How to Lose Weight. The Fast and Effective Way!

* 1: Exercise

It's nothing new, but exercise is probably the most important predictor of whether you will succeed at long term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. In order for exercise to be helpful in weight loss, you should strive for a minimum of five 30 minute sessions per week. The good news is that recent research has shown that three 10 minute sessions in a day are as good as one 30 minute session. This helps many in combating the old "no time for exercise" excuse. Be certain to find something you enjoy. You'll be more apt to stick with it.

* 2: Pump Iron

We chose to list this separately from the "exercise" category because of the significant weight loss benefits attached to weight training in and of itself. The basic equation is this: the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you will burn. This is why world class weight lifters must eat thousands of calories a day to maintain their weight. Muscle is active tissue, fat is not.

* 3: Keep a Diary

Keeping a food diary can be a huge asset in successful weight loss. Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-awareness. It can identify emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, foster greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your personal food triggers.

* 4: Stay Focused on Being Healthy, Not on Becoming Thin

Many people become more successful at long term weight loss when their motivation changes from wanting to be thinner to wanting to be healthier. Change your mindset to think about selecting foods that will help your body's health rather than worrying about foods that will affect your body's weight.

* 5: Watch Your Portions

With the advent of "super-size" meals and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is a distant memory. Be mindful of the amounts of food you consume at a sitting. When necessary, divide your food in half and ask for a take home bag. It is all too easy to be a "plate cleaner" even when served enormous portions.

Did you find those tips on Weight Loss useful? You can learn a lot more about my Story and the Program I used to be successful here.

'Exercise Makes You Younger Definitely'

Exercise may hold the key to youth, according to a study published on Monday, which showed people who keep fit are up to nine years biologically younger than those who do not.

The study of 2,401 twins found that a sedentary lifestyle raises the risk of a range of problems from heart disease to cancer and appears to play a key role in the ageing process.

It all boils down to the length of structures called telomeres — which protect the DNA on the chromosomes, the researchers from King's College London wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Many studies have shown telomeres get shorter over time, suggesting the cells are ageing or dying. The study, which extracted a DNA sample from their volunteers, found people who exercised more each week had longer telomeres.

Exercise lowers the risk of a range of problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, the researchers said.

"It is not just walking around the block. It is really working up a sweat," said Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist who led the study, in a telephone interview.

The study found people who exercised vigorously 3 hours each week had longer telomeres and were biologically 9 years younger than people who did under 15 minutes. Spector's team, who also adjusted for body weight, smoking, economic status and physical activity at work, also said moderate exercise for 1-1/2 hours each week provided a four-year advantage.

When To Worry About Eyes

There is a problem with your pet’s eyes if

- there are excess tears – this may indicate pain or irritation of the eye due to something rubbing on the eye, glaucoma or conjunctivitis, or a problem with tear drainage

- the eye is closed or half closed - this indicates pain or irritation of the eye

- the third eyelid is covering some or all of the eye – this may indicate a problem with the third eyelid, a problem behind the eyeball, pain, or if both third eyelids are obvious, general illness

- the eye is being rubbed – this indicates pain or irritation of the eye or surrounding skin

- there is a yellow or green discharge from the eye – this can indicate an eye infection, dry eye or a tear duct infection

- the eye or the surrounding membranes appear red – this may indicate conjunctivitis, glaucoma, bleeding inside the eye, or inflammation in the eye

- the eye seems cloudy or blue – this could be caused by certain infections, damage to the normally transparent cornea which covers the front of the eye, cataracts, or old age change

- the eyeball is swollen or protruding more than normal – this may indicate glaucoma

- the pupil appears more white or grey than the usual black colour – this can indicate cataracts or old age change

- the animal suddenly appears to go blind – this can be caused by glaucoma, inflammation in the eye, bleeding in the eye, diabetes or trauma to the eye

The eyes are very sensitive, and any sign of a problem should be taken seriously. If the animal shows any sign of eye problems, he should be examined by a vet as soon as possible. If caught early enough, most eye problems are curable or controllable, but if left without treatment, the eye can become permanently damaged and the pet can even go blind.

