Maximize Efficiency And Minimize Time In Your Weight Loss Workout

There's more than one way to skin a cat, but not all ways
are created equal. So it goes with getting rid of body fat.
Many of us boil the issue down to one question: "How can I
maximize efficiency and minimize time?" Multiple methods
and exercises are to be considered in constructing any
valuable fat loss workout, and some work better than
others. Take a look at the 3 pillars of weight loss before
setting up your own workout:

1.) Diet is Decisive

Diet may not be on your gym checklist. However, eating
healthily and in proportion is near the most important part
of any fat loss workout. While there may not be a "diet
lift" at your local workout club, if you aren't eating
right, all the time you spend lifting, doing cardio, or any
other calorie-burning activity just won't matter.

There are two ways to approach diet: 'eat right and eat
slight'. First, consume calories from all five food groups,
and make sure the food is healthy - that means no fast
food! Eating slight? Eat less than you normally would. The
average person requires between 1500 and 2000 calories to
energize a metabolism at rest. Eat 400 or 500 less calories
each day, and your body will turn to fat stores for energy.
In this way, fat slowly disappears.

2.) Weight Training Works

Lifting weights on a regular basis reduces fat in two ways.
First, the strain and exertion that your body endures
during a 50-minute weight lifting workout burns calories -
when you breathe hard and sweat, it means your metabolism
is elevated and is now using more calories to maintain
activity. Second, muscles need calories to maintain their
form. Essentially, even while you sit at your desk working,
muscles are burning calories. So when you feel inactive,
your muscles are anything but. And as an added bonus to the
two ways you lose fat through toning muscles, you look
better and better with each workout. Talking to a trainer
at a gym is a good way to begin your own weight training
regimen. Trained professionals can assist you in deciding
upon the best workout for you.

3.) Cardio is Critical

Cardiovascular fat loss workouts, like running or walking,
burn fat faster than any other exercise. There are two
schools of thought in approaching cardio, and each is
similarly effective - it just depends on what you prefer. A
good cardio workout is either fast-paced, like running
several miles, or slower and longer, like walking or hiking
for an hour or more. Each increases the heart rate and
causes your body to burn calories, slowly slimming your
body.

If you rarely engage in cardio activities, a good way to
begin is by walking for half an hour each day, and working
up from there. As time goes by, walk longer, walk faster,
and in the near future, you might just be jogging.

Come back to the original fat loss workout question: "How
can I maximize efficiency and minimize time?" Diet figures
in no matter what, and is of paramount importance in
figuring your plan. Weight training, if you have three
hours available each week, is simple and easy, and most
certainly efficient. And not a single one of us doesn't
have half an hour to walk each day. So start small, work
bigger, and watch the fat melt away.

----------------------------------------------------
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Sicko and Bill Clinton on Health and Wellness Trends

Have you watched Sicko already? It is very worth doing so.

In order to help put the health problem we are living in
better perspective, let me share now some of the insights
and advice that Bill Clinton gave us in San Francisco
recently at the Healthetc event sponsored by California
Pacific Medical Center and KCBS.

Some of the speech highlights:

1) Clinton's great overview of key comparative data:

* 16 vs 10-11: % GDP spent on health care in the US vs.
other industrialized countries. This percentage difference
equals around $800 billion annually!

* 84 vs 100: % population with some form of health
insurance in the US vs. other countries

* 34 and 37: ranking of the US system as measured by health
outcomes and life expectancy, respectively

* 34 vs 19: % health care costs spent on administration in
the US vs. other countries

2) President Clinton then outlined the 3 main problems with
US Healthcare as follows, empathizing that any serious,
long-term solution needs to address these 3 elements as a
whole:

* immoral unequal coverage, where a large percentage of
citizens lack access to quality care

* inefficient system: we pay more for less, as you could
see in Sicko

* we still focus more on disease than on health. But he is
hopeful about an increasing focus on wellness, absolutely
necessary to alleviate future cost pressures

3) Now, let's reflect on couple of (approximate) quotes
with profound wisdom

* "I am a testimonial for the best of American medicine.
Given my heart problems, it is a miracle I am here with you
today. These days I cannot stay more than 5 minutes in a
bad mood, because I remind myself how fortunate I am simply
to be alive"

* (when people were clapping and cheering to easy "sound
bites" while he was still trying to make a complex point)
"Please stop. I don't want you to boo or cheer, simply to
think on your own"

Amazing words.

In the afternoon, after his speech, we spent some time
talking with health providers and attending some panels,
such as the one put together by the Alzheimer's Association
on ways to prevent or delay Alzheimer's.

