Tag Archive for: #wonderfullyfit

How to Eat to Stop Emotional Overeating

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When you think of stopping emotional overeating, does it seem like an impossible goal? You’re not alone – many people who suffer from this problem feel imprisoned and helpless. It can seem like you are unable to break free from the overwhelming emotions and habits. But there’s good news – it’s a treatable problem.

Being honest with yourself is an important first step. Emotional overeaters tend to judge themselves pretty harshly, but don’t – you’re not an isolated case or some kind of freak. It’s a sign of strength to seek help! It means you’ve identified the problem.

emotional

If you’re struggling with this problem, there are some things you can do to get things under control while you’re seeking professional help. Here are some tips.

Your Grocery List

When an emotional moment hits and you head for the refrigerator or pantry, what kind of foods do you usually go for? Often, emotional overeaters head for high-calorie comfort foods like ice cream, chips, or candy bars. But you can’t eat those things if they are not in your house! Here are some examples of foods to put on your grocery list in place of the ones you may be tempted to buy. (Another tip – buy only the foods on your list. Compulsive buying of food is tempting.)

  • Brown rice (instead of white rice)
  • Millet (instead of or in addition to rice)
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables (rather than canned)
  • Low-fat, low-calorie yogurt (rather than ice cream)
  • Popcorn kernels for air popping (rather than chips and fatty snacks)
  • Lean protein like fish, turkey, and chicken (instead of deli meats and processed meats like hotdogs and         bologna)
  • Natural, healthy cooking oils like olive and safflower oil (instead of shortening, lard, or unhealthy oils)

Don’t Crash Diet

It’s good to be proactive in solving problems, and emotional eating is no exception. If you try to crash diet, you may find yourself eating more after the crash diet is over. So, rather than stopping eating everything you love, try some of these tips.

  • Allow yourself to have a dish of frozen yogurt each week as a treat. This approach tends to be easier than just cutting out all frozen treats. You could use this approach with other “naughty” foods, too – it may be easier to resist if you know you are going to have that food on Saturday (or whatever day of the week you choose to have a small treat).

  • Boost your nutrition with a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement.

  • Increase your consumption of nutrient-dense foods.

Eat Regular Meals

Experts recommend regular mealtimes as a way to combat emotional overeating. If it’s not “time” for food, then you may be better able to hold off on eating until it is time. Also, eating regular meals helps you to be deliberate about your intake of nutritious foods. And finally, having regular meal times tends to make for a more relaxed eating experience, which is the direct opposite of anxiety-driven overeating.

7 Reasons To Start Up With an Exercise Program

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Most of us need to follow an exercise program. This is due to the fact that just a minority of Americans exercise in a significant way.

Below follows 7 good reasons to start exercising now.

exercise

1. Contributes to fat loss.

It is well documented from scientific research all over the world for many years that physical exercise contributes significantly to weight loss. I will not dwell on this issue fore it is so obvious, but just mention the simple fact that weight loss is a function of the net calorie intake.

If you burn more calories than you take in thorough nutrition, you lose weight and vice versa. When you exercise you burn more calories then when you don’t. So the bottom line is: All other factors equal, the more you exercise the more weight or fat you’ll lose. That’s really simple.

2. Preventing Disease

The probability of developing a large number of various diseases has been proven to decrease dramatically thanks to physical exercising. These include:

  • heart disease
  • cancer
  • diabetes
  • stroke

About 4/5’s of deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to life-style factors like stress and lack of physical training. We also know that diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. This shows that many of the risk factors and diseases caused by inactivity are working together to damage your health. Don’t let these ugly forces do that – start exercising today.

3. Healing or improving disease

We also know that many severe and minor diseases can be dramatically improved or even healed by doing regular exercises. These include most of the diseases I mentioned in the last paragraph. Following a workout plan regularly also decreases HDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) levels, decreases triglyceride levels (a fat liquid that increases the risk of diabetes) and decreases blood pressure (a cause of heart attack and stroke).

