How to prevent Back pain

.

Today, in this fast life, we hardly find time for keeping our health in good shape. Many don't have time in this busy life and many don't care. The normal tendency is to say, I don't have any health issues so far,  why worry unnecessarily then? If and when it happens, it can be seen.

But, sometimes, it is very late or too late to correct things when it comes to ill health.

Back problem has become a serious issue for many from all over the world mainly
because of poor or bad lifestyles.Only if we adopt healthy lifestyle, we can avoid living
in pain continuously and live a healthy and happy life.
 

Wearing belts for neck or back is one essential thing for relief from pain but the worst is,
taking strong pain killers to get relief from acute pain. These pain killers not only increase acidity

but also have their side effects on the health. 

 

I thought, I must share this video which is produced for educational purpose by the
leading US health authority for people to know why it happens, how it happens and how best it can be prevented.

I am sure, if you watch this slide show  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/howtopreventbackpain/htm/video.htm  created by the health experts, it will help you understand how best you can take care of it. The more you know about it , better you are prepared to deal with it.

Hope this information has helped you in understanding back pain, why it happens and how it can best be prevented. If this information you find useful, feel free to share it with your friends and family so that enough awareness is created about healthy living.

Stay Healthy and Happy forever.

Ajay Angre

Editor-in-Chief 

Heart Attack: Ten Things Everyone Should Know

Heart Attack: Ten Things Everyone Should Know -
By: L. Woods

Heart disease is the leading cause of death all over the world. 

What is a heart attack? Know it well.

Heart attacks happen when a blockage in the heart's arteries reduces or cuts off the blood and oxygen supply to the heart, damaging the heart muscle within minutes. Because heart attacks are so common and the damage is often fatal or irreversible, it's vital that everyone know the symptoms and how to react quickly.

1) Chest pain is commonly associated with a heart attack, and it is the most frequently reported symptom. But it may not be severe or "stabbing". Chest pain often feels more like pressure, tightness or discomfort, which may start slowly and build. The pain is often accompanied by shortness of breath.

2) It's not unusual for a heart attack to cause pain in other areas of the upper body instead of the chest. The pain may radiate down one or both arms, and be accompanied by a tingling sensation in the wrist or hand. Or it may be felt in the back, shoulders, neck, jaw or even the stomach.

3) Other symptoms of heart attack include unexplained indigestion, nausea, vomiting, weakness, light-headedness, breathlessness, palpitations and breaking out into a cold sweat. These may or may not be accompanied by chest pain or discomfort.

4) Many heart attack victims report feeling anxiety and/or a sense of impending doom.

5) Denial is common in people having a heart attack, especially if they are unfamiliar with the symptoms or the symptoms are mild. Many people having a heart attack minimize the situation and don't want to go to the hospital or to call 911. Take charge and seek medical help if symptoms persist for more than five minutes – don't wait for the possible victim to agree.

6) It's not uncommon to have a heart attack and not know it. The Framington Heart Study followed 4000 men for 40 years, and found that one-quarter of their subjects had a heart attack that went unnoticed until they underwent an annual EKG.

Getting treatment within the first hour is crucial.  

Death and permanent heart damage can often be avoided if heart attack victims are treated within the first hour after the start of symptoms.

8) Nearly half of all heart attacks occur in people under the age of 65. Five percent occur in people under 40.

9) Women are less likely to survive a heart attack than men. And African American women's death rates are one-third higher than those of white women. African American women suffer more high blood pressure and diabetes, both risk factors for heart disease.

10) Taking an Aspirin at the first sign of symptoms is a good idea if you're having a heart attack, but might make things worse if you're having a stroke, which attacks the brain instead of the heart. That's because some strokes are due to bleeding in the brain, which may be worsened by taking Aspirin.

People who have suffered, or are at risk of suffering, a heart attack will usually be prescribed medication or a combination of medications such as blood thinners (or anti-platelet medication), cholesterol-lowering medications, and beta-blockers. It's important to take these medications just as your doctor prescribes them, and for as long as you doctor prescribes.
 

About the Author

Lynn Woods is an author with an interest in health and wellness who researches and writes about medications. She feels strongly that everyone should have access to affordable medicine.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/L--Woods/97770

 

Doing The Perfect Push-ups

By Colette Bouchez WebMD Feature                     Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

 

 

 

 

 

While fitness fads may come and go as fast as their late-night infomercials, some types of exercise transcend trends. Among them is the push-up, which uses your own body weight along with gravity to tone and condition muscles. Some fitness experts have called the push-up the closest thing there is to a perfect exercise. And with good reason.

"One of the reasons the push-up has endured so long is it's cheap, it's easy, it doesn't require any equipment, it can work multiple parts of the body at the same time -- and pretty much everyone, from beginners to athletes, can derive benefits," says personal trainer Jonathan Ross, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

What kind of benefits? If you're thinking the push-up is the best upper body exercise, many fitness experts agree. But, personal trainer Jessica Bottesch tells WebMD, the push-up benefits many muscle groups body-wide.

