Health,Fitness & Beauty Care

Contact us

Raj — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 08:01:37 +0000

If you want to lose weight, get healthy and/or build muscle, hiring a personal trainer can be a step in the right direction. A good trainer can help you set up a program that meets your goals and teach you the best way to exercise. Here’s what you should know before you hand over the cash.

What is a Personal Trainer?

A personal trainer should be, at the least, educated and certified through a reputable fitness organization (see below). This person’s job is to assess your fitness level, set up a program for you and keep you motivated. He or she will push you past your comfort level–something difficult to do on your own. A trainer also provides:

guidance on reaching your goals
education about strength training, cardio and basic nutrition
a reason to show up at the gym each week
accountability
ways to help track your progress

What is a Session Like?

Each session lasts about an hour. The first meeting is devoted to assessing fitness level, body measurements, exercise and health history and goals. Be prepared to step on the scale, have your body fat tested and answer specific questions about your goals. After that, you’ll spend most of your time on strength training and cardio.

What to Look for In a Personal Trainer

Education: A personal trainer should be certified through a reputable personal training organization. An exercise science or other related college degree isn’t necessary, but the more education your trainer has, the better your workouts will be.
CPR: your trainer should have an updated certification in CPR and/or first aid.
Experience: Make sure your trainer has several years of experience, especially in relation to your goals. For example, if you’re a bodybuilder, you want someone knowledgeable in that area.
Specifics: If you have a specific medical problem, injury or condition (such as being pregnant, heart problems, diabetes, etc.) make sure your trainer has education in these areas and will work with your doctor.
A good listener: A good trainer will listen closely to what you say and make sure he understands your goals.
Attention: A good trainer will be focused only on you during your sessions.
Tracking progress: A good trainer will regularly assess your progress and change things if necessary.

Personality is important too since you’ll be working very closely with this person. Make sure you get along with your trainer and feel comfortable asking questions.

If u want Personal Fitness Trainer

Loose & Gain weight naturally through Exercises

Training will also be provided at your place.

Felxible timings as per your requirement.

Contact-Mr.Raj

Mob-9920522708

Email:- fitnesscare@mail.com, fitnesscare@zapak.com,

fitnesscare@bigstring.com, dharmendra.raj@hotmail.com

Posted in Contact us

Private Gym Trainer

Raj — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:54:13 +0000

Private Gym Trainer

Welcome to the fast track to fitness.

We all have the best intentions when it comes to getting fit, shaping up or losing weight, but the pressures of our busy lifestyles often mean it’s all too easy to give the gym or exercise class a miss.

Personal trainers are no longer reserved for the rich and famous! More and more people from all walks of life in Mumbai, and all areas in INDIA are realising that personal training is a surprisingly affordable way to help you reach your fitness goals, maximise your health, even change your body shape… and just as importantly, keep you motivated.

Now you can work one-to-one or in a group of up to four with a qualified and experienced Personal trainer at FITNESS CARE, conveniently located in Lokhandwala Andheri West Mumbai.

At your introductory visit, your PT (Personal Trainer) will assess your current level of fitness, discuss your goals, take on board any health concerns you may have and compile a specially tailored fitness programme for you.

With a PT behind you to advise, push and encourage you, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. The results will be measurable. If they’re not, we’re not doing our job properly.

What you can expect

Dedicated professional fitness trainers who put your individual requirements first

FITNESS CARE is dedicated to total health and wellbeing. As well as the skills of personal and fitness trainers we also offer:

Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Pilates classes
A private doctor

Serious about getting fit?

Our PTs and fitness trainers would love to meet you. Call us to book your introductory session and tour our state-of-the-art facilities.

We look forward to training with you soon.

Posted in Private Gym Trainer

Personal Gym Trainer Mumbai

Raj — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:49:04 +0000

Welcome to the My Personal Trainer Fitness Network Exercise Library .where you will be able to locate and view some of our extensive Exercise Database of Fitness & Exercise Instruction for helping you build your very own weight training & fitness program. You will be able to view our extensive Exercise Directory by Muscle Group and Body Part as well as find some of the best forms of exercise movements that deliver superior results in the least amount of time.

If you are ready to build & tone your muscles, increase your metabolism to burn fat fast, and lose weight through our diverse Exercise Database of weight training exercises, then begin your exercise journey with some of My Personal Training Exercises Instruction.

An Understanding of Weight Training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the force of gravity (in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weight stacks) to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight training uses a variety of specialized equipment to target specific muscle groups and types of movement.

Weight training differs from bodybuilding, weightlifting, power lifting and strongman, which are sports rather than forms of exercise. Weight training, however, is often part of the athlete’s training regimen.

Weight training vs. Strength Training

Strength training is an inclusive term for all types of exercise devoted towards increasing muscular strength and size (as opposed to muscular endurance, associated with aerobic exercise, or flexibility, associated with stretching exercise like yoga or pilates, though endurance and flexibility can improve as a byproduct of training). Weight training is one type of strength training and the most common, seen by all but specialists as synonymous with strength training. The difference between weight training and other types of strength training is how the opposition to muscular contraction is generated. Resistance training uses elastic or hydraulic forces to oppose muscular contraction and isometric exercise uses structural or intramuscular forces (e.g. doorways or the body’s own muscles).