36 remedies against sunburn

Sunburn can be heavy, it can be painful and it can make you feel very bad. Few people will not have had that very experience once in their lifetime. The nastiest aspect of sunburn is that it shows up many hours after the skin damage has been done. This means that when you FEEL it, it’s too late!

In many cases you won’t have the right remedy at hand when the symptoms begin to get through: it’s already late at night or your on vacation in a remote spot and there is no pharmacy or drugstore where you easily get some after sun to ease the discomfort and to prevent it from getting worse. After all, sunburn is the same as real skin burning, only it’s appearance is different. Where real skin burning is sudden, sunburn takes its time to ‘build up’ the symptoms: it attacks stealthily.

OK, I’ll stop here and provide you with some positive information. I collected all the sunburn remedies I could find to help ease the pain and the discomfort when you are affected by this nasty condition. You’ll find at least a few of them in your direct neighborhood. And, believe it or not, most of them work wonderfully.

1. Tomatoes: mash and rub into the burnt skin.
2. Olive oil: relieves and prevents blistering of the burnt area
3. Aloe Vera: refreshes and relieves pain. Break off a branch from a living plant and apply the slimy fluid to the skin. Or get a good lotion or gel from the drugstore. Helps to prevent skin cancer.
4. Tea: take a few tea bags and make strong tea of it. Cool it in the fridge. Soak a cloth and dab on burnt area. The titanic acid in the tea will turn the burn to tan. You can also use a spray bottle and apply at will.
5. Baking soda: Make a paste of baking soda by mixing it with water. Put the paste on the burnt skin areas. It takes out the “sting” of sunburn.
6. Vinegar: soak a cloth or soft towel and put it on the damaged skin. You can also rub the vinegar on the skin and let it dry.
7. Ketchup: when you don’t have tomatoes at hand.
8. Cucumber: cut into slices and rub gently over the burns.
9. Maalox: put liquid Maalox on a cotton ball , apply to sunburned areas and it takes the heat and pain out immediately. Let it dry on your skin, if the sunburn is bad, apply it again when it starts to “heat up” again. you will be amazed at how well this works.
10. Baby oil: moisturizes the skin and keeps it soft.

11. Mustard: apparently it would take the heat out when rubbed on the skin. Personally I have difficulties to believe that. But it’s worth giving a try when you have nothing else at hand.

12. Shaving cream: apply it to the damaged skin. It stops the burning and itching.
13. Tomatoes, ice and water: mix and apply this cocktail. It’s supposed to give instant relief.
14. Diaper rash ointment: apply to the burns before bedtime
15. Tea bath: run 10 to 15 tea bags under warm water into a bathtub.
16. Egg white: it draws the heat and calms the burn.
17. Lavender essential oil: works great in combination with aloe vera gel.
18. Milk: take a lukewarm shower after applying lots of milk, preferably whole-fat milk.
19. Lanolin cream: moisturizes, cools and prevents peeling of the skin.
20. Glycerin soap or liquid glycerin: apply every few minutes until the pain has gone.
21. Cool wet compress
22. Saint John’s wort: extract and apply to the skin. Take care, allergic reactions are possible, so test a small area first. (see instruction video here)
23. Black Nightshade: apply to the skin
24. Calendula: apply to the skin
25. Witch Hazel:buy ointment or make tea from leaves and apply to the skin.
26. Apple: slice and apply directly to the burnt area’s. Especially useful in the face.
27. Lettuce: boil the leaves, let them cool and apply the liquid to the skin.
28. Yogurt: apply directly to the skin
29. Oatmeal: wrap dry oatmeal in cheesecloth and run cool water through it. Discard the oatmeal and soak compresses in the liquid. Apply every two to four hours.
30. Cornstarch: make a paste and apply to the skin.
31. Wheat germ oil: before going out into the sun, apply a wheat germ oil ointment on your skin. Tests have shown that this ointment helps developing suntans instead of sunburn when out in the sun.
32. Chamomile oil: apply to the skin or soak chamomile flowers in lukewarm water and put them on the burnt spots.
33. Flaxseed oil: apply to the skin
34. Potato: mash or slice a raw potato and apply to the skin.
35. Papaya: make a pulp of raw papaya and apply to the skin. It has a cleansing action.
36. Mayonnaise: might help if you have nothing else at hand. It will at least cool down your skin when it comes from the refrigerator.