We were surprised at the amount of education still needed
to make the medical and health community incorporate
science-based advice on lifelong learning and mental
stimulation on top of "traditional" advice around nutrition
and physical exercise. The Alzheimer's Association is being
one of the pioneers with their "Maintain Your Brain"
campaign, suggesting a comprehensive set of health and
wellness guidelines we should all follow:

1) Stay mentally active: "Mentally stimulating activities
strengthen brain cells and the connections between them,
and may even create new nerve cells."

2) Remain socially active: "Social activity not only makes
physical and mental activity more enjoyable, it can reduce
stress levels, which helps maintain healthy connections
among brain cells"

3) Stay physically active: "Physical exercise is essential
for maintaining good blood flow to the brain as well as to
encourage new brain cells. It also can significantly reduce
the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, and thereby
protect against those risk factors for Alzheimer's and
other dementias."

4) Adopt a brain-healthy diet: "Research suggests that high
cholesterol may contribute to stroke and brain cell damage.
A low fat, low cholesterol diet is advisable. And there is
growing evidence that a diet rich in dark vegetables and
fruits, which contain antioxidants, may help protect brain
cells."

No doubt, Bill Clinton would agree with the importance of
these guidelines to ensure Baby Boomers can age in a
healthy way and prevent the health care system from being
overwhelmed with Alzheimer's related costs.

Let's watch with attention what the presidential candidates
propose to deal with this situation.

----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains,
which provides the latest science-based information for
Brain Health and Brain Fitness, and has been recognized by
Scientific American Mind, CBS, Forbes, and more. Alvaro
holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and
teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong
Learning Institute. Learn more at
http://www.sharpbrains.com/hottopics .

Natural Weight Loss for Good Health and Well Being

Weight loss is becoming an unhealthy obsession dealing with
body images, but in some cases can improve health and
fitness. When weight loss is a result of eating healthy,
exercising and/or taking natural weight loss supplements in
contrast to synthetic prescription drugs with the risk of
harmful side effects, weight loss can be effective,
rewarding, and greatly improve overall health.

Extra weight, especially extra fat on a person's body,
applies significantly increased stresses on the heart,
joints and back. These stresses can be extremely
detrimental to one's health. Healthy weight loss can reduce
the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension,
arthritis and other health problems, as well as generally
extending an otherwise average life span. Recently, the
scientific root cause or explanation of obesity has been
revealed as being part of one's physiology. The internal
functions of an obese person are different than those of a
healthy person, and cause intense hunger pains and food
cravings.

Natural weight loss supplements can help counteract this
constant hunger and lead to healthy weight loss. Unbalanced
hormones are a common cause of weight gain, therefore
taking natural hormone balancers and herbal supplements
would help to create a healthy weight loss regimen.
Restoring your health allows you to lose weight naturally,
without excess frustration and effort. It's all about
losing weight from the inside out.

Emotional issues always accompany change, especially
changes in our bodies e.g. natural weight loss. Weight loss
affects our perception body image, our sense of identity
i.e. who am I?, and how we feel about ourselves in general.
Weight loss also effects our social relationships in that
there may be people in our family or social contacts that
are emotionally invested in our remaining the same i.e.
overweight with all that it symbolizes e.g. friendliness,
non-threatening, protective, jovial, helpful, etc. Beyond
our physical health, it can be said that "size matters"
cognitively and emotionally to ourselves and others. Eating
and food have come to symbolize being accepted, being cared
for and comfort. Having the support of others in our
efforts to naturally lose weight and regain our health is a
huge advantage.

We have been "conditioned" to fear any kind of loss,
including weight loss. Especially if what we may lose is
something with which we identify i.e. use to tell us who we
are.

The emotions of fear, anger, anxiety and depression effect
our weight. We often tend to "stuff our feelings" or numb
these emotional feelings or stress by overeating. We may
even overeat, thinking that will ease the physical
discomfort caused by excess weight e.g. physical pain, lack
of sleep, and lack of energy caused by moderate depression.
To improve our overall health and support us through the
process of natural weight loss and the emotional dynamics
around it, we can take advantage of natural sleep aids,
natural depression relief and natural pain relief health
care products.

Our weight and health is greatly dependent upon our having
a healthy digestive system or metabolism. Our digestive
system converts, on a cellular and muscular level, the
foods we eat, eliminates toxins, and uses and stores
glucose for energy. Natural enzymes trigger hunger signals
and facilitate absorption of nutrition. Good digestion with
the help of natural enzymes aids in the conversion of fat
to muscle.