Basic Training Principles

Strength training

The basic principles of weight training are essentially identical to those of strength training, and involve a manipulation of the number of repetitions (reps), sets, tempo, exercise types and weight moved to cause desired increases in strength, endurance, size or shape. The specific combinations of reps, sets, exercises and weight depends upon the aims of the individual performing the exercise; sets with fewer reps can be performed with heavier weights, but have a reduced impact on endurance.

In addition to the basic principles of strength training, a further consideration added by weight training is the equipment used. Types of equipment include barbells, dumbbells, pulleys and stacks in the form of weight machines or the body’s own weight in the case of chin-ups and push-ups. Different types of weights will give different types of resistance, and often the same absolute weight can have different relative weights depending on the type of equipment used. For example, lifting 10 kilograms using a dumbbell requires significantly more force than moving 10 kilograms on a weight stack due to the use of pulleys.

Weight training also requires the use of ‘good form’, performing the movements with the appropriate muscle group, and not transferring the weight to different body parts in order to move greater weight (called ‘cheating’). Failure to use good form during a training set can result in injury or a failure to meet training goals – since the desired muscle group is not challenged sufficiently, the threshold of overload is never reached and the muscle does not gain in strength.

Weight training can be a very effective form of strength training because exercises, weights, sets and reps can be precisely manipulated to challenge individual muscle groups in a way found to be the most effective for the individual. Other strength training exercises or equipment may lack the flexibility and precision that weights offer, and often cannot be safely taken to the point of momentary muscular failure.

Types of Training Exercises

Isotonic and plyometric exercises

These terms combine the prefix “iso” (meaning “same”) with “tonic” (strength) and “plio” (more) with “metric” (distance). In “isotonic” exercises the force applied to the muscle does not change (while the length of the muscle decreases or increases) while in “plyometric” exercises the length of the muscle stretches and contracts rapidly to increases the power output of a muscle.

Weight training is primarily an isotonic form of exercise, as the force produced by the muscle to push or pull weighted objects should not change (though in practice the force produced does decrease as muscles fatigue). Any object can be used for weight training, but dumbbells, barbells and other specialized equipment are normally used because they can be adjusted to specific weights and are easily gripped. Many exercises are not strictly isotonic because the force on the muscle varies as the joint moves through its range of motion. Movements can become easier or harder depending on the angle of muscular force relative to gravity – for example, a standard biceps curl becomes easier as the hand approaches the shoulder as more of the load is taken by the structure of the elbow. Certain machines such as the Nautilus involve special adaptations to keep resistance constant irrespective of the joint angle.

Plyometric exercises exploits the stretch-shortening cycle of muscles to enhance the myotatic (stretch) reflex. This involves rapid alternation of lengthening and shortening of muscle fibers against resistance. The resistance involved is often a weighted object such as a medicine ball, but can also be the body itself as in jumping exercises. Plyometrics is used to develop explosive speed, and focuses on maximal power instead of maximal strength by compressing the force of muscular contraction into as short a period as possible, and may be used to improve the effectiveness of a boxer’s punch, or to increase the vertical jumping ability of a basketball player.

Isolation Exercises vs. Compound Exercises

The leg extension is an isolation exercise. An isolation exercise is one where the movement is restricted to one joint and one muscle group. For example, the leg extension is an isolation exercise for the quadriceps. Specialized types of equipment are used to ensure that other muscle groups are only minimally involved—they just help the individual maintain a stable posture—and movement occurs only around the knee joint. Most isolation exercises involve machines rather than dumbbells and barbells (free weights), though free weights can be used when combined with special positions and joint bracing.

Compound exercises work several muscle groups at once, and include movement around two or more joints. For example, in the leg press movement occurs around the hip, knee and ankle joints. This exercise is primarily used to develop the quadriceps, but it also involves the hamstrings, glutes and calves.

Compound exercises are generally similar to the ways that people naturally push, pull and lift objects, whereas isolation exercises often feel a little unnatural. Compound exercises generally involve dumbbells and barbells (free weights), involving more muscles to stabilize the body and joints as well as move the weight.

The leg press is a compound exercise. Each type of exercise has its uses. Compound exercises build the basic strength that is needed to perform everyday pushing, pulling and lifting activities. Isolation exercises are useful for “rounding out” a routine, by directly exercising muscle groups that cannot be fully exercised in the compound exercises.

The type of exercise performed also depends on the individual’s goals. Those who seek to increase their performance in sports would focus mostly on compound exercises, with isolation exercises being used to strengthen just those muscles that are holding the athlete back. Similarly, a power lifter would focus on the specific compound exercises that are performed at power lifting competitions. However, those who seek to improve the look of their body without necessarily maximizing their strength gains (including bodybuilders) would put more of an emphasis on isolation exercises. Both types of athletes, however, generally make use of both compound and isolation exercises.

