Bodybuilding and Figure Contest Preparation - The Do's and Don't s

Contest season is just around the corner. While browsing
fitness and bodybuilding forums, I find it common for new
competitors to be completely lost in an abundance of
information.

Information overload can destroy your best intentions. Many
individuals that are new to the fitness sport gather a ton
of quality information. While this is good, the downfall is
that they use every method they have outlined, leaving no
back up sources for when a plateau strikes.

Consistent Off-Season Diet - You can't realistically look
100% on contest day if you haven't maintained a clean and
consistent off-season diet. You can't go from eating pizza
and burgers all winter and attempt to clean it up come
January and expect to enter a show in May. While you may
make some physical changes, you won't be in the shape you
could have been if you ate well in the off-season.
Off-season is the time to build muscle quality and density.
It's extremely difficult to attempt to build density and
lose body fat at the last minute.

Last Minute Preparation - This can fall under the lines of
the above to some degree, but what I'm putting emphasis on
here are those who decide on a contest at the last minute,
thinking they can start from scratch and prepare in twelve
weeks. Contest preparation and competing on stage takes
time, effort, and vision. While I have seen many take the
last minute approach, it's quite obvious they were not
prepared and just competed for the sake of saying, "I did
it."

Cutting Carbohydrates - Granted, limiting and even
restricting carbohydrates will lean you up, get you hard,
and define physique, but many people go about this in the
wrong manner. You can't realistically cut carbohydrates
until you have them in your diet first.

The best approach for reducing carbohydrates and lose body
fat is to cycle the carbohydrates down slowly. This way you
are always presenting something new to the body and it
keeps the body responding by shedding fat. By the time you
are in your final week of dieting, you will be on very low
carbohydrates and showing a great amount of detail.
However, you can't get to this point overnight. Dieting
down properly takes time and it should follow a formula.

Supplementing - Supplementing your diet is crucial if you
are planning to compete. When you prepare for a contest you
are putting your body under a great deal of stress
mentally, physically, and nutritionally. You must
compensate with supplements that provide nutrients, such as
a quality vitamin/mineral. Adding sports nutrition
supplements to aid in muscle growth and recovery, as well
as fat burning will be a plus.

Cardio - Cardio is a tactic many people employ, thinking it
will get them ripped. While cardio is wonderful for the
cardio-pulmonary system, too much can destroy muscle gains
and put you into over training mode. Many novices start off
with a terrible amount of cardio, up to an hour or two a
day the first month. When the body adapts to this amount of
exertion, what does it have to fall back on? Three hours a
day?

A better approach would be to start your cardio 16 to 20
weeks before the show, starting with three days of 15 to 20
minutes and build on that every week in a slow manner. This
way you have a backup method.

Last Minute Fatal Tricks - This is the deadly downfall to
90% of the newbie's and even some veteran competitors. Last
minute fatal tricks can destroy you on contest day. Don't
get this confused with last minute tactics employed to
further prepare you for contest day. A fatal trick will be
something along the lines of loading creatine the week
before a show or eating a dozen donuts the night before.
Yes, I've seen these "tricks" used before and it will
destroy a ready physique in a matter of hours.

General Steps To Bodybuilding and Figure Contest Preparation

Eat well year around. When a contest is 24 weeks away,
begin cleaning up your diet by eliminating any obvious junk
food you may sneak in during the day. Limit your bread and
dairy intake as well.

After a few weeks of general cleaning up, start tracking
your calories to find your caloric baseline. Take your
stats and design a diet based on your lean body mass and
activity level. Make sure you feed your body a complete
meal every three hours.

Add cardio to the equation. Start off on the low and
progress slowly each week. Don't overload the body with too
much cardio too soon.

Tweak your diet only when it shows no positive results. A
tweak would be considered something minor, such as lowering
the carbohydrates, or adjusting the calories, or changing
the cardio. Do not do all at the same time. Use only one
tactic at a time.

If you simply cannot make proper adjustments, hire a
trainer. It's far better to have a watchful eye over you
than for you to destroy your own plan at the last minute
when panic strikes. While your trainer's plan my not appear
effective on paper or at the time, you must have faith in
them. Preparing for a contest is a far different avenue
than general dieting and it can have many unfamiliar faces.

In Summary to Bodybuilding and Figure Contest Preparation

Getting into contest shape is not an overnight process. You
have to prepare wisely. No amount of tricks can help if you
didn't do your homework off-season or in contest-prep mode.
Look for changes in your physique each week or two by
comparing pictures. Stay true and honest to yourself and
your program and you will be your best on contest day.

----------------------------------------------------
Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988.
She is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two
personal training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks
on fitness and has helped hundreds of clients transform
their bodies.

http://www.competitive-edge-ebook.com
"Use of this article is authorized provided it is
reproduced in full, and all web URLS are active hyperlinks
directed to the author"

Finding a Personal Fitness and Nutrition Trainer

Using the services of a personal fitness and nutrition
trainer is a good decision. As you go through life, it is
your decision-making abilities that determine the course of
events.