"The primary movers [the major muscle groups that produce the motion of a push-up] are the chest and tricep. However, if you look at the form your body takes during the perfect push-up, you're typically suspended from your toes all the way to your neck, so in reality, every muscle between your shoulders and your toes is engaged," says Bottesch, co-owner of Empower Personal Training in Durham, N.C.

This includes the all important core muscles of the trunk, as well as the abdominals, legs and hips, she says.

And for women, Bottesch tells WebMD, the push-up has an extra benefit.

"A push-up is considered a resistance exercise, so in addition to muscle strengthening, you also get bone-building effects. It can be as effective as working out with weights," says Bottesch.

The Perfect Push-up: Mastering the Basics

Although there are many variations on the push-up, the basic principal remains the same: Engage your upper back, shoulders, and arms to lift your body weight off the floor, then slowly lower it back down. While that sounds simple, experts say there's plenty of room for mistakes.

"The biggest mistake people make when doing a push-up is to try and take some of the stress off their arms by using other muscle groups to help lift their body, so they don't get the full benefits," says Todd Schlifstein, DO, a rehabilitation physician at the Langone Medical Center's Rusk Institute at New York University and assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine.

Ross agrees: "Body weight should be lifted by your arms, and don't use your butt or stomach or the lower half of your body to pull you up," he says.

The correct movement for the perfect push-up, he says, is smooth, "with no swaying of the hips as you go up and down."

Bottesch adds that it's also important to keep a straight line from your head down to your ankles when you're in the lifted position.

The Perfect Push-up: Mastering the Basics continued...

Another tip to get the most out of your push-ups: Don't let your chest actually touch the floor when you come down.

"Your chest should come within 2 to 3 inches of the floor. Put a textbook, a sneaker, a rolled-up sock underneath you, and when you touch it, it's time to go back up," says Ross, who was named ACE's 2008 personal trainer of the year.

Now if all this sounds a bit daunting for your out-of-shape body, fear not. There are ways to make push-ups easier while still gaining the benefits.

"If you're having trouble ... lifting the whole body in the proper alignment, you can do the same exercise, but do it on your knees," says Schlifstein. While you still need to keep a straight line from neck to torso, by engaging the knees you'll reduce your lifting load by about half.

For those looking to minimize tension on the wrist, Ross says a variation called the "knuckle push-up" can help. For this type of push-up, you close your hands and put your weight on your knuckles instead of your palms, avoiding the wrist extension motion. But be sure to do this type of push-up on a padded mat or carpet.

"Because there is clearly less fat on this part of the hand, you really do need to add some type of padding if you are going to try this," says Ross.

The Perfect Push-up: How-to's for Beginners

If you haven't done any kind of push-up -- let alone a perfect one -- since your high school gym teacher stood over you with a whistle and a scowl, don't worry. There are several ways to ease into doing push-ups.

One option is to use a low bench to prop up your arms, and then do either a regular push-up or the knees-on-the-floor version, Bottesch says.

"If you put your feet on the floor and put your hands on the bench, you can work on getting the body form right with much less strain," she says.

If even a kneeling push-up with a bench is too tough for you, there's an even easier way to begin.

You don't have to lie down at all, Ross tells WebMD. Instead, do your push-ups standing against the wall, which dramatically reduces the pressure on arms and upper back. To make it simpler still, stand closer to the wall.

"With your feet very close to the wall, there is almost no strain, but it still allows you to keep your body in alignment so you get a real sense of how it should feel," says Ross. As you gain strength, keep moving your feet further away until you feel confident enough to try push-ups on the floor.

The Perfect Push-up Gadgets: What Works

Although the push-up doesn't require any equipment at all, that doesn't mean it hasn't found its way into a late-night infomercial or two. There are a variety of push-up gadgets on the market, designed to put variety into your routine. Most are based on some of type of handle you hang on to during the exercise -- and it might surprise you to learn that experts say they can work.

"They provide variation in your workout, plus the basic handle design is especially good for anyone who has an issue with keeping their wrists fully extended," says Ross.

Taking the handle concept a step further are devices like the one called the "Perfect Pushup," which incorporate a swiveling action. By rotating the arms while lifting the body, you may be able to increase your range of motion, which in turn increases benefits, Schlifstein says.

Even without gadgets, experts say, you can put variety into your push-up routine by changing up your positions. For example, there's the one-handed push-up, though experts say it's not for the faint of heart.

"This requires not only upper body strength, but also a very good sense of balance, so you really have to be in pretty good shape to try this," says Schlifstein.

Another advanced option: With your hands on the floor, elevate your feet on a low bench behind you as you do push-ups. "It's an amazing workout, but I don't recommend anyone try this unless they have really mastered a regular floor push-up," says Bottesch.

A word of caution: If you feel pain while doing any type of push-up, particularly if the discomfort is focused on one joint, stop working out and talk to your doctor, Bottesch says. And if you have shoulder or elbow issues, including any previous injuries to those areas, Bottesch says push-ups may not be the exercise for you.