Overall advice: take much rest and drink lots of water.

Watch Shipa Shetty's Yoga - Free - Shipa's Yoga DVD

SHILPA SHETTY FITNESS SECRETS

Shilpa Shetty - Introduction (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Stomach Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Sitting Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Back Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Standing Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Neck And Shoulders Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Doesnt matter if shilpa shetty is not successful as an actress but she is making mega money by her different projects. First she has introduced her Sexy Perfume and now released her YOGA DVD. She is really going high now a days. I have watched this video and loved it.

In the DVD, she reveals her fitness secrets to create a lean and toned body while retaining all the feminine curves.

"Shilpa is the sexiest yogi the world has ever seen!" quips her publicist, Dale Bhagwagar.

"In Shilpa's Yoga, she demonstrates simple techniques against the stunning coastal backdrop of Kerala. She explains how to transform mind, body and soul, with unique ways to build stamina and get revitalised, while discovering inner peace," he adds.

With careful and precise instructions, the DVD demonstrates specific sequences that enhance concentration, agility and flexibility.

The workout aims not only to strengthen and tone, but also to heal. Its designed to help improve posture through a series of calming poses which focus on slow movement and breathing control.

It outlines various benefits of yoga, including stress and tension release, increased energy and vitality, weight loss, improved circulation and digestion, and comes with a free audio-CD of chill out ambient music to help unwind and relax after practicing the yoga techniques.

"Go for it. It might even improve your sex life!" says Bhagwagar.

Eyesight can be restored

Stem cells may give vision to the blind

Good news for millions of elderly people who go blind. British scientists have developed a technique to restore eyesight by using embryonic stem cells. As a person gets older, cells in the retina of his or her eyes fail to function. This disorder is known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the main cause of blindness in elderly people. The scientists said that the new technique has already been used to restore sight in rats, reported an online edition. The breakthrough involves embryonic stem cells or ‘blank’ cells with the power to turn into different cell types. They would be used to create small patches of retinal pigment epithelial cells, the scientists said.

These are the cells damaged by age-related macular degeneration. The patches would be injected into the back of the eye to replace the damaged cells, and within two to three weeks, the vision will be restored, they claimed.

It may not be able to restore the vision completely but the improvement is likely to allow patients to regain the ability to carry out daily tasks such as reading a newspaper or driving, the scientists said. Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are the cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo. Researchers believe that those cells might be used to cure many diseases.

High Risk Of Heart Attack In Winters

As Delhiites battle out the winter chill, heart patients face a high risk of cardio attack during the season, according to a new study.

The time period ranging from December 25 to January 25 is the most dangerous period as far as heart attacks are concerned, the study by a group of the capital's leading doctors revealed. Last year, hospitals in the city witnessed 25-30 per cent increase in heart ailments during the winter season.

"The heart has to work harder in winters because blood vessels constrict to help the body maintain its heat, also respiratory diseases such as flu and asthma are on a high in the season, which causes load on the heart and also because of high blood pressure," according to Dr Umesh Gupta, senior cardiologist at Umkal Hospital.

During winters, people also tend to consume more alcohol in order to keep warm, which also aggravates pressure on the heart, he said. As a precautionary measure, he recommends that heart patients avoid outdoor exercises and cut down on liquor consumption to an occasional peg.

Health experts also hold the view that Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues) is one of the many negative effects of winter on one's health, specially on those with heart ailments.

source:timesofindia

Bird flu outbreak alarming: Buddhadeb

Describing the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal as 'alarming', the state government on Friday said it has targeted culling of four lakh poultry in the affected areas to check the disease.