Making Good Decisions

For example, bad decisions can have far reaching
consequences beyond the event. If you eat a steady supply
of fat-filled fast food, you most likely will develop heart
disease. When you decide to avoid exercise, your muscles
and bones weaken over time creating a host of problems.

On the other hand, if you decide to adhere to an exercise
program and eat lots of fruits and vegetables, you are more
likely to stay healthy. When you decide to hire a personal
fitness and nutrition trainer, the benefits to your health
are immeasurable.

Deciding to use a personal trainer can make the difference
between continuing to follow an unhealthy lifestyle and
taking charge of your fitness and nutrition. A personal
fitness and nutrition trainer can help you make good
decisions one-by-one.

Should you change your diet to include more fruits and
vegetables?

Should you lose weight?

How much weight should you lose to meet weight standards?

What kind of exercise program should you follow?

Though it seems obvious you should exercise daily and eat
nutritional food, it's not always as easy as it sounds. You
have full days working or caring for the kids. There are
errands to run, friends to visit, volunteer activities and
all the chores that consume a full day.

Deciding to Get Help

Sometimes, you just have to admit you can't do it all
alone. That's where a personal fitness and nutrition
trainer can help. A personal trainer becomes your fitness
partner, and like any partner, is encouraging and
motivating.

There's a long list of reasons why you should hire a
personal fitness and nutrition trainer. A major reason is
to get started on your fitness program. It's too easy to
never find time to exercise. It's simpler to eat a fast
food burger and fries than it is to cook a healthy meal.

A personal fitness trainer can also assist those who have
been exercising and trying to eat nutritionally, but are
not happy with the results. A personal trainer can evaluate
your current program and determine the changes that need to
be made to more it more effective.

In addition, a personal trainer can keep your fitness and
nutrition program interesting. One of the major reasons
people quit fitness programs is boredom. A trainer can add
a variety of exercises and assist with meal planning.

When you are ready to start a fitness program, or kick your
current program into high gear, a personal fitness and
nutrition trainer can help. Deciding to get help means
deciding to get serious about staying healthy. There's no
shame in needing help, but there's plenty of shame in
letting your health decline through sheer neglect.

----------------------------------------------------
Hut Allred is the President of New Wave Fitness. Inc.
located in Dallas, TX. His company provides in home
personal fitness coaching throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth
area. His website is
http://www.bestdallaspersonaltrainer.com

Natural Anti-Aging Skin Care

Our skin is of vital importance to our health. Our skin is
responsible for providing protection from environment,
providing us with an emotional sense of boundary, creating
sensual awareness to communication with the "outside" world
e.g. feeling pleasure or pain signals that are vital to our
survival and well being.. How our skin feels physically
often determines the way we feel emotionally.

Our skin is one way that we communicate information about
ourselves to others. We blush, turn pale, signal "worry"
or "stress"with wrinkles in our forehead or around our
eyes and mouth. Our skin often is used by others to form
an impression of our age, how much we are indoors or
outdoors and our activity, through scars, wrinkles, colors,
and texture of our skin. Our skin is a signal to ourselves
and others about our overall health internally, externally,
physically and emotionally. "How do I look?" i.e. "What are
others seeing and, perhaps, thinking about me?", is a
question about the appearance of our skin. This information
comes from the tone, texture, firmness, and aroma of our
skin.

Our skin is one of the largest "organs" of our body
composing about 10% of our body weight. Our skin entirely
replaces it's surface about every 60 to 90 days. Our skin
eliminates waste, toxins, sends signals to our internal
bodies, and actually breathes. Disturbances in our skin,
e.g. eruptions, dryness, oil, rash, "age spots" wrinkles,
blotches, etc are often an indication of our internal
health..

Many of us have used synthetic prescription drugs, lotions,
or creams, to care for our skin. Often these synthetic
substances are accompanied by undesired and sometimes
harmful "side effects". Our bodies are designed by nature
to absorb and use substances that are natural. When an
"unnatural", i.e. synthetic substance, is introduced into
or on our body, it "interprets" that synthetic, unnatural
substance as "foreign"or as an "invader".Our body protects
itself either through the production of antibodies from our
immune system or does not absorb these synthetic substances.

In contrast, our body readily recognizes, absorbs and uses
natural substances as the appropriate material to use to
build, repair and sustain itself. Our skin operates in the
same way as the rest of our body in terms of what it will
or will not absorb and use. Natural substances are
recognized by our skin, internally and externally, as
"welcome" ingredients for use in building, repairing, and
sustaining itself.

There are many natural anti-aging skin care products we can
use topically on the outer surface of our skin. All natural
anti-aging skin care products contain vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and
aromas from nature that our skin readily recognizes as
appropriate for use. All natural lotions and ointments,
help our skin to maintain it's healthy tone, texture,
elasticity, aroma and to repair injury, discard waste,
breathe properly, sense appropriately, release used skin
cells, build new skin cells, protect us, and improve our
appearance.. These all natural products contain amino
acids, vitamins, antioxidants, herbs, enzymes, aromatherapy
oils, and other natural substances that support our skin
health.