Free weights vs. Weight Machines

Swiss balls allow a wider range of free weight exercises to be performed. They are also known as exercise balls, fitness balls, gym balls, sports balls, therapy balls or body balls. They are sometimes confused with medicine balls. Free weights are dumbbells, barbells, and kettle bells. Unlike weight machines, they do not constrain users to specific, fixed movements, and therefore require more effort from the individual’s stabilizer muscles. It is often argued that free weight exercises are superior for precisely this reason.

As weight machines can go some way toward preventing poor form, they are somewhat safer than free weights for novice trainees. Moreover, since users need not concentrate so much on maintaining good form, they can focus more on the effort they are putting into the exercise. However, most athletes, bodybuilders and serious fitness enthusiasts prefer to use compound free weight exercises to gain functional strength.

Some free weight exercises can be performed while sitting or lying on a Swiss ball. This makes it more difficult to maintain good form, which helps to exercise the deep torso muscles that are important for maintaining posture.

There are a number of weight machines that are commonly found in neighborhood gyms. The Smith machine is a barbell that is constrained to move only vertically upwards and downwards. The cable machine consists of two weight stacks separated by 2.5 meters, with cables running through adjustable pulleys (that can be fixed at any height) to various types of handles. There are also exercise-specific weight machines such as the leg press. A multi-gym includes a variety of exercise-specific mechanisms in one apparatus.

One limitation of many free weight exercises and exercise machines is that the muscle is working maximally against gravity during only a small portion of the lift. Some exercise-specific machines feature an oval cam (first introduced by Nautilus) which varies the resistance so that the resistance and the muscle force required, remains constant throughout the full range of motion of the exercise.

Exercises for specific muscle groups

The back extension should be left to the end of the workout, because in other exercises the lower back muscles are used to keep the back straight. This is not possible if the muscles have already been exercised and exhausted. Weight trainers commonly divide the body’s individual muscles into ten major muscle groups. These do not include the hip, neck and forearm muscles, which are rarely trained in isolation. The large muscles of the lower body are normally trained before the smaller muscles of the upper body, because these first exercises require more physical and mental effort. The core muscles of the torso are trained before the shoulder and arm muscles that assist them. Exercises often alternate between “pushing” and “pulling” movements to allow their specific supporting muscles time to recover.

Comparison to other types of strength training

The benefits of weight training overall are comparable to most other types of strength training – increased muscle, tendon and ligament strength, bone density, flexibility, tone, metabolic rate and postural support. There are benefits and limitations to weight training as compared to other types of strength training.

Weight training versus resistance training

Resistance training involves the use of elastic or hydraulic resistance to contraction rather than gravity. Weight training provides the majority of the resistance at the beginning, initiation joint angle of the movement, when the muscle must overcome the inertia of the weight’s mass. After this point the overall resistance alters depending on the angle of the joint. In comparison, hydraulic resistance provides a fixed amount of resistance throughout the range of motion, depending on the speed of the movement. Elastic resistance provides the greatest resistance at the end of the motion, when the elastic element is stretched to the greatest extent.

Weight training versus isometric training

Isometric exercise provides a fixed amount of resistance based on the force output of the muscle. This strengthens the muscle at the specific joint angle at which the isometric exercise occurs, with some lesser gains in strength also occurring at proximal joint angles. In comparison, weight training strengthens the muscle throughout the range of motion the joint is trained in, causing an increase in physical strength from the initiating through to terminating joint angle.

Weight training and bodybuilding

Although weight training is similar to bodybuilding, they have different objectives. Bodybuilders compete in bodybuilding competitions; they train to maximize their muscular size and develop extremely low levels of body fat. In contrast, most weight trainers train to improve their strength and anaerobic endurance while not giving special attention to reducing body fat below normal. Weight trainers tend to focus on compound exercises to build basic strength, whereas bodybuilders often use isolation exercises to visually separate their muscles, and to improve muscular symmetry.

However, the bodybuilding community has been the source of many of weight training’s principles, techniques, vocabulary, and customs. Weight training does allow tremendous flexibility in exercises and weights which can allow bodybuilders to target specific muscles and muscle groups, as well as attain specific goals.

If u want Personal Fitness Trainer

Loose & Gain weight naturally through Exercises

Training will also be provided at your place.

Felxible timings as per your requirement.

Contact-Mr.Raj

Mob-9920522708

Email-dharmendra.raj@hotmail.com

Posted in Fitness Instructor Mumbai, Personal Fitness Instructor

Personal Fitness Instructor

Raj — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:03:13 +0000

How to stay healthy while losing your body weight

Go for colorful foodstuffs:
Do you know that different variety and colors of vegetables and fruits contains different vitamins, minerals and various disease-fighting antioxidants? Feeding yourself with colorful foodstuffs like this provides you with essential nutrients that your body systems require for their proper functioning. So choose among the wide range of colorful foodstuffs to get maximum possible protection from number of ailments.

