Thursday, 29 April 2021

Three Keys to Opromize Metabolism: Stress, Sleep And Diet

Metabolism accounts not only for weight loss and weight gain, but also for immune system function, energy levels, mood and emotional health, hormonal balance, skin quality, body shape, elimination... In fact, every function you can think of in the body, physiological or mental, can be related to some metabolic process. Thus, conditions like diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, chronic inflammation, depression, and even epilepsy - all of those (and many more!) can be linked to an underlying metabolic issue.

In truth, we metabolize much more than what we eat and drink. We metabolize our own hormones and the waste created as byproduct from physiological processes (including metabolism itself). And of course, we metabolize thoughts and emotions (some of which are often highly toxic) much the same way we metabolize food and drinks.

On the face of it, metabolism turns out to be at the core of our physical, mental and emotional health. Therefore, to optimize health, we must optimize metabolism. Importantly, there are three equally important factors to look at in order to improve metabolism: stress, sleep and diet.

Stress creates free radicals, i.e. more waste to be metabolized. The other problem with stress is that it turns on the fight-flight mechanism which leads to shutting down the healthy metabolic pathways. As a result, blood sugar and insulin levels go up making us store more fat (and fat cells, in turn, hold on to more physical and emotional toxins). Therefore, de-stressing practices such as meditation, physical exercise and some form of therapy are crucial to maintaining optimal metabolic health.

Lack of sleep also raises blood sugar and insulin levels and prevents the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in. Thus, instead of the parasympathetic rest-digest-metabolize-repair mode, we stay in fight-flight which, as already explained, leads to fat and toxin storage. To avoid that, make sure you are asleep by 11pm at the latest, and get at least 8 hours of sleep.

Last but not least - diet. Now, there is a way to eat to increase metabolic heath, and there is a way to eat to destroy it. If you want to help your metabolism, you need to stay away from: sugar (especially fructose which is highly fattening and inflammatory), flour and starch, poly-unsaturated fats (especially seed oils), and alcohol and cigarettes. You also need to stay away from snacking: limiting your food intake to two or three meals a day will raise your metabolism and help you burn your own fat and toxins; constant grazing, on the other hand, will do the opposite. Lastly, don't eat after 7pm for everything you put into your mouth after that time gets stored as visceral fat around organs (the worst fat of all).

In conclusion, eat right, love and pray, and sleep, and you will feel and look beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside.

Vyara Bridgeman is an Advanced Certified BodyTalk practitioner who works with patients from all over the world suffering a variety of physical, mental and emotional conditions. To find out more about Vyara's BodyTalk practice, what her clients say about her, and how she can help you achieve a balanced body-mind, visit: http://www.BodyTalk4Life.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Vyara_Bridgeman/978988



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Tuesday, 27 April 2021

Lose Weight Quickly, and Successfully

 Whether you are a few pounds overweight or would like to drop a few sizes, you do want quick results. After all, you are going on a diet which means that you have to change your eating habits, perhaps drastically. And without results you will not have the incentive to go on.

Why do you need to lose weight?

It is essential to lose weight not only to look more attractive and get rid of unsightly bulges, but more importantly for health. That is because obesity has a major role to play in
• Reduced mobility
• Sleep disturbances
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Depression
• Hypertension
• Joint disorders
• Cancer
• Breathing problems

All or any of these can further fuel the weight gain, making losing weight an even more uphill task.

How to lose weight fast?

When you are embarking on a weight loss diet or plan, you need to have goals set out and these should be achievable goals. If you wonder how to lose 10 pounds and you have a time frame for it, then it becomes a goal that you set for yourself and can have the joy of achievement once you have reached the figure.

The first thing you have to do is to make an eating plan or follow a diet. The plan that you follow should be one that suits you and takes into account your eating habits, your daily routine, your work and other variables that are unique to you.

When you have a plan or diet set out, it becomes easier to follow and leaves less room for errors. Popular diets include:
Paleo Diet - When you follow the Paleo diet you eat more whole grains and unprocessed foods, more fruits and vegetables and more of lean meats. This was the diet followed by the hunter- gatherers at a time when food was natural. Since you eat healthy and natural foods with unrefined and natural fats, you will lose weight without counting calories.
Mediterranean Diet - Unlike the Paleo diet, this does not restrict dairy or legumes. You can eat more fruits and vegetables, lean proteins like fish, olive oil, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and unprocessed grains along with wine. As this diet encompasses a wide variety of foods, it may be easier to follow.
Whole30 - A 30 day plan, this aims to reset your system. The diet is highly restrictive because it cuts out dairy, legumes and beans including soy and its derivatives, sugar and sugar substitutes. There is a wide range of prohibited food items in this diet and so you are bound to lose weight.
Raw food Diet - Since you eat only raw foods on this diet, it is relatively simple to follow as no cooking is involved. However, it does involve juicing, blending and even sprouting as an alternative to cooking.

What about exercising for losing weight?

Many people think that exercising is not effective for weight loss. You can be sweating for hours without any appreciable results. That is because many activities do not actually burn a lot of calories. To give you an example running or swimming for an hour will burn between 300-400 calories.

However, exercise does have an important role to play in weight loss. For one thing, even smaller numbers calories burnt do add up, so just by swimming an hour a day, you could lose a pound in 10 days. Exercise also helps in building muscle and keeping you fit, so you are healthier.