Remember that the most important factor in the health of
our skin is our internal physical health. An important
aspect of anti-aging skin care is healthy digestion and
elimination. Our intestinal system is responsible for
absorbing food, nutrients, and water and for eliminating
waste and toxins from our bodies. When our intestinal
digestive system is overwhelmed, it places an extra burden
on our skin to increase it's waste disposal function. When
our skin's waste disposal function becomes overwhelmed, we
develop skin disorders. This is particularly true when we
are tying to digest processed foods, dairy products, or
other foods lacking fiber. Food becomes putrefied and toxic
because it cannot be processed or eliminated properly. Our
skin then attempts to remove these toxins. Pores may
become clogged, inflamed, discolored, dry, or oily. If we
want healthy anti-aging skin, we need to keep our
intestinal digestive system functioning properly. We can
help our digestive system with all natural enzymes,
essential fatty acids, probiotics and fiber.

Digestive enzymes reduce large food particles so that the
body can absorb nutrients and the entire body, skin
included, benefits. Discolored skin, wrinkles, or
blemishes, can be signs of enzyme deficiency and the loss
of collagen that accompanies it. Digestive enzymes reduce
free radical damage, help us remove toxins and maintain a
healthy balance of beneficial intestinal microflora.
Probiotics provide and maintain a healthy balance of
intestinal flora, vital to our intestinal digestive health
and, in turn, the health of our skin. Beneficial flora
promotes the health bacteria we need and destroys harmful
bacteria that can lead to illness and infection.
Unfortunately, synthetic prescription antibiotics destroy
the good bacteria along with the harmful bacteria.
Probiotics help restore the healthy microflora and bacteria
after synthetic antibiotic use. Probiotics also help the
skin to have healthy bacteria it needs and eliminate the
growth of harmful bacteria.

All natural vitamins such as Vitamins A, C, and E are
essential for anti-aging skin care. Vitamin A is needed
for skin cell growth and renewal. Vitamin A is an
antioxidant that fights free radicals, provides nourishment
for the fat layer under the skin. Vitamin A deficiency
results in dry, rough skin, eruptions, wrinkles, poor
texture and tone. Vitamin C helps repair skin by building
collagen and fighting infection. Vitamin C deficiency is
connected to aging and ultra violet ray damage. Vitamin E
also protects our skin from UV damage, reduces free
radicals on our skin surface, and helps prevent the
peroxidation of fats which results in skin cell damage.

All natural herbs improve complexion, help remove heat,
toxins and swelling from our skin. Herbs can help lighten
skin and maintain natural skin moisture..Herbs help prevent
scar formation and facilitate new healthy skin growth.

Amino Acids fight harmful bacteria and viruses. Amino acids
help carry vital oxygen throughout the body helping our
skin breathe. Amino acids are part of facilitating enzyme
efficiency and hormonal balance which is a major aspect of
anti-aging skin care. Amino acids help stimulate collagen
production. Collagen is the tissue that determines skin
firmness. By increasing the production of collagen, amino
acids can help our skin retain it's firmness, therefore
reducing lines and wrinkles.

Essential fatty acids, EFAs, help our skin to become
softer, smoother, and retain proper moisture content.
Essential fatty acids have a very beneficial effect an the
synthesis of prostaglandin hormones in our skin cells.
Omega 3, an essential fatty acid, greatly benefits skin
texture and may also help prevent the development of skin
cancer and aging of our skin.

Our bodies produce Hyaluronic acid which is found to be
abundant in young skin. The affects of aging and
environment gradually reduces the amount of hyaluronic acid
our bodies produce and maintain. Hyaluronic acid is
important for our body's connective tissue, especially in
our skin. Hyaluronic acid also helps to cushion, lubricate
and provide needed flexibility for our skin.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is becoming well known for it's
anti-aging effects and is a potent antioxidant that combats
skin damage and helps repair past skin damage. Alpha lipoic
acid provides great free radical defense especially when
combined with other anti-aging antioxidants.Alpha lipoic
acid is soluble in both oil and water. Alpha lipoic acid
enhances the benefits of vitamins C and E and Coenzyme Q 10.

Coenzyme Q 10 helps decrease cellular oxidation in skin
that accompanies aging. CoQ10 enters the layers of the
epidermis and reduces the level of oxidation.. CoQ10 helps
protect against UV light. CoQ10 activates phosphotyrosine
kinases which prevents oxidation damage. CoQ10 is a very
important natural nutrient for anti-aging skin care.

Our natural skin requires natural anti-aging skin care.
Many all natural anti-aging skin care nutrients are
available for us. They include amino acids, essential
fatty acids, vitamins, anti-aging antioxidants and
anti-aging skin care formulas. We can help our skin
externally through the use of topical all natural lotions,
ointments, creams and solutions. We can keep our skin
healthy internally through the use of all natural
supplements, vitamins and formulas. Our skin keeps our
internal system in place and protects our internal
structure. Our skin provides valuable information about our
overall health. Our skin is important not only for our
appearance, but more vitally, for our complete well being.