"We will have to kill four lakh birds in the affected districts. For this, we have decided to increase the strength of the culling teams," Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told newsmen after a meeting with Central Livestock Commissioner S K Banerjee, state Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rehman and Health Minister S K Mishra.

It had been decided that poultry in 5-10 km radius of the affected areas would be culled and the process would be completed within seven days, he said.

Rampurhat sub-division of Birbhum district was the worst affected, followed by Balurghat in West Dinajpur district, Bhattacharjee said.

Stating that 60 teams of animal husbandry workers were working in the affected areas to cull the birds, the chief minister said medical teams were also sent to the affected areas to find out whether the disease has affected any human being.

Isolation wards have been kept ready in all sub-divisional hospitals for treating the affected and medical college hospitals of Burdwan, Bankura and East Midnapore districts have also been put on alert, he added.

Regarding compensation to the poultry owners, the chief minister said the state finance department has allotted Rs 3 crore for the purpose.

The owners of poultry in the affected areas would, however, not be allowed to do business for the next three months, Bhattacharjee said.

Cough syrup could harm kids

The next time your child sneezes and wheezes, don't reach out for the cough syrup bottle and a teaspoon. It not only doesn't always work, chances are it could be dangerous for the kid. Talk to a doctor instead.

Though cough and cold remedies have been widely prescribed and routinely used by parents without consulting a doctor, medical experts now say these have serious side-effects and could even be lethal in certain cases.

After months of debate, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory on Thursday warning parents against giving over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicines to children under 2 years, because of "serious and potentially life-threatening side effects". Some doctors and pharma industry experts, however, say low doses aren't harmful but acknowledge overdose has serious side-effects. Also, decongestants mainly target symptoms, while the cause of the problem remains.

Some side-effects to watch out for are drying of the mouth, stomach problems and changes in heart rate and blood pressure.

Doctors say the FDA warning should be taken seriously here as there are few controls on sale of medicines and most, including cough syrups, are available without prescription.

There are some 200-300 cough and cold medicines in the market, including Benadryl, Cinaryl, Corex, Chericof, T-minic, Cosome, Deletus, Dristan Expectorant, Grilinctus, Phensydyl, Tixylix and Zeet Expectorant.

Companies say the FDA advisory may not affect them much. "Our label clearly says it should not be given to children below two years. We do not sell paediatric cough formulations in India," says Anil Nayak, director of Johnson & Johnson.

Cancer Cure In Red Wine, Fruits, Vegetables, And Green Tea.

The next cancer drug might come straight from the grocery store, according to new research published in the November 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal. In the study, French scientists describe how high and low doses of polyphenols have different effects. Most notably, they found that very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols shut down and prevent cancerous tumors by cutting off the formation of new blood vessels needed for tumor growth. Polyphenols are commonly found in red wine, fruits, vegetables, and green tea.

At relatively low doses, the French researchers found that the same polyphenols play a beneficial role for those with diseased hearts and circulatory systems by facilitating blood vessel growth. The amount of polyphenols necessary for this effect was found to be the equivalent of only one glass of red wine per day or simply sticking to a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables containing polyphenols. This diet is known as the "Mediterranean Diet."

This study also adds to a growing body of research showing dose-dependent relationships for many types of commonly used compounds. For instance, research published in the October 2006 issue of The FASEB Journal shows that aspirin, through different mechanisms, also has a dose-dependent relationship for heart disease and cancer.

"When it comes to finding treatments for complex diseases, the answers are sometimes right there waiting to be discovered in unexpected places like the produce aisles and wine racks of the nearest store," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "But it takes modern science to isolate the pure compound, test it in the lab, and to go on from there to find new agents to fight disease."

According to the authors, the amount of polyphenols necessary to obtain an anti-cancer effect is the equivalent of drinking about a bottle of red wine each day. This amount of daily alcohol consumption obviously is unhealthy, but the research suggests that polyphenols extracted from plants or red wine could be converted into a pill that is highly likely to be safe. Such a pill also would be relatively easy and inexpensive to create and deliver.

"The use of plant polyphenols as therapeutic tools presents important advantages," said Daniel Henrion, senior author of the study, "because they have a good safety profile, a low cost and they can be obtained everywhere on the planet."