6 More Perfect Push-up Tips From the Pros

Here are six more tips from the exercise experts to help you perfect your push-up technique:

1. Keep making small changes in your routine, like angling your hands or changing how far apart they are. This will ensure that you keep gaining benefits.
2. When starting out, use a "spotter" -- someone to watch the angle of your body. If that's not possible, do your push-ups next to a mirror where you can turn your head and catch a glimpse of your form.
3. As you lower yourself toward the ground, the first thing that should graze the floor is your chest. If your hips or legs come down first, you're doing it wrong.
4. For toning muscles (and for smooth, jiggle-free upper arms) you need more repetitions with less body weight, so go for push-ups on your knees or standing at a wall.
5. To build muscle mass in your upper arms and back, go for fewer reps with maximum weight load. Do push-ups with your legs straight out, and bring your chest no lower than 2 inches from the ground.
6. Remember that while a push-up helps tone muscles body-wide, it doesn't offer much in the way of cardio benefits, and it won't help develop the "pull" muscles in your back. So be sure to include other exercises in your regular workouts.

Visit WebMD.They carry excellent researched articles written by health experts and the writers are medical professionals and specialists.

 
WebMD Feature : http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/doing-the-perfect-push-up

Five Simple Ideas on how to lose weight.

Sip Your Way to a Flat Belly!
By David Zinczenko

There is a potion that magically strips away pounds from your body, improves your overall health, lengthens your life, makes you more attractive to the opposite sex, and keeps you lean forever. Even better, you can have as much of this magic weight-loss potion as you want, for free, and start stripping away pounds—perhaps even several dozen pounds this year alone—without exercise, without dieting, without visiting the set of Nip/Tuck.
What is this magical elixir? It’s water.
Really? Really. 

You don't even need to mix in that fancy fat-burning stuff from the vitamin store. In fact, the less you supplement your food and beverage intake, the more weight you’ll lose (and the more money you’ll save). Keep reading this five-point plan from the new book Drink This, Not That! and begin your no diet weight-loss goals today. You'll sip your way to a flat belly in record time--and keep it well beyond summer.

Step 1: Swear Off the Soda and Iced Tea
(Annual Weight Loss: 18 Pounds!)

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey measured where most of our calories come from. Researchers broke up America’s food intake into 143 different categories and discovered, to their horror, that the category making up the largest percentage of our calorie intake—7.1 percent, to be exact—was not a food at all. It was soda. (Vegetables, on the other hand, accounted for only 6.5 percent of our intake. Chicken and fish together only added up to 5.7 percent.) To put that into perspective, if you ate an average of 2,500 calories a day, and you cut 7 percent of your calories, you’d automatically drop down to 2,325, a difference that would save you 1.5 pounds per month. You could be 9 pounds lighter in 6 months by going cold-turkey today! Another thing to remember: You're far better off eating your vitamins than drinking them.

Step 2: Drink 8 Cups of Water Every Day
(Annual Weight Loss: 26 Pounds!)

Yes, the magic elixir really does have amazing powers. In one study, a group of 173 overweight women were put through diet and nutrition training using mainstream diet programs. Researchers then followed them for 10 months, with dietary and body composition being recorded up to 12 months after the classes. All women in the program lost weight, but those drinking more water lost more weight. Drinking more than 1 liter of water per day (nearly 4½ cups) was associated with an extra 5.07 pounds lost in 12 months.

And researchers from the University of Utah found that people who drink the most water have higher metabolisms. In a study, subjects drank 4, 8, or 12 cups of water each day. Those who drank at least 8 cups reported better concentration and higher energy levels, and tests showed that they were burning more calories than the 4-cups-a-day group.


Step 3: Enjoy One, Two, or Even Three Yogurt-Based 
Smoothies a Day
(Annual Weight Loss: 10 Pounds!)

I love the sound of a cranking blender. But a combination of ice, 
dairy, and fruit does more than just make a teeth-rattling cacophony in your kitchen. It also helps strip pounds from your body.

There are three simple reasons why: Smoothies take little time to make (so you can quash your hunger pangs quickly), they’re packed with nutrition (especially if you start with Greek yogurt and add berries, whey protein, and some flax), and their thickness takes up a lot of space in your stomach, crowding out the Doritos. In fact, researchers at Purdue University found that people stayed fuller longer when they drank thick drinks than when they drank thin ones, and a study at Penn State found that people who drank yogurt shakes that had been blended until they doubled in volume ate 96 fewer calories a day than those consuming thinner drinks.


Step 4: Avoid Juice Drinks
(Annual Weight Loss: 19 Pounds!)

Imagine a world in which we called products what they really were: Hungry Man Dinners would be called Lonely Man Dinners. ESPN would be called the Fat Nerds Yap about Jocks Channel. And SunnyD would be called Obesi-D because there’s nothing sunny about a drink marketed to kids that looks and tastes like juice, but is 95 percent water and corn syrup.

While even 100 percent juice has its problems, juice drinks and their ilk are the worse offenders. One 16-ounce bottle of SunnyD Smooth packs a whopping 180 straight-up empty calories and 40 grams of sugar. If you drink one a day, cut it out. You’ll lose 19 pounds in a year!


Step 5: Drink Coffee, Not Coffee Drinks
(Annual Weight Loss: 18 Pounds!)