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Kays has over twenty years experience with all
natural health care products. Jennifer's mission is to
share these all natural health care products through
http://www.sweetmedicineessentials.com

Heart Rate Training Optimizes Your 5k Training Program

Are you looking for a 5k training program? When you start
looking you see many program offering beginner programs and
advanced programs. What is interesting is that most
beginner programs are too many miles for the average
beginner. The key to effective 5k cardio plans is for
every person to have their own heart rate profile. With
optimal heart rate training every workout will be optimized
for the greatest impact for your results. Heart rate
training is for advanced and beginners; the difference is
the heart rate profile not using a heart rate monitor.

The most effective cardio workout for running faster races
and burning fat is interval training. Interval training is
short durations of high intensity followed by short
durations of low intensity and then repeated. Most
programs only offer interval training for advanced programs
though effective programming is good for all levels. The
key is a person's heart rate profile. The most advanced
you are the higher heart rate you want to train at for your
interval.

Each person has a different level of fitness associated by
their heart rate. As you run the energy required needs a
certain consistent heart rate produce the energy. The more
fit you are the lower your heart rate is for a given speed.
This is why heart rate training is so effective. By
finding a person's targeted heart rate profile you can make
sure each workout is training in the right zone to
optimally improve your performance. Often, people's lack
of results comes from not training hard enough, or very
common with cardio runners is overtraining by running with
too high of a heart rate on every workout.

What is important for your metabolism and race speed is the
rate at which you burn calories not how many calories you
burn. This is why walkers and people who run mile after
mile seem to never achieve their results. The more
calories you burn the more calories you need to eat to
restore energy back to your muscles cells. It is
challenging your muscles to burn more energy by going
harder relative to your fitness level forces your
metabolism to improve and than makes you fun faster and
burn more fat. People after completing an interval workout
burn more fat 24 hours after their workout than any other
form of cardio or strength exercise.

Though the interval workout is important it isn't the only
workout that makes an effective 5k running program. Two
other key workouts is a threshold workout and a long day.
The threshold workout is a medium intensity workout that
almost no person does. The reason why is people can always
go harder and there is this myth that you have to push
yourself in every work to your max. The other reason is
people go on their slow steady pace never picking up the
pace for a shorter run. An optimal threshold workout is
between 15-30 min. If you can last longer than 30 min. you
should run faster. When you run at your threshold level
you are at the max at what your aerobic metabolism can burn
for energy. When you go harder your anaerobic metabolism
is kicked in to produce the needed extra energy. A
threshold workout trains your body to burn energy the most
effectively utilizing oxygen. It is the best workout for
creating a good race pace.

The long day is the last workout you need every week in
your 5k training program. Having running session that go
for slower speeds and longer durations trains your body to
burn fat and increases effectiveness of burning energy
while running. You only need to do one long day a week and
spending hours doing cardio during every workout may be a
key reason why you are no longer seeing results.

To truly see your results you want a program that creates a
personal heart rate profile. The charts on most treadmills
are not accurate and the doctors who came up with the
charts admit they made them up as a best guess for
insurance companies and were never supposed to use as
training heart rates. The other major key as you continue
to run is a 5k program that uses specific and multiple
threshold and interval workouts. The workout that worked
for the first month won't work for the second as your body
needs a new stimulus. With proper heart rate profiles you
will be running your first or fastest 5k in no time.

----------------------------------------------------
About The Author: Charles Carter, BS in Exercise Science is
President of LIVE, llc of
http://www.liveleantoday.com/article.cfm?id=869 - visit the
website for more information on 5k training programs,
weight loss, optimal diets, and online personal trainer and
dietician services. For more information on health and
fitness go to http://www.liveleanblog.com/ .

Cure Acne in Nature This Summer Without Cancer Fears

Finally, some good news for sun worshipers. Researchers at
the Harvard-affiliated Dana Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston provided reasons to be less paranoid about tanning.
In an upcoming edition of the Harvard Health Letter,
investigators clarified that a suntan is the body's best
effort to fend off the known cancerous effects of
ultraviolet (UV) light, not a mere symbol irreparable skin
damage.

As ultraviolet light penetrates the skin, it mutates DNA.
This mini mutation helps create that sun kissed look that
no tan-in-a-tube can emulate. While this is good news for
seasonal beach bums, it's spectacular news for acne
sufferers.

For years, sunbathing has served as an anecdotal cure for
acne. But who wants to treat acne with sunshine if this
therapy could cause skin cancer years later? Now that
medical insights reveal sunbathing with an 45 SFP sunscreen
significantly reduces cancer risk, acne sufferers can enjoy
a free solar acne treatment, minus the cancer threat.

Using the Sun as an Acne Treatment Acne lesions can form
from a motley of bodily processes including hormonal
fluctuations, dietary allergies, improper skin shedding and
an encumbered immune system.

When acne pustules grow into large, inflamed and painful
lesions, it's because agents called Langerhans cells are
responding to the irritating oils, hairs and debris trapped
within the developing pimple.