Adapted from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Sugar-Free Gums and Sweets Can Cause Diarrhea, Severe Weight Loss and Stomach Aches!

Doctors say that chewing sugar-free gum after a meal decreases mouth's bacterial acidity, the main factor involved in tooth decay, due to the abundant salivation, diluting and neutralizing the acid. And here comes the shock: a new research published in the "British Medical Journal" shows that exaggerating with the chew gum could cause stomach conditions and non-healthy weight loss.

This was linked to the sweetener used – sorbitol (E420) – also found in many sugar-free sweets and cereals. Sorbitol has 60 % of the sugar's calories, but 14 or more chewing gum sticks daily could severely affect your health. This chemical is poorly absorbed by the gut and has laxative properties.

The German doctors signal the case of two patients experiencing chronic diarrhea and severe weight loss. This challenges researches made by the Wrigley company, signaling a positive weight loss induced by chewing gum, by decreasing the urge to munch all the time. Also, a gum stick has 5 to 10 calories and the chewing gum consumes around 11 calories an hour.

The team at the Charite Universitatsmediz, in Berlin medical school, discovered that the 21-year-old woman, one of the two patients, chewed large quantities of sugar-free gum, meaning about 18-20 g sorbitol daily (one stick of chewing gum has around 1.25g of sorbitol) and had lost 24lb (11kg),
weighing 6st 6lb (40.8kg). The 46-year-old man, i.e. the second patient, chewed 20 sticks of sugar-free gum and consumed 200g of sweets daily, ingesting 30g of sorbitol each day. In 2007, he had lost 48.5lb (22kg). When both patients ceased consuming sorbitol-containing foods, their diarrhea was gone, and they started gaining weight.

"People should be warned of the dangers of too much sorbitol, including diabetics who rely on low-sugar or sugar-free foods. Both our patients consumed large amounts of sorbitol, which belongs to the family of polyalcohol sugars, like mannitol and xylitol, some of which are regularly used as laxatives. However, sorbitol is also used as a sweetener in many sugar-free foods and drug products", wrote the authors.

"Our cases show that sorbitol consumption can cause not only chronic diarrhea and functional bowel problems but also considerable unintended weight loss (about 20% of usual body weight). Thus, the investigation of unexplained weight loss should include detailed dietary history with regard to foods containing sorbitol", they added.

"Excessive consumption of polyols, such as sorbitol, can have a laxative effect in some individuals. Studies generally indicate that people can consume up to 40g of sorbitol without experiencing a laxative effect, subject to the individual and other components of his or her diet – a level not even approached by normal consumption of sugar-free chewing gum. To reach the threshold of excessive consumption of sorbitol through use of gum alone, someone would have to chew close to 100 pellets of gum daily", said a spokesperson for the Wrigley Company.

softpedia.com

Vitamin D Benefits

A little more sunshine might help you live longer, according to a study published suggesting that for some people who get health benefits from the Sun outweigh the risk of skin cancer.

Sunlight spurs the body to produce vitamin D but fear of skin cancer is keeping many people in the shade and depriving them of an important protection from a range of diseases, researchers said

"The skin cancer risk is there but the health benefits from some Sun exposure is far larger than the risk," said Johan Moan, a researcher at the Institute for Cancer Research in Oslo, who led the study. "What we find is modest Sun exposure gives enormous vitamin D benefits."
A number of studies have found protective effects from higher vitamin D intake for some cancers and ailments such as rickets, osteoporosis and diabetes, Moan said. Certain foods contain vitamin D but the body’s main source comes from the Sun.

The researchers calculated that given the same amount of time spent outside, people living just below the equator in Australia produced 3.4 times more vitamin D than people in Britain and 4.8 times more than Scandinavians.

This means even though rates of internal cancers such as colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer rise from north to south, people in the sunnier latitudes were less likely to die from the diseases, the researchers said.

"The current data provide a further indication of the beneficial role of sun-induced vitamin D for cancer prognosis," said Richard Setlow of the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, who worked on the study.

