy that is required to support the processes of digesting, absorbing and assimilating food nutrients as well as the energy expended as a result of the central nervous system's stimulatory effect on metabolism when food is ingested. Of the three macronutrients, protein carries the highest thermic effect. Eat more protein; burn more calories.

2- The fiber content of the food you eat

Due to its chemical makeup, fiber is classified as a carbohydrate; however, it is unlike other carbohydrates in that it is an indigestible nutrient. Even though each gram of fiber contains four calories, these calories will remain undigested and will not be absorbed. Therefore, if you were to consume 300 calories of red beans (a food in which nearly 1/3 of the caloric content is from fiber), approximately 100 of these calories would pass through your intestinal tract undigested.

3- The glycemic and insulin indices of the food you eat

The glycemic and insulin indices are scaled numbers that refer to how quickly a particular carbohydrate source enters the bloodstream as sugar and how much insulin is needed to rid that sugar from the bloodstream, respectively. Generally speaking, there is a positive relationship between the two; the quicker sugar enters the bloodstream, the more insulin is needed to rid that sugar from the bloodstream. When high levels of insulin are present within the blood, fat burning is brought to a screeching halt, which is anything but desirable for those whose goal it is to obtain a lean, muscular physique. Don't let this be an overlooked fat loss factor.

4- The different macronutrients present in the food you eat

Although insulin's primary function is to shuttle glucose (sugar) into skeletal muscle, it also carries many other nutrients to their respective storage sites -- this includes lipids (fat). Since carbohydrate ingestion stimulates a large insulin response and fat ingestion gives rise to blood lipid levels, when the two are consumed together, they promote the greatest fat storage.

5- The size, frequency and time of the meals you eat

Large, infrequent meals tend to promote storage of the ingested nutrients, as the body is unsure as to when the next feeding will take place. Conversely, consuming smaller, more frequent meals will result in an increase in metabolism and utilization of the ingested nutrients. Also, ingesting a large amount of carbohydrates before bed spikes insulin, deters nocturnal thermogenesis and increases fat storage during sleep. On the contrary, consuming a great deal of calories early in the day does not bring about this problem; rather, these calories are likely to be used as energy to support daily activities.

Ref: AskMen.com

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Improve your attention span

Why You Focus

It's no accident that you concentrate best when you're really engaging in something, like watching a good movie, or doing something challenging, like learning a new card game. Concentration occurs when the brain's prefrontal cortex, which controls high-level cognitive tasks, is awash with the right cocktail of neurotransmitters, hormones, and other body chemicals, particularly the "pleasure chemical" dopamine (you get a jolt of this when you eat delicious food, have sex, or encounter something new and exciting).

All of us can feel distracted when we're at the mercy of internal factors, like fatigue, anger and stress.

When dopamine levels rise, you subconsciously want more of the good feeling it gives you, so you're driven to concentrate on whatever you're doing to keep getting it. But when your attention starts to falter, your dopamine levels drop and you start looking for a new, pleasurable distraction to replace that dopamine hit.

Need one now? This mental exercise improves focus by challenging your brainpower. Take a piece of paper and two pens and sit at a table. Draw a circle with one hand and, at the same time, draw two squares with the other while tracing a circle on the floor with one foot. Not so easy, but are you feeling more focused?

Why You Lose Focus

It's not only online shopping that keeps you from getting your bills paid. All of us can feel distracted when we're at the mercy of internal factors, like fatigue, stress and anger, and external factors, like television and e-mail. Here are the most common attention zappers. Identify yours and learn how to regain your focus.

1. Lack of Sleep

When you're tired, you're deprived of oxygen, which is necessary for the production of chemicals, such as dopamine and adrenaline, in the prefrontal cortex. Even one night of tossing and turning can give you symptoms that resemble ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), such as forgetfulness and difficulty maintaining concentration.

How to Regain Your Focus

• Get a good night's sleep. A good night's sleep is like pushing the reset button in your brain. You should try to get the amount of sleep required for you to wake up without an alarm.

• Have a snack. If you're running on fumes and about to head into a marathon meeting, drink a glass of water and eat a snack with a balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein, like an apple and a piece of cheese. This hydrates you and keeps your blood sugar levels even, both of which aid focus," he says. And try to skip the double espresso.But if you overdo it, you'll get the jitters, diminishing your concentration.

2. Stress and Anger

When you're tense, you get a rush of brain chemicals, like norepinephrine and cortisol, that cause you to hyperfocus.Thousands of years ago, this was a survival aid -- your anxiety-induced focus helped you steer clear of potential predators. But today -- when stress might feel life-threatening but usually isn't -- this only means that you have a harder time focusing on work when your mind is on your visiting in-laws or a speech you have to give. Anger has the same effect. When you're irritated by something, your stress hormones rise and your concentration levels decrease.

How to Regain Your Focus

• Start moving. A quick burst of aerobic exercise relieves stress and improves concentration by flooding the brain with oxygen and activating brain chemicals such as dopamine.

• Recent studies have shown that people who engage in aerobic exercise -- anything from ice-skating to taking a brisk walk -- at least two days a week -- have better concentration levels than do non exercisers. If you've been stuck at your desk all day and a quick walk around the block isn't an option, just stand up. This simple act tells your brain it's time to be awake and act alert,.
  

•Think happy thoughts. Thinking of things that promote warmth, connection, and happiness reduces the hormones associated with stress, fear, and anger that can impede concentration.

Ref: CNN.com

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