Yet something unorthodox happens when you put a pimple in
the sun. The bacterium know as Propionibacterium acnes,
which is readily implicated in provoking acne, produces an
inflammation taming agent called porphyrin. These
porphyrins can in reduce the presence of Langerhans cells
in the skin. With fewer Langerhans cells circulating, an
inflammatory response becomes less likely, as does the
chances of experiencing acne lesions.

No doubt, skipping the sunscreen will leave you to inherit
skin that looks like a dried up river. But when combined
with adequate protection, the sun transforms into serious
skin care capable of healing a body ravaged by acne.

Here's how to implement your own day-the-sun natural acne
treatment:

1. Buy a non-pore clogging (noncomedogenic) sunscreen with
at least an SPF of 45.

2. Apply the sunscreen according the manufacturer's
instructions, which usually means applying the lotion 20
minutes prior to sun exposure.

3. Use the Environmental Protection Agency's website to
check the UV Index in your area and ensure that you won't
get seared on your tanning day.

4. Enjoy the sun and watching those zits dissipate.

5. After sunning, soothe your skin with an aloe vera gel.

Sources:

Harvard Health Publications. Could a Suntan be Protective?
Newswise, July 13, 2007.

Hayami, Junji; Hiroyuki Okamoto, Akira Sugihara & Takeshi
Horio. Immunosuppressive effects of photodynamic therapy by
topical aminolevulinic acid. The Journal of Dermatology;
May 2007, vol 34, no 5, pp 320–327.

----------------------------------------------------
Naweko Nicole Dial San-Joyz pioneered the acne trigger
approach to naturally controlling acne in her
internationally published book, "Acne Messages". San-Joyz
continues to serve the acne patients by developing
customized acne spot removal treatments for the face and
body at the San Diego based skin research firm Noixia. If
you want free tips for naturally removing acne marks, visit
http://www.Noixia.com .

10 Weight Loss Tips for Permanent Weight Loss

1. Eat only when you are hungry.

This means stop eating the minute you are full. This means
if you go out to dinner and eat all the bread in the
breadbasket you don't eat your dinner. This means if it is
lunch break at work and you aren't hungry don't eat. This
means if you are in the middle of a sandwich and you are no
longer hungry, you stop eating.

2. When you aren't hungry and eating for joy only, make
sure you are eating something fantastic and tasting every
bite.

There will be times when you want to eat just for the joy
of it. I say if you only do this 10% of the time you can
still lose weight. But the trick is to make sure you enjoy
each bite, taste it fully and stop as soon as the joy of
eating it fades. If you pay attention, you will be
surprised how soon this might be.

3. Be curious about yourself-not judgmental.

When you do something that you think is "off" you plan of
what you would like to be doing, be curious and try to find
out why you do what you do. Explore the thoughts that lead
to the action. Be kind and understanding with yourself.
Give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

4. Believe it is possible to be thin without being mean to
yourself.

You do not have to beat yourself into submission for
thinness. In fact, I have found the opposite is true.
Loving yourself and being kind to yourself is a much better
path to permanent weight loss.

5. Feel your feelings.

Be anxious. (Don't eat.) Be sad. (Don't eat.) Be afraid.
(Don't eat.) Be angry. (Don't eat.) If you use eating as
an alternative to feeling you are most likely going to be
overweight. The sooner you feel your feelings the sooner
they will subside.

6. Stop expecting things "out there" to change so you can
feel better.

Don't wait for a better job, a thinner body, a nicer
husband or a better tasting diet in order to be happy. You
can be the source of your own joy by finding out what you
love to do and who you love to be. By living your own
truth, you can be happy no matter what is going on "out
there."

7. Even when you think you have "blown it" write down every
piece of food that goes into your mouth and then read that
list with fascination.

It may feel better to write in the food journal when you
are eating fuel most of the time, but that is not when it
is the most important. When you are fog eating and storm
eating and binging and going crazy with food, you have the
best opportunity to learn about yourself and why you do
what you do. No matter how much you have eaten and no
matter how big the binge was, write down every single thing
that went into your mouth and look at it with kind
curiosity.

8. Realize that eating when you aren't hungry is not
satisfying hunger or comforting you-it's just making you
heavy.

Notice the terminology you use when discussing food. " I
had my chocolate fix." " I needed comfort food." "I
wanted to give myself a treat." Food is not a good source
of emotional comfort and it cannot fix you.

9. Remember the past does not equal the future

We have all been on many many diets. Many of us have been
heavy a long time. This does not mean that you can't lose
weight. You have been doing the best you can. And when you
know better- you do better- and you look better….

10. Never give up!

Enough said.

----------------------------------------------------
Brooke Castillo, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Author- "I am
So Smart, Why Can't I Lose Weight?"
http://www.coach4weight.com

How You Can Benefit From Meditation

What Is Meditation?

Meditation focuses on maintaining quietness of our busy
mind. The effect is to direct our concentration to one
healing element – one sound, one word, one image, or one's
breath. When our mind is "filled" with the feeling of calm
and peace, it cannot take off on its own and worry, stress
out or get depressed.