Go for fiber-rich diet:
Make sure that the grain food you intake contains high rich fiber content at least by 50 percent. Do you know that fiber rich food contains iron, zinc and other minerals in higher quantities than any other foodstuff? So make sure you increase your intake of fiber-rich diet so that they fill your stomach full and in much healthier way.

Don’t skip breakfast:
Leave the habit of skipping your daily doses of breakfast no mater how much busy you are with your day-today schedules. When you skip your breakfast, it makes you to feed your stomach with much more quantity of food than you really require. Trust me having breakfast is the best way to stay slim trim and healthier because breakfast ensures to give you essential vitamins and minerals required for the proper functioning of your body. Remember those who skip their breakfast get left from such benefits.

Eat nuts:
Though nuts are high in calories but they are packed with essential fats needed for healthy skin and hormones. It brings down your bad cholesterol level thus tremendously benefiting your heart. As nuts are packed with nutrition, they are very filling and make a perfect in-between meal snack item. So get nutty over nuts!

If u want Personal Fitness Trainer

Loose & Gain weight naturally through Exercises

Training will also be provided at your place.

Felxible timings as per your requirement.

Contect-Mr.Raj

Mob-9920522708

Email-dharmendra.raj@hotmail.com

How to stay slim and healthy

You are glad to find that you fit into your old jeans now! The months on the diet from hell are over now. But it’s now all more important that you keep yourself away from piling up more kilos to your body. Here’s how you can go by that!

Stay slim by setting a long term goal
If you want to succeed in a long term weight control plan, then you have to work on a long term goal for staying slim. For this, you can always workout what the biggest ‘added’ benefit of losing weight has been for you. You can also write it down on a piece of paper and pin it up somewhere you’ll see it everyday. Reading this again and again will keep you highly motivated for staying slimmer and healthier.

Stay slim by keeping your diet buddies
Remember that maintaining a healthy weight post diet is much easier if you have people to support you. It has been found that 66% of people with ‘diet buddies’ keep their weight off, But only 24% of those who go at it alone manage the same. You can hold regular dinner parties with your diet friends who are also trying to maintain their weight and agree to serve only healthy food. This way you can get all the fun and enjoyment of night out with no anxiety of overeating. Even you can ask your close buddy to be your weigh-in-partner. Standing on the scales in front of each other will really encourage you both to keep going.

The secret isn’t eating less, it’s eating better. To keep the weight off, look at why you eat, how you eat, and what you eat. Go for fiber filling foodstuffs, fresh fruit juices and low calorie stuff. Nut keeps you in a filler mood for long period of time, so hit them whenever you feel hungry.

A To Z of Fitness – The Complete Guide To Fitness

stands for awareness.Go on a familiarization trip with your body. See if your body muscles are toned or rusting. Check if your heartbeat does not shoot up too much and too soon if you have to walk fast or climb stairs. Go for a thorough check up for the sake of your body. It also stands for aerobics, an activity that exercises your heart, lungs and blood vessels.

B-stands for balance, which you have to constantly strive to strike in life-be it your fitness regime or the food you eat, or even the quantum of time you set aside for yourself.

C- is for comfort levels, meaning the care you have to take to always cool down your body after workout by adding some stretches. C is also for consumption patterns. To effect that, you have to first find out how many calories your body requires for its daily functioning and stick to your nutritionist’s advice. Overeating never solved any health-related problems.

D- is for dieting, which should be a complete no-no. Healthy eating and healthy living should be your motto. Because while dieting, you also lose muscle tissues besides fat. Regular exercise can do the trick better and smatter.

E- stands for the necessary equipment like cool and comfortable clothing to permit ventilation and unrestricted movement. Shoes with adequate cushioning to reduce the impact, and if possible, a friend to keep you company and motivate alongside.

F-is for frequency. Any workout should last at least 20 minutes, minimum three times a week. If you are into weight training and whole body workouts, plan them every alternate day to take complete rest the day after the workout.

G- is for the good night sleep that is sure to envelop you after you have had an energetic, active or a positive stress day.

H- is for high, also called runner’s high that actually is the release of endorphin, secreted by the brain which gives you a natural high.

I- is for making an informed choice, i.e., choosing whatever suits you best. It makes little sense to force jogging on yourself if you are over 50 and have not exercised all your life. Start with walking and then switch over to brisk walking, gradually increasing the time span. A word of advice from your doctor before you embark on such regular activity would go a long way.

J- is for jerks. Totally avoid them during exercise as they put pressure on your joints. Any pain during a workout means your body is begging you to stop.

K- is for kingly posture. Wherever you are and whatever you do, remember the correct posture technique. Keep shoulder and hips square to each other, shoulder blades relaxed and abdomen tucked in tight.

L- points towards your legs. They follow the principle of direct proportion-the more you work on them the better they will get.

M- is for measurements. Don’t be too swayed by the declining or rarely-budging trends of the weighing machine(it could also be mere fluid loss). What is important are your body measurements. For example, your WHR (waist to hip ratio). Divide your waist measurement at its narrowest with hips’ measurement at their widest. If the ratio is more than 0.80 for men and 0.85 for women, it is time to re-work your fitness strategy. It would be wise to keep in mind that miracles donot happen in a jiffy. Only perseverence pays.