Researchers studied coffee habits in New York and found that two-thirds of Starbucks’ customers opted for blended coffee drinks over regular brewed coffee or tea. The average caloric impact of the blended drinks was 239 calories. The regular coffee or tea, by comparison, was only 63 calories after factoring in added cream and sugar. So even if you like your coffee sweet and light, you can strip away 176 calories every day, just by making this one swap.

Now, budding mathematicians among you may notice that all this adds up to a whopping 91 pounds lost in a single year. This is not good news if you weigh 125. (However, travel just got a lot cheaper because now you can mail yourself all over the world.) Fact is, unless you're currently engaging in all of the bad habits above, you probably don't have 91 pounds to lose.
 
But this five-point plan illustrates how extraordinarily easy it is to 
shed extra weight— a lot of weight—just by watching what we drink. 
And that, my friends, is something worth raising a glass to.


FOLLOW DAVE ZINCZENKO ON TWITTER and get FREE live-better secrets every day.

How Best to loose weight plan

Lose It and Keep It Off

Studies show that up to 80 percent of people who lose weight regain most or all of it within a year. But not Phillips. Here she shares what helped her lose 140 pounds at the Ranch — and what prevents the fat from piling back on now.

Getting Started...

1. Start today: Do something. Go for a walk — even if it's just for 10 minutes, or down the block and back. Or set a short-term goal like getting up early for a workout every day for a week. At the end of that week, give yourself a prize. Treat yourself to a mani-pedi, a new outfit — any nonfood indulgence

.

2. Be a tracker: Get a calorie counter and look up everything you eat, then log it in a journal. (You are keeping one and using it daily, right?) And write down everything you put in your mouth — like the Oreo cookies you just scarfed down. You need to hold yourself accountable.

3. Be ruthless with temptations: Throw out the things that set you up for failure. If you crave sugar, get rid of sweets. If salty foods are your weakness, dump the chips, pretzels, and salted nuts. Tackle your cupboards, fridge, freezer, basement stashes — everything. Then stock up on fresh fruits and veggies.

4. Start a photo timeline: Have someone snap a shot of you now and tape it to a mirror or pin it to a bulletin board. Then take pictures of yourself weekly or biweekly to document your improvement. Get dressed up, put on makeup, and shoot. You may have lost only two pounds, but that's two pounds in the right direction. Write captions under the pictures, like, "Look at me. This is when I started." Note your weight and the date. Then write, "This is two weeks later. I lost five pounds and treated myself to a haircut. Look how great I look!" Put anybody's picture at the end, and when you reach your goal, replace it with your own.

5. Get the gear: Buy one decent workout outfit so you'll feel OK going to the gym or outdoors to exercise. Invest in a pair of good sneakers. Buy them at a running shop where the pros know how to fit your feet

.

6. Choose tunes: Select a playlist that revs you up. Phillips's favorite workout tunes:

• "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas ("Who can resist it?")
• "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf ("This is my song from Jillian Michaels," Phillips's second trainer at the Ranch)
• "Black and Gold" by Sam Sparro ("This was a special song between Bob [Harper] and me. Every time I hear it, I think of him")
• "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus ("When you want to give up, listen to this and it will make you change your mind. It makes me cry because it takes me back to when I struggled")

7. Push yourself: If you're on the treadmill, say, and want to quit after a half hour, strive for an hour — but in small increments. Say to yourself, "OK, what's another 10 minutes?" Then say, "OK, I've only got 20 minutes left to go. Why would I give up? Why stop now?" Decide now that you'll finish whatever goal you set.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/biggest-loser-winning-workout-and-meal-plan

Biggest Loser Winning Workout and Meal Plan

 

Want winner Helen Phillips's secret to weight-loss success?
Check out her winning workout and meal plan, and start losing today...And Sticking with It

1. Chop ahead: Every weekend, prepare produce to store in the fridge for the week ahead: Steam veggies like broccoli and green beans and put them in containers; stash cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, and other raw veggies in resealable bags. Cut up watermelon and cantaloupe, and fix berries, apples, oranges, and pears so they are ready to eat.

2. Pack a cooler: Phillips keeps a cooler in her car so that she won't be tempted by fast food drive-thrus when she's on the road. In it are fruit, cut-up veggies, cooked green beans, hummus, and a little protein, like grilled chicken strips. "My girlfriends used to look at me like I was crazy when I pulled out those green beans. But now they're getting used to eating like this, too," she says.

3. Give yourself a break: Phillips allows herself one high-calorie day a week when she can eat 2,400 to 2,600 calories. If she craves a slice of cake or pizza, she'll have it. Her splurge day keeps her in check the rest of the week. And if there's a party, she counts it as part of her high-calorie day, not an excuse to go wild.

4. Create a support system: When Phillips returned home from the Ranch, she asked six friends to be her gym buddies — to help her stay on track. She says, "Last week my girlfriend was at the gym before me and said, 'Wow, you're 15 minutes late.' I said, 'Who are you, Jillian?' We laughed, but you need to have people in your life like that."

5. Keep a reminder: Phillips has a life-size cutout of herself as she was when she arrived at the Ranch weighing 257 pounds — dressed in a black sports bra and black spandex shorts. "When I see the sadness in old Helen's eyes, I think about how I could still be living with that desperate unhappiness. I never want to forget where I came from, and that I wanted to change my life and I did it."