The meditative state allows our nerves and tired muscles to
relax, calm heart rates and ease blood pressure. The effect
is so restful and peaceful that you will look forward to do
it daily.

How Does Meditation Work?

Studies have shown that meditation can bring about a
healthy state of relaxation by causing a generalized
reduction in multiple physiological and biochemical
markers, such as deceased heart rate, decreased respiration
rate, decreased plasma cortisol, decreased pulse rate and
increased EEG alpha, a brain wave associated with
relaxation. Our body gains a state of profound rest.

During meditation, our blood pressure stays at "low level"
but falls significantly for persons on medication with
abnormally high levels of blood pressure.

Meditation reduces activity in the nervous system. Through
meditation we can learn to access the relaxation response
and to be aware of the mind and the way our attitudes
produce stress. In calming the mind, meditation can also
put one in touch with the inner physician, allowing our
body's own inner wisdom to be heard.

Meditation is part of my yoga practice. When I meditate, I
feel my life changes for the better. It brings me peace of
mind and I handle things better in life. I have the
insights I want to solve problems and a clearer viewpoint
even when I feel stressful. Through all these years of
practicing meditation, I have been able to reap the
positive influence on my life.

How To Meditate Effectively?

Ideally you should meditate in a quiet place, or a room
with no distraction. Wear simple and comfortable clothes
and remove your shoes when meditate. Try meditating in the
same place every time because that will build up a calm
meditative energy, making it easier each time to go within.

Guide to Meditation:-

1. Sit upright on your meditation mat with legs folded. You
may find this rather uncomfortable at the start, but after
a few attempts you will get use to it.

2. Straighten up your spine and close your eyes.

3. Using both your thumb and forefinger touching each
other, place your hands on your knees, one on top of the
other.

4. Take three full breaths through your nose, filling up
your lower diaphragm and slowly letting it out, again
through the nose.

5. Repeat your breath, always through the nose, feeling
your breath go in and go out.

6. Feel your breath enter your body and where it goes
inside, then feel it go out of your body again.

7. If your are distracted by a thought, gently bring back
your mind to your breathing and start once more to feel the
breathing, then the exhaling.

I personally feel that the best time for meditation is the
quiet early morning hours – between 6 A.M. to 6.30 A.M.
However some people may prefer to meditate in the evening
before they go to bed. The choice is yours, as long as you
find it comfortable and effective.

It takes an experienced person to explain the wonderful,
positive effects of meditation. For me, I want to share
with you that meditation has improved my life tremendously
over the years. If you think of meditating, ten or fifteen
minutes a day for a start can have a powerful effect on
you. You will realize how smoothly your day flows and how
it transforms you over a period of time.

To improve your meditation atmosphere, you may light
incense or a candle. Incense creates a sensory memory that
helps draw you inside. You may also sit on a small woolen
mat that is only used for meditation and this helps to hold
energy.

If you like to light incense for your meditation, here are
some facts; some scents encourage calm, while others
promote vitality and energy. Sandalwood and frankincense
soothe us and pull us inward. Tibetan monks use them for
meditating, and also for religious ceremonies. Rosewood,
geranium, and lavender calm our fears and ease our
anxieties.

Citrus scents like orange, lemon and lime can provide
stimulation after meditating. For a quick effect, place a
few drops of orange blossom oil on a cotton ball and
inhale. Peppermint and spearmint can be stimulating too.

Take the first step to meditate today for better health and
younger you!

----------------------------------------------------
Janice H. is an accountant, nutrition expert cum author.
She shares with people around the world on HOW to live a
true life to achieve: Happiness, Health and Youthfulness.
Visit Janice's Blog at: http://www.stayyoungsecret.com/blog
to discover how to immediately improve your life and
receive FREE e-Report specially written for you. She
authored a popular e-Book which reveals her secrets to Stay
Young Forever at: http://www.stayyoungsecret.com

Water Weight Loss Herbal Diet

A good Weight Loss Plan should keep the weight off without
it coming back.

There are some Natural Steps you can take that will lead
you in the right direction to safe and steady Weight Loss.

WATER WEIGHT LOSS

There is some convincing evidence that shows, drinking up
to half your body weight in ounces of Pure Water along with
the right amount of Unrefined Sea Salt every day is
essential for everyone and will also promote Natural Weight
Loss.

Start off gradually and soon you will find the amount of
Water and Sea Salt that is safe, comfortable, and best for
you on a daily basis. Herbal Tea for some of the Water is
ok.

UNREFINED SEA SALT

For every quart of Water you drink a day you should take in
1/4 tsp of Unrefined Sea Salt with food and/or in water.
The Water and Sea Salt work together in balance.

Unrefined Sea Salt is dried at low temperature and retains
all of the natural Sodium 33%, Choride 50.9%, Magnesium,
Potasium, and Trace Elements 1.8%, and Water 14.3% all in
balance.

REFINED SALT

The unnatural Sodium Chloride 99.99% in Refined Salt is not
good for you because:

All of the Trace Minerals are removed and the high heat
used to dry the salt alters the Sodium Chloride and removes
all of the Water.