N- is for nature at its best. Foods closest to their natural form top the list of sensible in take.

O- is for overindulgence, which is obviously to be avoided if you are looking at a life full of fitness and fervour.

P- is for prevention of injury. Since following a fitness regimen amounts to hours of vigorous physical activity, make sure that an adequate warm up always precedes your workout. Also, P indicates an all-important phase in a woman’s life -pregnancy -when you should work out only after a clean chit from your doctor.

Q-is for quacks, so stay away from them. Look for trained, qualified and experienced personnel to help you through your fitness programme. Fitness instructors are now a common and talked-about breed, who can ensure a decent commitment level if you so desire.

R- is for regularity. An absolute must for desired results.

S- is for strain. This is something you might be prone to if you donot warm up well enough, cool down or do simple stretches after every workout.

T- is for time-a minimum of 20 minute of aerobic workout each time you embark on such a programme. The best time of day is anytime that you can find uninterrupted. But remember to keep a gap of 2 hours between meals and your workout.

U- is for utility-utilize your energy and resources positively. It is also the urgency to get started.

V- is for vitality and vigour. Buzzwords in your personal directory of fitness and versatility-add variety to your workouts and eliminate drudgery and boredom. Keep the options open to switch the type of aerobic activity or with that of anaerobic type.

W- is for weight loss-not the only thing you should be looking for when you are on the road to fitness. It’s also for water -drink it till it comes out of your ears. Sages of yore have wisely called it the elixir of life.
individuals
X- is for the X-factor. Keep it in mind that different respond to different exercises differently and no two bodies are the same or can react to one exercise in the same way.

Y- is for the healthy years that add to your life when you exercise regularly.

Z- is for the zenith-the highest point in your life when there is an amalgamation of self discipline, spirit and the zest for living.

If u want Personal Fitness Trainer

Loose & Gain weight naturally through Exercises

Training will also be provided at your place.

Felxible timings as per your requirement.

Contect-Mr.Raj

Mob-9920522708

Email-dharmendra.raj@hotmail.com

Posted in Personal Fitness Instructor

Personal Physical Instructor

Raj — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:59:09 +0000

Fitness Instructor Mumbai

If u want Personal Fitness Trainer

Loose & Gain weight naturally through Exercises

Training will also be provided at your place.

Felxible timings as per your requirement.

Contect-Mr.Raj

Mob-9920522708

Email-dharmendra.raj@hotmail.com

Posted in Fitness Instructor Mumbai

Health & Diet

Raj — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:58:46 +0000

Proper and balanced diet is the key to a healthy and fit body. Learn all about eating the right kind of food and find out how to lose weight without compromising on your favourite food and much much more. Read on…..

DIET……… DO IT THE RIGHT WAY

Many young people go on a crash diet to lose weight without knowing the adverse effects that it can cause on your body. The notion that the solution to weight loss is a crash diet or the ability to stay off food is totally wrong and erroneous and should be avoided as it leads to serious health problems. To lose weight you need not deprive yourself of food or starve yourself. The solution is moderation and it involves making five simple changes in your daily food habits.

1. Don’t torture your body. You might think that the less you eat the more you will lose weight. You might go on an extremely low calorie diet and completely avoid anything that carries high calories. Well you will lose weight but then your body will be weak. If you make a habit of consuming fewer calories than your body requires, your body will automatically go into the ’starvation mode’, which will definitely result into weight loss but you will be losing not fat but important components of your body like water and muscle. Thus although your size and your weight goes down, the fat still remains. With the result that you will experience lethargy, weakness, Fatigue, hunger pangs, headaches and loss of concentration. Thus try to avoid extremely low or extremely high calorie food intake. Just stop torturing yourself.

2. Balance your diet. Eat more of low calorie high fiber foods such as salads and fresh fruits with each meal. Avoid salad dressings. Eat more of whole grain food and also try out vegetable soups, which are great if you are on a diet. Avoid red meat (beef, pork, ham, sausage), organ meat (liver, brain, kidney) and egg yolks since they are bad for your health as they fall into the saturated fat category. These foods contain high level of calories. Saturated fats, oily stuff, sweets, ice cream and chocolates should be avoided as far as possible. Include sprouts in your food intake, as they are rich in protein.

3. Don’t skip meals. Don’t commit the mistake of skipping meals. If you are thinking that if you skip one meal you might work towards losing some weight but it is quite the opposite. Because when you eat you tend to eat more and this might work against all your efforts of losing weight. Breakfast is one meal that’s very important because as the first meal of the day it helps you to raise your energy levels and provides you energy for the rest of the day. Dinner should always be light. Your body burns few calories while you sleep and if you consume excess calories at dinner, it can easily get stored up in the body as fat.