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/biggest-loser-winning-workout-and-meal-plan?page=2 

Biggest Loser Winning Workout and Meal Plan

 

Helen Phillips's 5-a-Day Meal Plan

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/biggest-loser-winning-workout-and-meal-plan?page=3

Total calories: about 1,800 to 2,000, which Phillips tracks by weighing her food and logging everything she eats in a food journal.

Breakfast:

• 1 cup steel-cut oatmeal with cinnamon
• 2 egg whites scrambled in Pam
• 1/2 cup fresh blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries
• Coffee

Snack:

• 6 to 8 oz. nonfat yogurt with fresh berries (or fresh-frozen berries without sugar) or
• Carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes with 1/4 c. hummus or
• 12 to 15 raw nuts, like almonds or walnuts

Lunch:

• Salad: A variety of lettuces tossed with cucumbers, tomatoes, and other veggies
• Sprinkling of blue cheese, feta, or raw nuts
• A few pieces of shrimp or 3 to 4 oz. chicken breast
• Raspberry vinaigrette

Snack:

• Strip of turkey bacon with apple slices or
• Half a small whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese

Dinner:

• Seafood (orange roughy, shrimp, or salmon) with stir-fry vegetables cooked in water with herbs or
• Chicken kabobs (on the grill, loaded with vegetables) or
• Marinara sauce with ground chicken breast and whole wheat angel hair pasta
• Sparkling water with sliced citrus fruit or strawberries
• Fruit smoothie: Fresh or frozen strawberries and peaches blended with a little natural sweetener (stevia) and almond milk

The Winning Workout

Phillips normally arrives at her local gym between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. and works out for about two hours. "I like to get to the gym early, before I have time to make excuses," she says. "But if I don't make it in the morning, I go in the evening. I want my muscles to stay toned, so if I have only an hour, I'll split it between cardio and weight lifting."

Cardio: One hour, five or six days a week (treadmill, stair stepper, spin class, or swimming). Her treadmill settings: Incline 3-4; speed 5-6 mph. Tip: "If you can't run at first, set the incline at 7-8 for 10 minutes to get the sweat going, then lower it. You'll be running before you know it. That's how I started."

Weights: One hour strength training every other day, both upper and lower body

Arms: Bicep and tricep lifts using 15 lb. dumbbells. Deadlifts with a barbell loaded at 60-70 lbs.

Legs: A machine circuit that works the calves, thighs, and glutes

Abdominals: A combination of yoga moves and crunches on the mat

Additional Activities

Running: "Some days I run to the gym and back. It's about two miles from home. I never imagined I'd have the stamina for running, but now I've done a full marathon and two half-marathons, and I can't wait to run another one."
 
Walking: "I love to walk. I wear a pedometer and set it to miles. If I'm almost home and I've gone nine miles, I'll make it an even 10. Wearing a pedometer helps you push yourself farther."
 
Cycling: "As a family we bike on trails near our house. Sometimes we go for 25 miles and take a picnic in our backpacks. If you're nervous about biking, get out and walk the bike trails instead and enjoy nature." 


http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/biggest-loser-winning-workout-and-meal-plan?page=3

4 Tricks to Eat Less Food

Studies Show 4 Proven Tricks to Eat Less Food

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author - The Truth About Six Pack Abs

I found these 4 tricks (that are proven to help people eat less food and overall calories) while reading a fascinating book recently called 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman.  I think you'll find these very helpful if you're looking to control your caloric intake and reduce your body fat.

These tricks were tested in scientific studies and are quick and easy to implement.  I thought these were VERY interesting...

Trick #1 to Eat Less --  Several studies prove that the size of the bowl, plate, or spoon that you use can directly influence how much food and calories you consume. 

Richard Wiseman, in the book 59 Seconds, talks about one study conducted where party guests were randomly given either 17 or 34-ounce bowls and
2 or 3 ounce spoons, and allowed to help themselves to ice cream. It was
found that the party guests given the large spoons and large bowls had eaten 14% and 31% more ice cream respectively, than the people using the
smaller spoons or smaller bowls.  Interesting huh!

Another study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania used a bowl of M&Ms that were left in the hallway of an apartment building. A sign next to the bowl told people to help themselves to the M&Ms. Some days a tablespoon sized scoop was used in the M&Ms and on other days, a larger scoop was used in the bowl.  The researchers found that the larger scoop caused people to take TWICE the amount of M&Ms on average compared to the people that had used the smaller scoop.

I've also seen studies referenced in the past that showed that people who used larger plates consumed more calories than those using smaller plates.

The lesson -- Use smaller plates, bowls, and silverware and you may inadvertently reduce your calorie intake.  This also means saying NO to seconds and thirds!

Trick #2 to Eat Less --  You've probably heard before that eating slower can help you to eat less because it gives time for the fullness signal to reach your brain and thereby shut off your appetite before you've eaten too much.

However, this study below found a twist on this!