Regular physical training also reduces the risk of prostate cancers for men, breast and uterine cancers for women, non-insulin dependent diabetes for both genders and much more. All this is scientifically proven. So, why not start your workout today?

4. Enhance your mental health

We know from many scientific study that regular exercising leads to an increased release of endorphin in the body. These chemicals help combat depression and make us feel happier. The body releases these endorphin after only 12 minutes into the workout.

Another chemical called serotonin is increased during and after a workout session. Increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system is associated with feelings of well-being and decreased mental depression. It also helps you feel less tired which can increase your mental alertness. It also helps you sleep better.

5. Enhance your feeling of wellness

When you are in a good shape and fit you’ll feel more upbeat, and your overall mood is improved. You have experienced that you can stretch your own limits, you know you are capable to do more than before you started to exercise. This gives you a feeling of wellness that’s difficult to describe.

Let’s do an experiment: Do an hour of workout today; do whatever you want like walking, bicycling, swimming, jogging, running whatever. Adjust the intensity of the training so that you sweat really good. Then take a shower and sit down. Feel yourself. Now you know what I mean.

6. Increase your persistence

Regular exercising gives you more energy, which can make you more productive at home and at work. Exercise can give you new goals and a sense of purpose – you have something positive to focus on and aim for. This will increase your overall persistence and prevent the like hood of getting off track, whatever your goal is.

7. Enhance your social capabilities

Following a workout plan regularly can boost our self-esteem. It will Help you look better and you will be more comfortable with your own company. Exercise helps you to get active and meet new people, which prevents you from feeling isolated and unsupported. It even increases your interest in sex, and can improve your marriage or your partner relationship.

So, after knowing all this – all the positive things exercise and workout can do for you – do you have any reason to remain inactive? Come on, get active today. You deserve it.

Amino Acid Therapy

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Amino Acid Therapy for Cerebral Palsy

The contribution in the development of cerebral palsy focuses on potentially modifiable factors during the neonatal period. Studies revealed that it has something to do with the excitable protein block- builders and their role in neurological injury.

In preventing the permanent deficit of having cerebral palsy, amino acid therapy is a method of treating brain damage and early abnormality. This was created by Professor Alexander Khokhlov from Russia who is teaching biochemistry and nuerology. He also has other clinics in Cyrpus, Czech Republic, London and New Zealand.

Amino Acid Therapy

This consists of the intravenous administration of one or more essential protein block- builders. It was performed on 84 patients that went through treatment from February 1994 to February 1996. About 39 received two courses, 20 had three sessions, 9 took four, 9 received five courses, 6 had six sessions and 1 took seven. Accordingly, a percentage of more than 50 patients were given 3 or more courses.

Amino Acid Therapy for Psychological Condition

Neurotransmitters are important chemical messengers which regulate functions in the brain, muscles, organs and nerves. Serotonin, dopamine, neropinephrine and epinephrine are the most common of its type.

People that have the neurotransmitter deficiency can have the following conditions depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, attention deficit, anxiety, panic attacks and many more. With the application of the amino acid therapy it has helped those who are agonizing such situations. Treatments include taking SSRI or selective serotonin re- uptake inhibitors and other prescribed drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor, Celexa or Wellbutrin.

It functions by artificially accelerating the amount of serotonin in the synapse of the nerve. This allows a temporary recovery in the chemical messaging system. The downside however, is that it does not increase serotonin levels and diminishes the stocks of NT. It happens because the SSRI class drugs bring about an augment in an enzyme called MAO.

Amino Acid Therapy for Cancer

Developed by Angelo John, a cancer scientist, he researched the role of the protein block- builders in the cancer cells. Afterwhich, he determined how it can be altered to eliminate to cause its death. Thus, his objective is to strategically and scientifically utilize the chemical reactions and supplemental responses by interfering with the five basic prerequisites namely structure, blood vessels, energy, growth hormones and functions.

Amino acid therapy works synergistically with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It hinders the rise of tumors and causes them to retreat. It is a six to eight month course administered to under the care of your doctor and just inside the comforts of your home.