4. Learn a few tricks.

Instead of eating three large meals in a day eat six small meals.
Drink two glasses of water prior to each meal.
Focus on eating. Relish the food you are eating and don’t divert your attention to anything else while you are having your meal.
Never eat while watching television since you don’t keep track of how much you are eating and you tend to eat more.
Chew each morsel thoroughly to liquid consistency. This will help digest the food properly.
Pause for a moment before taking an extra serving.
Don’t overeat and don’t get swayed away by seeing your favourite food served on the table, which might contain high calories.
When dining out avoid high calorie food.

5. Don’t lose heart. Everyone’s weight control efforts get sidetracked from time to time. You might get fed up of going on a diet over and over again without getting any result. Don’t worry. It is important to remember that temporary setbacks should, after the initial disappointment, serve as stepping-stones to future success. Use your past failures as learning experiences on the way to successful weight control. So pick yourself up and go ahead do it this time.

NO LONGER FORBIDDEN FOODS

You must have been told that having chocolates is bad for your health or if you eat nuts you will get a terrible headache and so on so forth. There are misconceptions regarding many foods, which have been branded as forbidden, but recent studies show the other way round. These foods are not only good for your health but are also great mood boosters. Check out.

Coffee
It was said that coffee is bad for your health and it makes a person addicted to it. But recent studies have proved that coffee infact relieves you of headache, improves your concentration and keeps you attentive. The studies have also cleared the doubts about caffeine’s link to heart disease, fibrocystic breasts, and high blood pressure. However you have to limit your coffee intake to two or three cups and don’t have too much cream and sugar in your coffee.

Chocolate
Chocolate is a big no-no for those who are health conscious and want to have a beautiful body and skin. But did u know that chocolate don’t cause acne and are infact great mood boosters. They contain cancer fighting and heart disease preventing antioxidants and increases Serotonin in the brain, which means that if you are feeling low then that’s the right choice. While it is high in fat, research has shown that Stearic acid, the main fat in chocolate, does not raise cholesterol. Have more of dark chocolates since it contains less fatty cocoa butter.

Eggs
Many women avoid eggs because they are high in cholesterol and harmful for the heart, but researchers now prove that saturated fat–not cholesterol–is what’s more harmful for the heart. Eggs are low in fat (one egg has less than five grams of fat), and they contain lutein, a nutrient that may help keep your eyes healthy. Have boiled or poached eggs since that contains less calories.

Nuts
Nuts contain monounsaturated fats which reduce your chances of heart attack. Though they are high in fat but did u know that having nuts in your diet infact helps reduce weight. Research have found that people who included monounsaturated fats (peanuts, for example) in their diets lost an average of 11 pounds in six weeks and kept it off for a year and a half! And also the magnesium in nuts reduces symptoms of PMS, such as bloating, mood swings, and headaches. Have peanuts when you feel like munching on something in the late afternoon or evening.

Cheese
Cheese is rich in fat and calories but it is also rich in calcium and contains conjugated linoleic acid, a “good” fat that may reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. And this acid may help you lose weight by blocking the storage of fat in your body. This source of calcium is also good for the disease called osteoporosis in which your bones start thinning.

Fasting: Key to Good Health

Fasting has many benefits. It promotes detoxification and gives the digestive system a much-needed rest. Fasting clears the skin and gives you a glowing complexion. Fasting is the perfect gateway to a healthful diet and lifestyle and brings back excitement and zest into your life. Fasting even helps to reverse the aging process.

In general, three to ten days fast is recommended for health and longevity. It is a scientific fact that by fasting three days a month, you heal faster and can extend your life five to seven years. For beginners start with a three-day fast beginning on a Friday evening extended through Monday evening. Benefits of a five-day fast are that the healing process in the body starts while a ten-day fast is excellent for all kinds of health problems. Those who have never fasted before can start their fasting routine with fruit or juice fasting. Juice fasting proves to be the most effective way to restore your health.

How to Fast:

Eat only raw foods two to three days before you begin your fast. Do not go on only water fast. Have fresh vegetables and fruits like carrot, beet and ginger, grape, apple etc. Take juice of fresh leafy vegetables mixed with other vegetables. Raw cabbage juice is known to aid in the recovery of ulcers, cancer and all colon problems. Another excellent juice blend is three carrots, two stalks of celery, one turnip, two beets, a half head of cabbage, and a quarter bunch of parsley, and a clove of garlic. This could be one of the best juices on our planet for restoration of the body from many ailments. Pure vegetable broths, with no seasonings added, are also good. To prepare these, gently boil vegetables including lots of onions and garlic, for 30 minutes. Do not eat the stew but strain the broth and drink the juice 2-3 times a day. Though you may feel hungry since your body is not toned to have this kind of food but still juices, broths and water will keep you quite full as well as give you more nutrients than most people take in. However don’t drink orange or tomato juice on a fast.

How to break a Fast:

Always break the fast gently and don’t eat heavy and oily food. Have lightly steamed vegetables without spices with whole meal bread or roti or whole grain brown rice.

NOTE: Please consult your physician before going on a fasting program.

WATER AND GOOD HEALTH

Water forms a major component of the tissues and cells of the body. Without water the human body will survive only a few days. Water is also a key part of any weight loss program. Water is very necessary for helping the body remove fat, and for general overall health.