Some Iodine and an unnatural preservative are then added.

The Trace Minerals and Water in Unrefined Sea Salt are
needed to balance with the natural Sodium for safe use. But
they are removed in the refining process.

After the salt is refined the unnatural Sodium does not mix
with water the way that the natural Sodium in Unrefined Sea
Salt does.

So Refined Salt causes problems for those who use too much
of it.

Refined Salt is in all canned, bottled, boxed, and frozen
foods unless it's from a good natural foods company.

Buy low/no Sodium food and add Unrefined Sea Salt.

ORGANIC FOOD

Organic Food is grown naturally without pesticides.

Most Organic food labels from a natural food store say that
they contain Sea Salt.

The better companies use Unrefined Sea Salt.

But if the salt from a supemarket product came from the sea
and it was refined they can still call it sea salt on the
label.

KELP SEAWEED

Kelp Seaweed contains the trace mineral Iodine in high
amounts and all of the other trace minerals in small
amounts. 1-3 caps/day will greatly help your Weight Loss
Program.

MINERALS

Calcium

Coral Calcium powder (purest high quality) or Calcium
Citrate / Vegetable capsules: 200-400mg 3x day / take
between meals.

No dcp, mag stearate, calcarb, calphos, caldiph.

Magnesium

Magnesium Glycinate, Malate, Taurinate, or Citrate /
Vegetable capsules: 100-200mg 2-3 x day / take between
meals.

No dcp or mag stearate: 100-200mg 2-3 x day / take between
meals.

If Calcium and/or Magnesium calms you down too much during
the day take more of it at night.

TRACE MINERALS

Chromium

Chromium Picolinate: Start with low amounts and build up
gradually. Chromium reduces appetite and sugar cravings by
helping to metabolize simple carbohydrates. 50-600mcg/day.

Iodine

Iodine Kelp Seaweed: Must be from a pure source ( Read
Caution at:

http://www.drbrownstein.com/blog.asp?id=105 ).
The label should say that it is tested for purity. There
are some very good brands out there. It speeds up your
metabolism. 1 cap (225mcg) 1-3 caps/day.

Selenium Selenomethionine: 50-200mcg/day.

Zinc Monomethionine: 15-30mg/day.

Copper: balances with Zinc. 1-2 mg/day.

Boron Glycinate: 1-3 mg/day.

WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS

PYRUVATE

Pyruvate burns fat, boosts energy and metabolism. 2-4
grams/day.

TONALIN CLA

Tonalin CLA is an oil that promotes the burning of fat and
increases energy. 1-3 grams/day.

LECITHIN

Lecithin emulsifies fat so it can be removed from the body.
1 tbsp 3x day before or with meals.

WEIGHT LOSS HERBS

GARCINIA

Garcinia is the primary herb for enhancing weight loss. It
is an appetite suppressant and the source of an extract,
Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), that is marketed as CitriMax.

HCA blocks an enzyme that converts carbohydrates into fat.

1000mg 3x/day between meals for the 1st 4 weeks of a weight
loss program.

CHLORELLA

Chlorella is one of the best supplements for Natural Weight
Loss. 2-3 grams/day or more.

GARLIC

Aged Garlic: 1-2 caps 2 x day.

Herbs for digestion, fat metabolism, lowering cholesterol,
triglycerides, and Weight Loss:

Alfalfa Leaf, Aloe Vera Juice/Powder, Amla Fruit, Bitter
Melon, Chickweed, Cinnamon, Cordyceps, Coriander, Dandelion
Root, Fennel Seed, Fenugreek Seed, Ginger, Green Tea, Gotu
Kola, Guggul, Gymnema Sylvestre, Hoodia Gordonii, Hyssop,
Milk Thistle, Noni Fruit, Papaya, Parsley, Olive Leaf,
Reishi, Sarsaparilla, Schizandra, Thyme, Triphala, Turmeric

OMEGA 3,6,9 OILS

Flax Oil 1-2 tbsp/day GLA Borage Oil 1-2 tsp/day.

Olive Oil Use in salads and cooking.

Vinegar in salads

GRAINS

Beans, Brown and Wild Rice, Lentils, Whole Grains, Baked
Potato, Natural Popcorn, Oatmeal, Pumpkin, Sesame, and
Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts

VEGETABLES

Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumbers,
Green Beans, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Radishes, Spinach, and
Turnips

FRUITS

Apples, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit, Strawberries, Watermelon

FOODS TO AVOID

Stay away from foods that use refined: flour, sugar, salt,
and hydrogenated oils. These are the ingredients that
account for most of the unnatural weight gain and many
other problems.

HOW TO USE SUPPLEMENTS

Start off slow with smaller amounts and build up to what
works for you safely.

Pay attention to how you're feeling at all times when
taking supplements.

After you start to feel better and are getting some good
results, you should start to vary the supplements and
dosages you take from day to day and week to week.

There is research that says; after a while some supplements
work much better and safer when taken every other day.
Always try to lower any dosages that you can without losing
any benefit.