Allergy and sensitivity to food, parasites, yeast
overgrowth and emotional stress are signals of digestive
disruption and inflammation. Natural essential fatty acids
work to reduce intestinal inflammation, decrease harmful
acids, help the liver process proteins that grow muscle,
balance hormones and facilitate the elimination of toxins.
Natural essential fatty acids help clear our digestive
system of heavy metals, harmful bacteria, pesticides that
we are increasingly encountering in our environment.
Essential fatty acids along with natural fiber help us
clean out the intestinal debris that harm our health and
often lead to weight gain. Essential fatty acids also help
our brain's neurotransmitters to function properly in order
to deal with stress, emotions, and cravings that can lead
to overeating and weight gain.

Natural amino acids are the building blocks that make up
proteins. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest part
of our body weight. Amino acids help increase metabolism,
build muscle, ease moderate depression, and help burn fat.
Natural antioxidants help carry more oxygen to cells and
muscles to help increase energy, burn fat, build muscle and
process the foods we eat.

Hormone balance is essential for natural weight loss. Our
metabolism slows as we get older because of the decrease or
imbalance of hormones. This contributes to weight gain.
Hormone balance also helps us deal with stress that leads
to weight gain. Proper hormone balance helps to decrease
cravings and binge eating. There are many natural hormone
balancing products available, e.g. natural progesterone,
promensil, soy isoflavones, essential fatty acids and
hormone balancing formulas.

Our metabolism's primary task is to nourish our brains. We
need healthy neurotransmitters to help us curb craving,
ease depression, and deal with stress that lead to weight
gain. Balancing our natural brain chemistry has a calming
effect and allows us to feel a sens of well being and
safety. There are many natural health care products to help
balance brain chemistry, e.g. essential fatty acids,
natural depression relief products, natural products to
increase serotonin, and more. When our brain feels well and
safe, it is prone to change our metabolism from calorie
saving to calorie burning.

Our bodies were designed to move and be active. Movement
requires muscle activity. Muscle activity uses the glycogen
supply found in our muscles. When this glycogen supply
stored in our muscles is used, our body is forced to use
stored fat as an energy source. Using this stored fat
through movement and exercise, results in natural weight
loss. There is no reason for us to become athletes to
accomplish natural weight loss. Low impact exercise like
swimming, walking, etc, can be done slowly and without
strain. In order to lose real weight rather than "water
weight", it is important to drink extra amounts of water
when exercising. Drinking more water will also help our
digestive system and metabolism to use and eliminate extra
weight.

Remember, the first objective, accomplished through natural
weight loss, is to improve our physical and emotional
health. This involves having a healthy digestive system, a
healthy emotional system and a healthy nutritional system.
We can build these healthy systems with natural vitamins,
amino acids, antioxidants, natural digestive aid, pain
relief aid, natural sleep aids, natural emotional and mood
aids, essential fatty acids and many more helpful natural
health care products. We need to concentrate on improving
our general health, feeling good, and living well through
natural weight loss, rather than constantly comparing
ourselves to someone else's idea about appearance from some
magazine. Physical and emotional health is primary.
Appearance may be important to us, but it is secondary.
Through natural weight loss, we can live well and live long.

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer has over twenty years experience with all natural
health care products.
The provides natural weight loss products through
http://sweetmedicineessentials.com/natural-weight-loss-c-3.h
tml

Powerful Anti-Aging Role Models: More are Needed

Recently on "America's Got Talent" a 75 year old woman
performed a song and dance routine. (This reference is not
to the Rappin Granny who was outstanding.)

Before she began I mentally cheered her on with, "You go
girl!" I was reminded of a CD an older woman sent to me
that captured her singing performance at a local nightspot.
She was fantastic. And why not. if Tony Bennett at 80
something can still sing, others can do it too.

As it turned out, the contestant did not have a million
dollar talent. How I wish she had been sensational.
Because we are living longer, healthier lives, we
desperately need accomplished older role models to show us
what's possible late in life.

I often mention Dr. Helen Harkenss, author of Don't Stop
the Career Clock, who has inspired me more than I can say.
(I can't reveal her age because I don't know it, she
doesn't tell, and it doesn't matter anyway. It's her
accomplishments that count, not her advanced age.)

Other role models of mine include 80 something David Oreck
who still promotes his vacuum cleaners. Compare his sharp
agile mind and youthful demeanor to that of many retirees
his age whose brains and bodies have turned to mush.