There was a study done by Dr. Marco Rabinovitz of the National Cancer Institute where it showed that deprivation of the protein block- builders is beneficial in healing cancer. Such is an example that consists of scintifically formulated amino acids. In the otherhand, Dr. Chi Van Dang of John Hopkins School of Medicine stated that cancer cells are sugar junkies that if robbed of glucose, they will eventually pass away.

Alternative Therapies for Emotional Overeating

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Emotional overeating can make a person feel imprisoned – it can seem like there is no way out of the cycle of feeling sad, angry, anxious and so forth, and then eating to alleviate the emotional pain. There are treatments that are available, though – some of them conventional and some of them alternative.

Conventional therapy, surgery, and medication have all been utilized at one time or another for the treatment of emotional overeating. There are, however, some alternative therapies that are worth exploring. Here are some of them.

Emotional overeating

Hypnosis

Because emotional overeating begins in the mind, hypnosis is said to be effective because it addresses the mind directly with the power of suggestion. Hypnosis is not the mumbo-jumbo stuff of cartoons and swinging pocket watches; it’s a clinical practice and many practitioners have used it with success to treat emotional overeating.

Meditation

The intent of meditation as a treatment for emotional overeating is to “tune in” to the emotional thought center that is driving your cravings and/or binge eating. Meditation, sometimes taking a form called “mindfulness,” is the opposite of mindLESSness, which is what often happens in emotional overeating. The person does not really think about what he or she is doing; it’s mindless eating.

Herbal Supplements

It seems like every time you turn around there’s a new herbal supplement promising to help you lose weight. But there are some herbs that can help with the issue of emotional overeating. Here are some of them.

  • Hoodia – This much-publicized herb is said to be effective at appetite suppression and boosting energy. Its effects tend to be subtle, and it also has a good safety record.
  • Vitex – This hormone-balancing herb for women may help those whose emotional overeating is influenced by hormone fluctuations.
  • Ginseng – This ancient herb is said to help sugar cravings and curb the compulsion to overeat in response to one’s emotions. Both American and Asian ginseng are purported to be equally effective.

Acupuncture

Acupuncturists are often asked if acupuncture can help with weight loss. The answer, in general, is yes – but not always. However, the good news is that acupuncture tends to be more successful with treating emotional overeating than just overeating. This may be due to acupuncture’s alleged ability to release endorphins and boost metabolism – making the client feel better emotionally, effectively curtailing the emotional overeating.

Nutrition

Interestingly, having the right balance of vitamins and minerals may affect emotional overeating – it’s not too much of a stretch to speculate that nutritional deficiencies could play a part in this kind of overeating. So make sure you’re not eating a lot of artificial, processed, pre-packaged foods; opt for fresh, whole foods as a general rule. It’s also a good idea to take a vitamin and mineral supplement that is formulated for your gender and life situation.

3 Ways to Exercise On A Busy Schedule

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Most exercise programs are started with the best intentions. So why then, do treadmills turn into storage platforms, and walking shoes are worn only to Saturday night movies? The answer is more of a matter of poor planning then low motivation.

For exercise to be viable, it should include activities you enjoy, be accessible, and fit easily into your daily schedule. Here are 3 three ideas:

exercise

Arm your exercise space for battle.

What would it take for your treadmill to be used? What about the weights? Maybe all you need is for your exercise space/room to be more inviting. You could accomplish this by decorating. Add color, texture, and other elements that will appeal to your senses-sight, smell, and sound. Do simple things like keeping a water pitcher on a table, or adjusting the light to fit your mood. If instead of comfort, your worry is infringing on productive time, consider adding a television with a VCR. This allows you to watch the news or watch a movie that you wouldn’t normally have time to watch. You can view it in 20-30 minute increments. View it only when exercising, forcing you back on the equipment to see what happens next. It might be the motivating factor you’ve been looking for. Another possibility is to listen to a book on tape or recorded meeting notes through a headset. You can also record notes or the next day’s “to do” list as you think of things while exercising.

Walk whenever possible.