THE BEST SOURCES AND FORMS

Buy mostly Vegetable capsules. Try to stay away from
tablets and capsules that have the additives dcp and mag
stearate.

EXERCISE

Exercise as much as you can safely.

----------------------------------------------------
Eric Scott has studied across the whole Field of
Nutritional and Herbal Supplements and how they can be
applied to Natural Weight Loss, Dieting, and many other
related topics. To find more about Water Weight Loss and
Herbal Diet:
http://www.Weight-Loss-Natural.com

The Dangers of Prescription Drugs

Before the arrival of big pharmaceutical companies, illness
was treated through natural means. An open cut required the
sting of iodine and children were unlikely to want to
swallow a teaspoon of cod liver oil. Today we would call
such treatments inferior and of an ignorant age.

Any kind of treatment today is addressed by a convenient
little pill. If we're feeling sick, the quickest route to
getting better is to head to the doctor's office for a
prescription.

While we may feel enlightened about the advancements of
modern medicine, we find ourselves sicker than we were 40
years ago. All of the advancements don't seem to have made
us any healthier. The causes can't be put down to just an
aging population.

Part of the problem is due both to our disregard about our
own health and a lifestyle that does little to maintain
health.

By nature we are creatures of action. A sedentary lifestyle
works against that inherent instinct. What you eat and how
active you are goes a long way toward establishing a
healthy lifestyle. Our ancestors may have had shortened
lifespans due to lack of understanding of viruses and
disease, but they were active throughout their lives. None
of them ever had access to a pharmacy, nor a doctor willing
to treat their symptoms simply by whipping out a
prescription pad.

Drugs are NOT the miracle cures we have been led to
believe. And we are sicker because we remain ignorant of
the medications we put in our bodies.

Drugs today are too easily prescribed and often for the
wrong reasons. It's understandable that doctors are
overwhelmed by the amount of patients they see on a daily
basis. Mistakes are likely to be made based on a quick and
incomplete diagnosis. Even if the doctor determines what it
is that is making you ill, he's too quick with that
prescription and rarely suggests an alternative, such as
lots of rest and, of course, a complete lifestyle change.

By their nature drugs are invasive. The old adage that
there is no such thing as a safe drug is as true today as
it was 50 years ago. We all know that cigarette smoking is
bad for health. Cigarette smoke contains a plethora of
harmful chemicals. Based on this, drugs too are made of
chemicals that are unnatural. Long term use of any drug is
likely to lead to health problems despite what the doctors
may say about their safety. The side effects can be worse
than the cure.

Drugs can only treat the effects. The basic cause of what's
making you ill is never addressed. Everything in life is
cause and effect. Today, the focus is on treating the
symptom. The cause of your illness is ignored in favor of a
quick fix to relieve the problem. Most drugs only mask the
problem. You are still sick, though you may feel well.

To a great extent, drugs DO NOT do what they are designed
to do. In the past decade the news has been filled with
incidents of high school and college youths on a rampage,
killing students and teachers alike. Remember the Columbine
massacre? The two youths that did the killing were on
anti-depressant drugs. One would imagine that such drugs
would make the patients taking them, docile. That's not the
case. The fact is that anti-depressants often lead to
violent tendencies, suicide and bizarre behavior. The name
doesn't fit the description of these drugs.

Take statin drugs for another example. Supposedly they
reduce your cholesterol levels. Yes they do, but at a
price. People with NORMAL cholesterol levels often die
quicker than those who have elevated levels. Tests have
clearly shown that statins rob the heart of CoQ10 an
important element required for proper hear functioning.
After a few years of statin drug use, your heart becomes
weak and you suffer a heart attack, just what the drug is
supposed to prevent! Does your doctor tell you to
supplement with CoQ10? No! There's no money in dispensing
that information. Beyond this is the fact that there are
far more serious concerns than just cholesterol. Testing
your homocystein levels is far more important, but rarely
done.The only reason it isn't done is because there are no
drugs to treat it. Rest assured as soon as a drug is on the
market, the medical establishment and the media will be
quick to tout the benefits of having your homocystein
levels checked!

How much do you know about the side effects of the drugs
you are taking? Does your doctor ever volunteer to give you
that information? Likely the answer is no. When it comes to
taking drugs you know nothing about, you're playing a
dangerous game and gambling with your life. Just look at
the history of drugs such as Vioxx, Avandia and many others.

If you need yet another reason why drugs are dangerous
consider that drugs are promoted only for their profit
value. Our whole health system is centered on profits, not
your health. As long as you get sick and stay sick, big
pharma can make big profits. Ignorance is bliss where they
are concerned. Big Pharma spends billions to lobby the
government to relax rules so more can get prescribed on
their medication.

Drugs have their place, but should be used as a last resort
and not the first as they are currently promoted. Honesty
in the profession should be paramount but is forgotten in
favor of profits.

If you take drugs, you should arm yourself with knowledge
and ask yourself if drugs are really the answer to your
health concerns. Chances are a lifestyle change will be
less painful than any drug prescriptions. .

----------------------------------------------------
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