The average person should consume 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water each day. Although water is the best “thirst-quencher,” other liquids (such as juices, milk, sodas, and teas) can help meet fluid needs. High sugar and high caffeine beverages are not the best choices because they can lead to increased urination.

The following are some of the benefits of water:

Water suppresses appetite and reduces fat deposits in the body.
Water not only fills you up and lessens your appetite, it prevents those “hungry horrors” we all encounter when our blood sugar drops and we reach for cookies, candy, ice cream, fries or other high-calorie treats. Thus it keeps a check on your health and diet.
Water assists the body in metabolizing stored fat, because your liver is overloaded when your kidneys don’t get enough water. Your liver metabolizes fat, and it can’t do that 100% if it is doing the kidneys job.
Water relieves fluid retention problems.
It reduces sodium buildup in the body.
It helps to maintain proper muscle tone.
Water rids the body of waste and toxins and relieves constipation. Tips on water intake:

Drink a minimum of 64 ounces per day (2 quarts).
Drink an additional 8 ounces per day for every 25 pounds overweight.
It is better to drink the water cold, it is absorbed quicker and may burn more calories.
Drink clean water, bottled or filtered.

FRUIT FACTS

Everyone knows eating fruits is good for health since fruits make your skin glow and your hair healthy. But what is the best way to eat them? Is eating fruits with their skin more beneficial? Should you eat fruits before or after a meal? There are many other questions, which normally bother you. We have thus brought for you some fruit facts and tried to dispel some myths.

Apple a day keeps the Doctor away
This is very true and it does keep the doctor away. Infact apples and all other fruits, for that matter, have proven over time to do nothing but good for human beings.

It is better to eat fresh fruit
This is also true. When making fruit juice, valuable fibre may be removed. Sugar may also be added to packaged juices that are bought from supermarkets. Sugar syrup may also be added to the juices sold at hawker stalls. So, by drinking juices in place of fruit, you could gain more calories but miss out on valuable dietary fibre.

Fresh orange juice is better than frozen concentrate orange juice
This is a myth. Researchers have recently discovered that orange juice made from frozen concentrate can have higher levels of active Vitamin C than ready-to-drink orange juice. And once reconstituted, the vitamin in frozen juices may keep its potency longer. This is because Vitamin C is destroyed very easily and ready-to-drink orange juice goes through more processing than concentrates.

Yellow fruits are rich in vitamin C
This is true. The puld of yellow fruit is a good source of bioflavonoids, which can help neutralise cancer-causing substances. Colour therapists say yellow foods are foods associated with the sun, and can raise one’s spirits and boost optimism. Thus eat lots of yellow fruit like bananas, grapefruit, pineapples, melons, lemon etc.

Red fruits contain vitamin A
This is true. Red fruits contain beta-carotene, the plant version of vitamin A. Fruits with a higher level of beta-carotene are redder in colour. Colour therapists say red fruits have a warming and energising quality. Thus eat lots of watermelons, cranberries, red apples, raspberries, red cherries, red plums, strawberries, tomatoes etc.

Green fruits are good for your heart
This is true. Green fruits are the most vital of all fruits since they contain a chemical that protects you against heart attack and keeps your heart healthy. They also protect one against bacteria, thus reducing the risks of food poisoning and tumours. They are recommended for low blood pressure and soothing the nerves. Thus you should include avocados, green grapes, green apples, kiwi fruit, limes etc in your meals.

Orange fruits keep you fresh and active
This is true. Orange fruits are rich in beta-carotene, which makes one energetic and active all day long. It is seen by colour therapists as the colour of creation, and is linked to the mind and ideas. Eat lots of mangoes, apricots, oranges, nectarines etc.

People who want to lose weight can go on a fruit-only diet
This is a Myth.The body needs a balanced diet in order to be healthy. Eating only fruits will deprive the body of the necessary nutrients not found in fruits.

Popping a Vitamin C capsule is just as good as eating an orange
This is a myth. Fruits and vegetables contain numerous phytochemicals. For example, broccoli alone may contain as many as 10,000 phytochemicals. Although phytochemicals have been found to benefit the body in some ways, the safety of large doses of isolated, purified phytochemicals, as found in supplement capsules, has not been investigated thoroughly. So, the best and safest source of phytochemicals is an actual fruit and not a supplement.

ENHANCE YOUR ENERGY LEVELS

Do you feel exhausted or tired very quickly? Do you feel that you will faint while you are walking on the road? Well if this is the case then you are in trouble coz your body doesn’t seem to be producing enough energy. And the first person responsible for this condition is you. Your body cannot produce energy out of nothing. If you eat junk food, which does not contain nutrients, it will affect your energy levels and that is the reason of fatigue, lack of energy and exhaustion.

Following are a few tips that will help increase your energy levels:

1. Exercise regularly at least 5 days in a week for 40-45 minutes. It will help increase your energy levels but don’t over do it.

2. Instead of eating 2-3 large meals try eating 5 to 6 mini meals. Studies reveal that people who eat small, frequent meals suffer less from exhaustion and can think more clearly than those who eat 2-3 large meals.