This includes the old stand bys like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking a distance from your destination, and delivering messages in your office by foot instead of by email. You can also walk on your lunch hour and breaks instead of sitting down to eat or snacking. To get your lunchtime nutrition, eat a quick salad at your desk before you take off. Bringing your food from home will save drive time to a restaurant, enabling you to get more from your breaks. Invite co-worker to walk with you.

Choose active family activities.

Instead of eating a big dinner out-eat a healthy meal at home and then take a walk around the neighborhood together. You’ll save the calories of the large restaurant portions, the time it takes to drive to an establishment, and gain that much need family time. Other “active” activities include walking around at the zoo, hiking on local nature preserves, bicycling, ice-skating, and swimming. The list is endless. Let these types of activities replace television watching and video games.

Turn your good intentions into action. You’ll be healthier and will improve your overall well-being. You may end up with better work relationships as a result of hand delivering your messages. You will certainly strengthen family relationships by focusing on your time together. By investing a little time each day in the development of a healthy lifestyle, you could add years to your life, enabling you to enjoy the days when you no longer have such a chaotic schedule.

Benefits of Amino Acid Supplements

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Amino acid supplements can provide a variety of health benefits to those who seek a healthy mind and body. Amino acids that are found in amino acid supplements are used by every cell in the human body and play many vital functions. Important amino acids are usually acquired through amino acid food intake and can also be obtained through amino acid supplements.

Sources of amino acids in food may come from animal or plant sources and includes all types of meat as well as eggs, milk, and cheese. Amino acid supplements in the form of tablets are now also readily available and can help complete the daily body’s amino acid requirements. The amino acids both in food and supplements have a profound effect on nails, hair, muscles, skin, and body organs.

Amino acid supplements

The lack of amino acid in the diet, while not common, may lead to compromised health and deficiency problems. General fatigue and poor muscle strength can be symptoms of lack of amino acid food and amino acid supplements. Other signs for the body’s lack of amino acid are outbreaks of acne and excessively dry skin. These can only be counteracted through the proper and sufficient intake of amino acids through food and supplements.

Because of the benefits of amino acid supplements, a lot of people have included them in the diet. One of the benefits of amino acid supplements are being able to fill in the deficiency of some amino acids that helps in building and repairing different body parts. They also contain ingredients which are essential to certain body functions.

Another benefit of amino acid supplements is its ability to restock the wading acid supply of the body. Studies have shown that one of the benefits of amino acid supplements can aid the growth of lean mass with no ill effects on present muscle mass. Increased endurance and reduction in body fat experienced by many athletes is another benefit of amino acid supplements. Benefit of amino acid supplements in athletes have also shown that little time is sent recovering after extreme training as well as long lasting energy.

Those people who are into body building though may need higher levels of protein or amino acid supplements as these physical activities have a definite effect on protein metabolism. Another of the benefits of amino acid supplements is that it can increase muscular development specifically when involved with heavy resistance training.

Another part where amino acid supplements have proven beneficial is in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and chronic fatigue syndrome. It also aids in those people who suffer from bronchitis, depression, and even diabetes. Favorable results also show for amino acid supplement users for high blood pressure as well as enhanced fitness because amino acid supplements meet the protein needs of the body.

Emotional Overeating: Knowing Where to Turn

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Emotional overeating can seem like a prison with no way out, and when you do think of seeking treatment, it can seem too overwhelming to consider. Sometimes it helps to have some simple steps and treatment programs laid out clearly, so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.

Following is a list of common treatment options for emotional overeating disorder, as well as some tips on things you can do and some cautions on what not to do.

overeating

Common Treatments

First, recognize your problem. Know you’re not alone – the number of people who suffer from emotional overeating disorder is significant.

  • Counseling – Individual, group, or family counseling can prove very helpful for people who experience emotional overeating. Counseling treatment usually involves some nutritional and dietary guidelines and treatment of underlying emotional problems.

  • Surgery – This is a somewhat controversial treatment for emotional overeating – it addresses the physical aspect of the problem rather than the emotional. However, in combination with emotional therapy and extensive medical counseling, surgery is a viable choice for some sufferers. Usually, surgical options involve decreasing the space available in the stomach, usually by a lap-band or gastric bypass procedure.