More significantly, exercise boosts your metabolism. When your metabolism is stoked, you burn calories faster for up to 24 hours after exercise. Of course this means regular and sustained exercise for the results to show.

When exercise is combined with a weight loss diet, you will get the best results as you will burn fat and reduce weight. With the right kind of exercise, whether rumba, dancing, strength training, crunches or whatever, you can achieve the kind of figure you want. You can improve muscle tone, get rid of unattractive bulges, get a flatter belly and a more toned butt.

How important is sleep for losing weight?

Getting enough sleep is very important in losing weight. What is the connection between weight loss and sleep? The fact is that if you don't wake up feeling fresh and fine, if you are groggy, you will find it difficult to get going. You may feel lethargic and tired and then not exercise.

At the same time, when you are fatigued, you are more likely to reach for high fact, high sugar and high calorie foods because of the comfort factor. If you cannot follow your diet or exercise plain, your metabolism slows down and you can actually end up putting on more weight.

What you should not do to lose weight?

You may follow a strict diet in an effort to lose weight fast, but it is important to keep some facts in mind.

You should certainly not be fasting to lose weight. While fasting gives quick results it has a rebound effect. As your body does not get the required food to maintain itself, it slows down the metabolism to conserve calorie burning. This results in your actually gaining weight when you start eating, even if you eat smaller amounts of food.

Even when you restrict your meal intake in an effort to lose weight, it is important that you should eat very little or no salt and sugar. You should also limit your starch intake, whether this is in the form of grain start or high carbohydrates foods. You should be eating the right kinds of food that have more nutritional value but fewer calories.

So then how do you actually succeed in losing weight?

You should have the determination to stick to your goals, follow the kind of diet that is right for your lifestyle and eating habits, while eating healthy foods. You should also get in the correct amount of physical activity and sleep that will help you lose weight and maintain fitness. Once you have lost the desired amount of weight, it is best to stick to your diet with some modifications so that you maintain your weight loss. There is no shortcut to lose weight - it comes off surely and certainly if you follow a diet and fitness regime.

Smiti Munwani has been writing for a very long time. She is a journalist, book author, content writer and dietitian. She has had two books published, The Snack-Time Cookbook and Count Your Calories to Slim and Stay Slim. She also has two books ready to be published, one on party menus and another on cooking for a healthy heart. She can be contacted via email: smitimunwani@gmail.com if anybody is interested in re-publishing the books (she has the copyright) or requires any articles. She has written extensively for the print media and done web content writing.

A versatile writer, Smiti writes on a wide range of topics - please contact her via email for web content work. She writes on health, medical, alternative remedies, family, relationships, diet, business, travel, beauty and other topics of general interest or niche interests.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Smiti_Munwani/248997



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Thursday, 22 April 2021

Can Ancient Wisdom Help You Lose Weight?

 The weight loss industry is a billion dollar business. People want to look and feel slim, fit and young. They crave seemingly instantaneous results. Again and again, many dieters experience a roller coaster trend of losing weight, gaining it all back, plus a few extra pounds. In frustration, they search for the next best diet.

Is there a simpler solution?

Have you ever heard of Maimonides? He is known also by his name Moses ben Maimon (1135-1204). He wrote prolifically on theology, law, philosophy, medicine, astronomy and mathematics.

"If you follow the ways we have set forth, I will guarantee that you will not get sick throughout your life... Your body will be in perfect shape and remain healthy all your life."-Maimonide

This is rather a bold statement. Is there any truth to it?

Here is a short overview of what is written in The 5 Skinny Habits¹.

1. Listen to your body: An experiment with 3 year-olds showed that they stopped eating when they were full. A 5-year-old group kept eating even after they felted satiated. The premise is that as children we learn to "clean" our plates.

2. There are two primary principles:
• Don't over eat
• Exercise at the right pace

3. Changing your habits all at once results in illness-Maimonides

4. The book recommends making one habit change per week. For example on week one you eat a light meal. It can either be fruit, vegetables or two eggs and 1 slice of bread. You can have different kinds of fruit and combine them. If you decide to have vegetables for your light meal you may choose to make soup or salad.

5. Week two you make one meal a protein and veggie meal while maintaining a light meal, in week one.

6. Week three you add a protein + veggie + a carbohydrate at one meal. If you are still hungry then you have a second helping of veggies. You continue what you have done in the first two weeks.

7. Week four is when you add exercise. The goal is ten minutes of exercise at least three times a week. If you already have an exercise program then you continue with what you are doing. For those of us who don't exercise then ten minutes three times a week is a good starting point.

8. Week five is substitution method. I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to look into this further.

Bibliography:

1. The 5 Skinny Habits, How Ancient Wisdom Can Help You Lose Weight and Change Your Life FOREVER by David Zulberg, © 2014 by Skinny Habits, LLC, ISBN-13::978-1-62336-372-7 hardcover

Kathleen Boucher, Certified lifestyle coach, Certified neuro-coach, Certified Stress & Wellness Consultant, http://www.kbouchercoaching.com, Life is busy. We all want to be the best we can be, healthy, fit and energized! Great information should be shared. Enjoy!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kathleen_Boucher/1932365



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