Then there is 90 something Art Linkletter who writes books
and does almost non-stop speaking gigs. When I was
interviewed for his book, How to Make the Rest of Your Life
the Best of Your Life, he and I disagreed about living in
retirement communities, but we got beyond that. He has a
flexible open mind and can see other points of view.

How about 90 plus Jack LaLanne, a testament to the benefit
of lifelong super nutrition and exercise. He oozes energy.
How can you watch his juicer infomercial and not want to
buy two of them?

Recently, I watched a video that is truly awesome. I found
it in "Celebrations" the official newsletter for Older
Wiser Women™. It shows 80 something Yvonne Dowlen Ice
skating, and doing it very well. When I tell people I ice
skate, (not very well, but determination springs eternal!)
a common response is, "Aren't you afraid of falling?"
Well, yes and no. I am more afraid of stepping off a curb
and turning my ankle, which I have done on more than one
occasion.

Fear is sometimes a healthy thing. It makes us stop and
think. If forces us to face reality. On the other hand,
unreasonable fear keeps us from doing what we want to do
and know we could do if we tried. And if only we weren't
held back by a nagging inner voice that warns, "Be careful.
You're too old to do that." We need role models like
Yvonne Dowlen to help us overcome an age-based irrational
fear of trying.

The video also makes clear that if you want a youthful
flexible body in your older years, you have to start early
to keep what you have. You can't wait until you are 65,
suddenly realize that you've almost completely lost all
youthful competence and decide to try to recapture what's
lost. While some improvement is always possible, the longer
you wait to reclaim what's gone, the more difficult it is.
A sedentary body rebels at being forced to do what it
really doesn't want to do anymore. There is nothing worse
than realizing "It's too late." As entertainer Eubie Blake
was known to say, "If I had known I would live this long I
would have taken better care of myself."

Whatever age you are now is a good time to take better care
of yourself. The younger you are when you start the easier
it is. And it's truly helpful if you can find an inspiring
role model to look to for encouragement.

----------------------------------------------------
Barbara Morris is a pharmacist and author of Put Old on
Hold. Visit her web site, http://www.PutOldonHold.com and
sign up for her free content-rich newsletter and receive a
complimentary copy of special report, "Thirteen Diva Tested
Tips for Fabulous Skin." Watch the Yvonne Dowlen viedo at
http://www.dailyherald.com/galleries/benskate/index.html

Does Toothpaste Help Get Rid of Acne?

Home remedies for acne come in all flavors of weird.
There's the egg yolk mask, handyman soap scrub, lidocaine
rub and even a urine toner. And like any trial treatment,
homemade treatments may work sheerly because of the
placebo effect. But, does toothpaste posses any properties
that support its usage as an acne treatment?

The first place to begin answering this question is to
consider the ingredients in common toothpastes and what
effect they have on the skin.

Fluoride:

In almost any toothpaste you'll find sodium
monoflurorophosphate, or simply put, some chemical version
of fluoride. Fluoride prevents tooth cavities. But in the
skin, fluoride typically causes more damage that it
corrects. For example, medicals studies have reported that
large does of fluoride could cause systemic poisoning.
Though the amount of fluoride in tooth paste is less than
one percent you may not want predispose yourself to risk.

If toothpaste does help acne prone skin, it's most likely
not due to the fluoride because this chemical can irritate
or burn the skin and sometimes provoke skin allergies.

Glycerin, sorbitol and alumina:

Skimming down the list of toothpaste ingredients, we arrive
at agents with the potential to delete zits like hydrated
silica, sorbitol, alumina and glycerin. Silica and types of
aluminum are used to treat acne via dermabrasive products.
However, in the toothpaste, they are too fine to profoundly
exfoliate the skin. Sorbitol is a flavoring agent while
glycerin just makes the toothpaste feel better in your
mouth.

Moving on, we come to sodium lauryl sulfate, or the
toothpaste bubble maker. You don't need suds to get rid of
zits. Next!

Getting rid of calcium:

Now we encounter sodium pyrophosphate, or some relative of
this chemical resting in our toothpaste. Sodium
pyrophosphate controls tartar deposits on the teeth by
removing calcium and magnesium from saliva. It is with this
calcium evicting phosphate that we may find a potential
acne curative.

Skin levels of calcium directly influence skin cell growth
and differentiation. One of the traits of acne includes
improper shedding of the skin or improper skin cell
separation. And according to research done by Chia-Ling L.
Tu and colleagues, too much calcium in the epidermis skin
causes more hair follicles to grow, makes the skin more
susceptible to outside attacks and increases cell growth.