  • Medication – Under the care of a professional, medications – usually anti-depressants – have been shown to provide relief for many who suffer from emotional overeating. This may be due to the suspected connection between overeating and depression – research continues to point to the relationship between the two problems.

Tips – What You Can Do

  • Exercise regularly – Yes, you’ve heard this one, but it’s really an important aspect of managing emotional overeating. Exercise may improve mood, improve energy levels, and increase your self-image – all part of overcoming emotional overeating. You can start with just 20 minutes of brisk walking three to six times a week.

  • Eat well – What you do eat is as important as what you’re “not allowed” to eat! Sometimes, emotional overeaters can be overcome by cravings for certain “forbidden” foods, like ice cream, candy bars, and potato chips. But if you’re full of and surrounded by healthy foods, you can dig in without feeling guilty. Keep fresh produce on hand and eat lots of lean protein, veggies, fruits, and whole grains.

What Not to Do

  • Keep unhealthy snacks handy – If you don’t have the unhealthy food in the house, you will probably be less likely to head for it in times of emotional distress. In other words, make it hard on yourself to get the foods you want to eat when feeling bad – cross ice cream, junk foods, and fatty snacks off your grocery list.

  • Crash diet – Trying to starve yourself or go on an extended fast is not recommended. You may compromise yourself nutritionally and/or physically, and crash dieting tends to result in more overeating afterward.

Effective Cardio Workouts In Only 20 Minutes

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The perfect workout routine is one that combines strength training and some form of cardio. The problem is, most people hate doing cardio and will make up any excuse not to do it. A popular excuse is not having enough time. This article, however, will show you how you can spend only 20 minutes on a cardio workout and still reap the benefits.

So first of all, why is it necessary that you add cardio to your workouts? Most people understand the benefits of strength training because it adds muscle and muscle makes you healthier, more lean and stronger overall.

cardio

But what are the benefits of cardio? Here is a short list that names just a few:

  • it helps reduce stress
  • it burns calories which leads to weight loss
  • it makes your heart and lungs stronger
  • it reduces your risk of certain diseases
  • it reduces depression and increases confidence
  • it gives you more energy and helps you sleep better
    To sum it up, adding cardio to your workout improves your health and well-being which leads to a better quality of life. Combine this with strength training and you’re on your way to feeling great, fast.

So how can you reap the benefits of cardio in only 20 minutes per workout? It’s called Interval Training and it can be applied to many different forms of cardio including boxing, running and biking.

The concept in a nutshell is shorter workouts, but higher intensity. This is accomplished by pushing hard for say two minutes and then slowing down for two minutes. If you repeat this cycle four more times then you have your 20 minutes. You could also do one minute hard, one minute easy and then repeat this nine more times.

Here is an example:

Interval training is perfect for running. If you’re working out on a treadmill or running outdoors, it’s the same routine. Start out with a warm up jog followed by two minutes of a challenging pace. This won’t be your all out because you have to maintain it for two minutes, but a pace that will be very hard for you. You then follow this with two minutes of either a walk or a very slow jog. Repeat four more times and you’ve got yourself an effective cardio workout in only 20 minutes.

This concept can be applied to many different forms of cardio: two minutes hard, two minutes easy, repeat four more times. Or one minute hard, one minute easy, repeat nine more times. You’ll get your blood flowing, your heart pumping and reap all the benefits cardio has to offer…all in only 20 minutes.

Amino Acid in Blood

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Amino acids are known to be the building blocks of the body and play a vital role in the construction of proteins which is very essential for bodily functions. However, recent studies have shown that high amount of an amino acid called homocysteine in blood is a biomarker for cardiovascular diseases and age-macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in senior citizens.