According to Mr. Wiseman in the book 59 Seconds, a study at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center had overweight participants eat a meal at 3 different speeds:

a)  their normal rate
b)  half their normal rate
c)  their normal rate at first, followed by half their normal rate (normal-slow combo)

The results were interesting...  Eating at the slower rate caused the men to eat less, but not the women (that's weird!).  However, the 3rd group that combined the normal pace at first with the slower rate after that caused both the men and women to have a large reduction in their appetite and eat less. 

The normal-slow combo was found to be more effective than just the slow-only group.  Why?  I have no idea, but those are interesting results!

Mr Wiseman stated that the lesson here to eat less is "to start at your normal speed but then savor each and every mouthful".

Trick #3 to Eat Less --  According to the book 59 Seconds, a series of experiments conducted in offices compared putting chocolates right on people's desks vs placing the chocolates six feet away. In another experiment, the chocolates were put inside either transparent or opaque jars. When the chocolates were placed on the person's desk instead of 6 feet away, people ate on average 6 more chocolates per day per person.  

Also, the chocolates in the transparent jars were eaten 46% more quickly than the opaque jars. 

Just shows... out of sight, out of mind!  As you may already know, I recommend never even having junk food around your house at all...that way, you're never tempted by it and you're forced to only eat healthy foods... but then you can use your weekly cheat meals to eat junk food out at a restaurant. That way the junk food is never in your house to begin with!

Trick #4 to Eat Less --  Studies have found that people eat significantly more when they are distracted by TV, movies, games,
or other distractions.  In one experiment mentioned in the book 59 Seconds, people who were more absorbed by a movie ate
significantly larger amounts of popcorn compared to those that were paying less attention to the movie.

In another experiment, people who actively listened to a detective story during lunch (being distracted by the story), ate 15% more food than those who sat in silence during their lunch.

The lesson -- ditch the TV and other distractions and focus on your food!  Enjoy every bite of your food and you will naturally consume less calories while enjoying your food more.

Interesting stuff in these 4 tricks huh!  Feel free to share this webpage with your Facebook friends or on your blogs/forums... or email the link to this page to your friends and family.

Simple Rule to stay Healthy

My friend Mike Geary who made it very simple for simple people like you and me to understand how we should stay healthy and think healthy. Many experts from health profession complicate issues by laying down rules when it comes to diet. Especially dietitians make it more complicated for ordinary souls to understand what diet one should follow to keep health in good shape.

That's why Mike's simple rule impressed me a lot which adds great value to my understanding about diet.

Ajay Angre
Editor-in-Chief

Read all about it in his own words.

Whenever I tell people this simple rule for eating healthy, they are always shocked by it's simplicity, and that they never thought of it like this before.

First, we need to come to the realization that food science and marketing in recent decades has crowded all of the REAL food out of our grocery stores to the point that at LEAST 90% of everything in a modern-day grocery store is NOT true food anymore...

The so-called "food" that lines our grocery store shelves nowadays is better termed -- "Edible Food-Like Substances", as the highly respected nutrition journalist Michael Pollan calls it.

I absolutely love that term and think it is SO very true!

Our food supply has become so overly processed, that it's not uncommon for a simple snack food to contain a list of 20-30 ingredients of additives, chemicals, flavorings, colorings, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, artificial sweeteners, and more.

However, it CAN be easy to avoid ALL of this junk by following my 1 simple rule of eating healthy... and that is:

Eat only foods that are 1 ingredient.

Drop dead simple!

This means sticking almost solely to these:

eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, berries, and meats (only meats raised in a healthy manner)

For example, almost everything I ate today was 1 ingredient, although perhaps mixed together:

*eggs with veggies for breakfast

*snacked on fruit, berries, and nuts all afternoon

*home-made guacamole (made fresh with all single ingredients) and veggie sticks

*cooked mixed veggies, side salad, and grass-fed bison steaks for dinner

Now THIS is fat-burning nutrition made easy!

Pretty simple stuff, and all made from single ingredients instead of processed food packages with 30 ingredients or more.

Do I eat like this 100% of the time... admittedly no... BUT, if you can stick to this 1-ingredient rule at least 90% of the time, it is actually VERY simple to get as lean as you want!

A 2nd simple rule:

If your great grandparents 100 years ago wouldn't have recognized the food you're eating, don't eat it!

Fwd this email on to your friends and family to show them how easy it is to eat real food instead of "edible food-like substances".

5 Foods to prevent heart Disease

This is an excellent piece of valuable information if  you care for your heart which can trigger serious health issues and land you in ICU if you do not take care of your diet that you consume everyday. 

I personally feel, the secret of healthy living is in the Lifestyle you choose for yourself. Good lifestyle that every way makes you healthy, keeps you fit, is what your best choice must be. 

The following advise by Rebecca Scritchfield who is expert in offering advise on healthy food eating habits has given here tips on which are five foods to prevent heart disease.

The link given here will take you to many such articles offering invaluable information that can help you, your family and friends lead a healthy and happy life. 

The idea of sharing this information here is to make you aware about how best life can be enjoyed with just few changes in your lifestyle and by eating a healthy diet.

Stay Healthy. Stay Well. Stay Happy.