None of these circumstances help contain acne so taking
away a little calcium from acne prone skin may eliminate a
cluster of zits. So we allot a point to pyrophosphate as a
possible acne taming agent.

Use these ingredients in a better product and they will
help with acne:

Rounding out the toothpaste ingredients are minimal amounts
of titanium dioxide and or baking soda (sodium
bicarbonate). As far as the skin is concerned, these two
agents are wonderful exfoliators, yet in some toothpastes,
their presence may prove too small to positively affect the
skin.

These guys may also absorb excess facial oils which will
definitely help bumpy skin heal faster. As predominant skin
care ingredients, titanium dioxide and baking soda sever as
wonderful dermbrasion agents, so you may want to try them
in this form.

In short. proving whether or not your toothpaste will get
rid of acne would require some costly research and you
would still have to face the ominous doubt cast by the
placebo effect. Toothpaste does contain agents with the
potential to control acne like pyrophosphates that improve
skin cell shedding, and skin exfoliators like titanium
dioxide and baking soda.

The only problem is, toothpaste is formulated to treat and
prevent cavities, not pimples. You really can't fully
benefit from toothpaste's zit fighting agents because they
are not concentrated enough. Instead, use acne therapies
that contain right proportions of bump fighting
ingredients, whether you buy them at the drug store or make
them at home.

Sources:

Tu, Chia-Ling L; Oda, Y; Komuves, L & Bikle D. The role of
the calcium-sensing receptor in epidermal dierentiation.
University of California Postprints; 2004; vol 35, no3, pp
265-273.

----------------------------------------------------
Naweko Nicole Dial San-Joyz pioneered the acne trigger
approach to naturally controlling moderate to cystic acne
in her internationally published book, "Acne Messages".
San-Joyz serves the acne community by developing customized
acne scar dermabrasion treatments for the face and body. If
you want free tips for removing acne scarring, visit
http://www.Noixia.com .

Need to Lose Weight? Then Increase Your Metabolism…

If you need to lose weight, one great way to start melting
pounds away is to increase your metabolism. By increasing
your metabolism, you'll be able to process food faster and
therefore will store less fat in the body. In fact, with a
better metabolism, you're body will even begin burning away
existing fat in order to get the energy it needs to support
itself.

How Metabolism Works

Your metabolism can either work for you or against you. The
main way we all get energy is from glucose, commonly known
as our blood sugar.

When our blood sugar runs low, our metabolism burns the fat
in our bodies in order to make more energy. However, when
our blood sugar runs high, our metabolism stores fat in our
bodies to use later.

So now let's look at how you can get your metabolism to
work for you.

Go Ahead and Eat

Many people believe that the key to losing weight is to
stop eating. Well, that will actually have a negative
effect on your metabolism. Eating less will cause your
metabolism to slow down because it will sense that you
don't have enough food.

So when you finally eat, your blood sugar will jump through
the roof and your metabolism will store the extra glucose
as fat.

Instead of starving yourself, eat many smaller, healthy
meals that are low in calories and fat. Also, consume
plenty of water, fruits, and vegetables.

By eating smaller portions you'll not only curb your
appetite, but you'll also trick your body into thinking
that it's getting plenty of food. Therefore, your
metabolism will kick into a higher gear. Then when it
doesn't get the glucose it needs for energy (because you're
eating healthy) then it will begin to take that glucose
from the stores of fat that are already in your body.

Get Yourself Moving

Exercise is a guaranteed way to increase your metabolism.
Always check with your doctor for what is the best exercise
regime for you. Most of the time, walking as little as
twenty minutes a day, will help increase your metabolism.

Exercise actually helps you lose weight in two ways:

First, exercise builds muscle and muscle burns calories on
its own.

Secondly, when you exercise your body is forced to come up
with enough energy to support your activity. So, it begins
burning fat in order to give the energy you need.

Don't be put off when I say exercise - there is no need to
be pounding away furiously on a treadmill for hours a day.

A simple yet effective mini routine is all that is needed
to give your metabolism a boost.

Some Final Words about Losing Weight

If you need to lose weight, you're certainly not alone.
Millions of people are in the same boat. However, most
people don't realize what it takes to first lose the weight
and then to keep the weight off.

If you increase your metabolism, you'll see that over time,
your fat will melt off your body and your weight will
gradually drop. The two best ways to increase your
metabolism are to eat smaller meals more often and to
exercise regularly.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Falconer's latest guide helps you shift pounds, boost
metabolism and burn fat without spending hours in the gym
sweating away on the treadmill.
=> http://www.12MinuteWorkoutPlan.Com