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood which epidemiological studies have shown that too much homocystein amino acid in blood (plasma) is connected to a higher risk of strokes, peripheral vascular disease, and heart disease. Furthermore, evidence suggests that homocysteine may have an outcome on atherosclerosis through harming the inner lining of the arteries and promote blood clots.

amino

High levels of homocysteine amino acid in blood are strongly manipulated by diet as well as genetic factors. Dietary components which have a big effect on lowering down homocysteine are vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid. Other B vitamins and folic acid helps in breaking down homocysteine in the body. Studies have shown that higher blood levels of B vitamins results partly to low concentrations of homocysteine. And low levels of folic acid are connected to higher risk of stroke and fatal coronary heart disease. Dietary foods that are high in folic acid include grain products fortified with folic acid and green leafy vegetables.

In the large study of the relationship of amino acids in blood and AMD researchers have measured the fasting plasma homocysteine levels of nine hundred thirty four individuals who participated in an ancillary study of Age-Related Eye Disease Study resulted to five hundred forty seven people with AMD.

This research which was conducted at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Devers Eye Institute in Portland, Ore, found that elevated homocysteine amino acid in blood may be another biomarker for the increased risk of AMD. Homocysteine amino acid in blood may be reduced by dietary intake of vitamins B12, B6, and folate; however further studies is needed between the relationship of this amino acid and AMD.

It was found out by researchers that middle values were higher among those people with advanced stages of AMD than those people without AMD, controlling for age, and other factors. More findings add that there may be overlapping disease mechanisms between AMD and cardiovascular diseases.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the principal cause of blindness and irreversible visual impairment among persons aged sixty years old and older. With the population of elderly people steadily growing, the number related to this loss of visual function will increase. The treatment for this still remains to be limited and prevention still remains to be the best approach for tackling this public health concern.

Nutritional Treatments for Emotional Overeating

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It may seem ironic to turn to nutritional treatments for emotional overeating – after all, isn’t the problem too much eating? Why would you want to look at more foods you need to eat? But more and more experts are seeing the connection between nutrition and emotional overeating.

The fact is, when you overeat in response to emotions, you may not be eating the healthiest foods. You become full – even sick – on junk foods, and there’s no room left for the good stuff. It’s common knowledge that you do need the right nutrients to be healthy, and if those foods are not being eaten, then it’s more a matter of quality than quantity.

nutritional treatments

Nutritional Deficiencies

Another aspect of emotional overeating may be nutritional deficiencies – and the deficiencies might bring on cravings. The theory is that the body craves certain foods in response to a need – in the case of emotional overeating, the need is emotional but it may also be physical. For example, a craving for ice cream may signify your body’s need for calcium.

Here are some vitamins and minerals that, according to research, are implicated in the management of emotional overeating.

Vitamin D

This vitamin’s effect on mood is well-documented, and is even suggested for people who suffer from certain depressive disorders, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder. Foods high in Vitamin D include:

  • Cod liver oil
  • Sockeye salmon
  • Soymilk (fortified with Vitamin D)
  • Cow’s milk

Remember that Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so sources with healthy fats, such as fish, may be absorbed better by the body.

 B-complex Vitamins

These important vitamins help increase energy levels and manage water retention. Foods with B vitamins include:

  • Yogurt
  • Eggs
  • Lean beef (B12)
  • Dark leafy greens (kale, broccoli, spinach)

Magnesium and Calcium

This is a powerful pair – many supplements put them together in one pill or capsule. These minerals are important for managing muscle and nerve tension. Interestingly, when these minerals occur naturally in foods, there is usually a higher proportion of magnesium to calcium, whereas supplements generally have more calcium than magnesium. Foods include:

  • Beans
  • Nuts, especially peanuts, hazelnuts, and pecans
  • Corn

Zinc

Zinc has been shown to have a profound effect on appetite and cravings, and many people with eating disorders are deficient in this mineral. Zinc is found in the following foods:

  • Shellfish, especially oysters and crab
  • Beef, particularly beef shanks
  • Pork
  • Chicken
  • Garbanzo beans

Making deliberate, conscious choices about what you do eat can go a long way toward managing emotional overeating. Plan your meals and make a shopping list, and be proactive about meeting your nutritional needs.