Ajay Angre

Editor-in-Chief

5 Foods to prevent Heart Disease

By Rebecca Scritchfield MA, RD, LD - DietsInReview.com

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/hearthealth/5-foods-to-prevent-heart-disease-577077/

In case you hadn't heard, February is American Heart Month, an initiative to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke, the number one killer in the U.S.

Eating a healthy diet can be a key method of preventing heart disease. We're highlighting five heart-healthy foods that can literally save your health. We recognize that these are not the only five foods that protect your heart, but they stand out as star performers and great additions to any diet.

1. Garlic: This herb is ideal for heart health. Numerous studies have shown the potential benefits of regular garlic consumption on blood pressure, platelet aggregation, serum triglyceride level, and cholesterol levels – all of which keep your heart performing. Garlic also makes a great seasoning for food so you can greatly reduce salt.

2. Salmon: Make the swap from a saturated fat burger to a salmon fillet. While some saturated fat is fine, a little goes a long way. The average cheeseburger has more than half a day worth of the artery clogging fat, which will increase your risk for a heart attack. Conversely, salmon lowers that risk thanks to heart healthy fats. Omega-3s can prevent erratic heart rhythms, reduce likelihood of blood clots inside arteries, improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, and prevent cholesterol from becoming damaged, at which point it clogs arteries.

3. Berries and Cherries: Props must be given to nature’s candy. These sweet treats are high in polyphenols, which prevent cell damage that creates unhealthy blood vessels and heart. During the winter, opt for frozen berries. Try thawing a bag of frozen strawberries in the refrigerator. Then, add unsweetened, steel-cut oatmeal with the berries their juice and your heart will say thanks with each beat.

4. Quinoa: Often mistaken as a grain, this tiny sprouted seed is an excellent source of magnesium, the mineral that relaxes blood vessels. Low dietary levels of magnesium lead to some scary health issues like increased rates of hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart arrhythmias. Quinoa cooks quickly and makes great leftovers. Toss with grilled veggies and roasted chicken for a delicious one-pot dinner, or try this Red Curry Quinoa recipe.

5. Hot Cocoa: You read right! Hot cocoa is brimming with antioxidants – two-times more than red wine and three times more than green tea. The cool February temperatures are no match for a mug of hot cocoa. My tip: since hot chocolate mixes are full of sugar, use 100% cocoa and combine with a teaspoon of sugar. Plus you'll sweeten with the natural sugars in the milk

news4you: The miracle Spice

news4you: The miracle Spice

The miracle Spice

I received this newsletter from Mike Geary

Certified Nutrition Specialist

Certified Personal Trainer

Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com

I had read a lot and heard a lot about this miracle spice that does wonders like burning your fats and also help burn your sugar and cut down Cholesterol levels drastically. 

Here it is, Mike gives this easy to administer recipe to keep yourself healthy from all these serious health issues from killing you slowly if you are not health conscious.

So hear it from Mike and do what is best for your health.

Stay Healthy. Stay Well. And Stay Happy.

Ajay Angre

Editor-in-Chief

OK, this spice that I'm going to mention is one of the most overlooked, but healthiest spices in the world...

You might even call it a "fat burning spice"... in a roundabout way.

And yes, it can actually help you win the battle against abdominal fat if you use it daily...I'll explain why.

Here are some other benefits of this miracle spice:

*controls blood sugar levels

*helps maintain insulin sensitivity

*a very powerful antioxidant

*may have antibacterial and anti fungal properties

*and dozens of other benefits

So what is this miracle spice?

Well... it's good old tasty Cinnamon!

Although cinnamon does not directly increase fat burning (such as by increasing metabolic rate, etc), it CAN actually help you to burn off abdominal fat and get leaner through an indirect link.

Here's how...

Although cinnamon has dozens of health benefits, the main benefit that will help you to get leaner is through it's strong effect on controlling blood sugar levels in your body.

In a study published in 2003 in the medical journal Diabetes Care, groups were split into people taking 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in capsule form (the equivalent of approx 1/4th to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).

The results of the study showed that all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29% after 40 days.

Cinnamon can also increase insulin sensitivity, which essentially means that it is helping your body to control blood sugar while simultaneously allowing your body to produce less insulin.

As you know, chronically high insulin levels can make your body pack on the blubber.

How to harness this to lose more fat...

One possible way to benefit from cinnamon to lose more fat is to use cinnamon daily in your meals when you can, such as in yogurt or cottage cheese, in smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else you can think of where it would go well.

Also, you could use a cinnamon capsule before each of your meals.

This could help to control blood sugar and insulin response from your meals and thereby control your appetite and cravings throughout the day... hence, helping you to lose body fat more effectively over time.

So now you can see that not only is cinnamon a powerful antioxidant that can help you stay youthful longer, it can also help you to control blood sugar and get a leaner body!

Note: please make sure to consult your doctor before adding any new foods or spices to your nutrition plan if you are taking any medications or have food allergies.

**My favorite fat-burning nutrition plan:

If you haven't seen this yet, this is one of my favorite nutrition plans to help you permanently eliminate cravings, control your appetite, and get a lean body...

It's by Isabel De Los Rios and I consider her one of my most respected nutritionists that I know.