Getting more vitamin D - which helps the body's immune system work properly - is also critical for people living in places like Scandinavia where long winters and short days during the year limit Sun exposure, Moan added.

In Norway, Moan estimated that doubling the Sun exposure for the general population would also double the number of annual skin cancer deaths to about 300 but that 3,000 fewer people would die from other cancers. "The benefits could be significant for people in other countries as well," he said in a telephone interview. "I would be surprised if they were different."

source:thetimesofindia

Five Tips To Help You Achieve Your Health-Related Goals In 2008

Here are five tips to help you achieve your health-related goals and more in the new year

Year after year, New Year’s resolutions are one of the first things to fall by the wayside after the flush of fresh optimism at the beginning of the new calendar year has faded. The following five tips can help you stay on track with your health and other goals – and make this year a winner!

1. Word your resolutions constructively. The words you choose to describe your New Year’s resolutions can have an impact on whether you will succeed or fail. If you choose positive words that empower you and that describe what you want clearly, you set yourself on a path to success (though whether or not you follow that path is still up to you!). If you word your resolutions negatively, you set yourself up for failure. For instance, “I have control over my life and I am happy with myself ” is a more helpful affirmation for most people than “I’m going to get over my depression.” Using present tense rather than future tense in the words you choose will empower your New Year’s resolutions, by persuading the subconscious that what you want is happening now, rather than in some amorphous future – creating more noticeable results more quickly.

2. Don’t make a resolution you’re not going to keep. Think of every resolution as a promise to yourself and do your best to keep your word. Making a promise to yourself that you know you’re going to break is discouraging and, ultimately, self-defeating. Sometimes you can make a seemingly impossible resolution more palatable by reframing it: Instead of setting a goal to “lose 15 pounds before next Christmas,” why not make a promise to yourself to “consciously choose to prepare a healthier meal twice a week?” Or to walk in the park at least once a week now and twice a week once the weather gets nicer? This kind of resolution seems smaller and is more attainable. It is also more focused – an effective way to break down and accomplish the goal you wanted to set (lose 15 pounds) – but would not have followed through on were you aiming for that final goal and not the seemingly smaller attainable goals along the way.

3. If a New Year’s resolution involves eliminating a bad habit, come up with an alternative in advance to replace it. A smoker who is determined to quit might decide to replace the nicotine habit with chewing gum, or with an essential oil like cinnamon, which may help to break the physical craving. Someone who tenses up their back or neck muscles might get a stress ball to squeeze instead of internalising emotional stress. If you’re planning to stop eating refined sugar, do your research first and consider which alternative sweeteners you might use to replace it when you cook. Figure out which health food stores stock goodies and prepared foods that use safer sweeteners (honey, agave, maple syrup, or others) to replace white sugar and other toxic sweeteners.

4. Confide in a friend. It’s a cliché but true: if you tell a friend about your New Year’s resolution, you multiply your odds of keeping it. Friends can act as a reality check and a cheering committee in one, helping you to stay on track by reminding you of your goal and asking supportively about your progress – and you can do the same for them. If you are cringing at the thought of telling anyone about your goal, ask yourself: Am I expecting to fail? Am I avoiding talking about this goal because I don’t want to be embarrassed when I fail? If this is the reason for your silence, consider telling someone who will keep you on track and support you in achieving your goal, or set yourself a more reasonable resolution that you do believe you can follow. Another question to ask yourself might be – am I reluctant to talk about my goal because my friends will belittle my aim and try to discourage me? If your answer to the latter is yes, post your New Year’s resolution in a discussion board for friendly cheering and support! The simple choice to write a resolution down, type it, or speak it out loud can empower your thought to become action.

5. Get professional help. If you’ve got a change that you are determined to make but you might have bitten off more than you can chew, please consider consulting your doctor, nutritionist, or another healthcare professional for assistance. The best healing and medical practitioners make it their mandate to help you with your physical and emotional health goals. They may have information or access to resources that could make achieving your resolutions simpler and easier.

Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself this new year

source:thetimesofindia