Check it out: http://the-non-diet.com

If you liked today's article on the powerful benefits of cinnamon, please fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

Mike Geary

Certified Nutrition Specialist

Certified Personal Trainer

Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com

Get rid of your Spare Tires!

No More Spare Tires!  by: Joe Kozma

This article will discuss strategies I use as a personal trainer to help people get rid of the spare tire around the middle that so many people desire to lose.

The first and most important part of my program is consistent, regular exercise. The primary reason people put on unwanted body fat is inactivity or too little activity, thus, course of action number one is to remedy this problem with vigorous weight training sessions and challenging cardio workouts.

I'll split up the weight training workouts, making sure to work abs and calves every day:

Monday, chest and arms, Tuesday, shoulders and back, Thursday, legs and butt Friday, chest and arms, Saturday, shoulders and back.

As you can see the whole body will be worked over the course of three workouts and this cycle will be continually repeated.

Cardio must be done for weight reduction programs and weight training will be done every day. Many things can be changed with just the addition of regular exercise, but reducing carbs will help you achieve your goals more quickly. Since we're talking about losing your spare tire,

let's focus on abdominal specific exercises.

1.) hanging leg raises

2.) abdominal crunches on a machine

3.) seated trunk rotations on a machine

With regard to nutrition, I will create a totally customized plan for the individual and this program will emphasize reduced carbohydrate and fat consumption. This is a typical program I would use for a 200 lb male. The meals will be precisely three hours apart.

Meal one, two full servings of oatmeal, I'll even let you add a little honey; Meal two, one grilled or steamed chicken breast accompanied by a dark, leafy salad; Meal three, eight ounces of tilapia and steamed veggies; Meal four, same as meal three; Meal five, one Muscle Milk protein drink.

If this program is diligently followed the body fat will quickly fall off and I will have a happy and successful client.

At times there are issues which must be overcome with regard to the eating plan. Difficulty keeping the client motivated to eat in a clean and healthy way often crops up. I have clients record what they actually eat and report it to me, this helps a great deal in keeping the clients compliant enough with the eating program to see optimum results. In addition, I use a number of creative, motivational techniques which can also be found in my article "Diet Doldrums." I highly advise you to read this article as well as a motivational aid.

About The Author

Fort Lauderdale Personal Trainer Joe Kozma is a former national bodybuilding champion and college football player. Joe's fitness and weight loss service provides extreme body makeovers, strength gain, and more. See his clients at his Fort Lauderdale Fitness website at http://www.joekozma.com

The author invites you to visit:

http://www.joekozma.com

Article Source:

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8832.shtml

Want to Burn Fat? Effectively?

Want to Burn Fat? Eat More Protein!  by: Joe Kozma

Muscles are made of protein. This statement is rather obvious to all of us. So to build muscle, equally obviously, you need to take proteins. This can be found in eggs, fish meat, cottage cheese or protein concentrates like protein powder.

To appreciate the importance of proteins in your body, you have to understand that your body cells are constantly being replaced by new ones. The tissue, made of protein, is in a state of flux, constantly being changed as old cells die and new cells replace them.

Rheo Blair states "It is as if you lived in a building whose bricks were systematically taken out and replaced every year. If you keep the same blueprint then it will still look like the same building. But it won't be the same in actuality. The human body is in a constant state of flux, it looks the same from day to day, but through multiple biological processes, it is always rebuilding itself."

Science has proven that 99% of the atoms in your body are replaced within one year.

Every cell in your body is always being recycled. Protein is what is used in the creation of new cells. It is the building blocks of your body. Skin, hair, bones, hormones, and antibodies are formed of protein. Save for water, protein is the most abundant substance in your body. Like other nutrients, proteins are made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. But unlike other nutrients, proteins are the only nutrients that bring nitrogen into the body.

Thus by measuring the amount of nitrogen in ones excreta, compared to the amount taken in, one can estimate the amount of protein used for muscle growth. If the difference is positive, then muscle is being made. But if the difference is negative, there is a negative nitrogen balance, and the body literally begins feed on its own muscle to produce energy. Proteins are broken down by digestive acids like protease to smaller units called peptides.

This occurs in the stomach where there are acidic conditions necessary for the digestion of proteins. The peptides are in turn are digested by peptidase, found in the duodenum, into amino acids. These are what the body actually absorbs and utilizes to form body tissue, including muscle.

There are 20 amino acids that are required for the normal growth of the body.

Eleven of these are naturally made in the body and thus are called non-essential amino acids. The other nine have to be ingested into the body as it cannot synthesize them and are thus called essential amino acids. Foods containing both types of amino acids in the exact amounts as they are needed by the body are called complete proteins. Only when all the essential amino acids are available can the body grow muscles. Otherwise it starts breaking down body tissue to suffice the amount of essential amino acids for growth and repair purposes. Thus lack of these amino acids actually leads to muscle loss.

About The Author

Joe Kozma is South Florida's number one personal trainer. Joe is a former national bodybuilding champion and college football player. Joe fitness and weight loss program provides body makeovers, strength training, and body sculpting. See the success his clients have attained at his website- http://www.joekozma.com