3. In your mini meals include food like fruits, vegetable juices like tomato juice, carrot juice, cucumber juice or a whole grain salad sandwich.

4. To boost your energy consume all foods in their natural forms that is, not processed or refined.

5. Limit your sugar intake.

6. Include sprouts in your food habit. Eat sprouts mixed in your salad since it is a very good source of vitamins and sprouting increases the nutritional value of the food.

7. Eat more complex carbohydrates like jawar, bajra, brown rice, oatmeal seeds and dry food since they contain fiber.

8. Take Vitamin-B supplements since B-complex vitamins protect the nerves and increases energy levels. The natural B-complex sources are leafy vegetables, whole grain cereals, pulses, dals, peas, and banana.

9. Try avoiding eating dairy products since they decrease your energy levels. Instead of eating wheat roti eat bajra roti.

Weight Loss Programme

We went to the real weight loss experts — folks who’ve been there, done that — to get their tips for taking it off and keeping it off. We wanted to know what really worked for folks who’d not only lost big kgs (more than 12), but who’d kept it off for more than a year.

Not surprisingly, they changed their eating habits and increased their activity levels. But haven’t we all tried that? Why did it work for them and not others? What follows are their inspirational, sensible, tough — yet doable — tips. We suggest printing out each page and hanging them on your fridge, desk or other prominent place. next Get moving

The tough part with exercise, of course, is getting out there and doing it. Here’s how the successful get going:

1. Prioritize. The beds might not get made, but Reema, 36, still makes time for exercise. That’s how she’s kept off more than 32 kgs for 13 years. “I have to schedule it in and let go of other things — like a perfectly clean house,” she says.

2. Find a passion. “I have a dance background and when I found Aerobics, I said, ‘Thank God.’ If somebody told me I had to go out and run five days a week, I’d still weigh 74 kgs,” says Madhu, 41, who lost 22 kgs and has kept it off for 13 years.

3. Keep an exercise log. It makes you more accountable.Tina from Delhi, who hangs hers on the refrigerator, checks off six workouts a week dutifully. “If I miss one day, I make that my day off for the week.”

4. Set a goal. “Try to improve your times.Earlier when i started, i used to be exhausted in 5 minutes doing Aerobics. But gradually, i could do 20 minutes and was getting fitter and losing more weight” says Neeta 34, who lost 22 kgs and now easily does a 45 minutes hectic Aerobics non-stop.”

5. Get pumped. “It wasn’t until I put on more muscle through resistance training that I was able to keep the weight off — almost effortlessly,” says Madhumati, 37, who went from a size 18 to an 8. The reason? Muscle burns more calories around the clock.

6. Make changes for the long haul. “I learned how to eat and live with it for the rest of my life,” says Tina, 42, who lost more than 16 kgs and hasn’t seen any come back in three years.

7. Stop dieting. “The best thing I did was quit dieting,” says Ritu. On average, weight loss winners eat five times a day.

8. Follow the 90% to 10% rule. “If you watch what you eat 90% of the time, the other 10% is not a problem,” says Meeta who learned this tip from a fitness professional.

9. Dine at the dinner table only. If you eat in front of the TV, then every time you nestle in with the remote control, it’s a cue to eat. Instead, designate an eating spot for all meals and snacks. “Even when I want potato chips, I set the table just like I was going to sit down for a full course meal,” says Keerthi, 47, who took off more than 40 kgs. “It also stopped what I thought were hunger headaches, which were probably due to dehydration. “

10. Do it for yourself. “My doctor told me for years that I had to take the weight off. But you’ve got to want it yourself,” says Jaya. “As long as somebody else is pushing you, no matter what you do or what you try, it’ll never work,” adds Shaila, 39, who shed 24 kgs and has kept them off for five years.

11. Take it slow. We all want to lose it yesterday, but slow is the way to go if you don’t want to see those Kgs again. “It took me a year to lose 20 kgs this time,” says Sheela, who’s kept it off for eight years. “I had lost 20 kgs twice before, in less than six months each time, but I didn’t maintain it.”

12. Customize your approach. What worked for your best friend may not work for you. And what works for you today may not work six months from now. You need to decide what you need. Sheela joined a structured program for accountability. “I needed to know that I was going to get weighed each week,” she says. But for others that’s exactly what they don’t need.

13. Learn from the past. Everyone we talked to had tried to lose weight before. Part of their success this time was that they learned from past failures. “Before, the more I focused on weighing, measuring, and preparing food, the more I ate,” says Meeta, who finally succeeded with a program that offered prepackaged foods.

14. Set small goals. “My first goal was to lose only 4 kgs,” says Rita. “I had very high blood pressure, and my doctor said if I would just lose 4 kgs, he believed that I could get off the pills. Every other doctor before said I had to lose 40 kgs, and I thought ‘I can’t do that.’ But 4 kgs, I thought ‘maybe I can do that.’ Doing it one bite at a time made it more achievable for me.”

15. Make changes you can live with. “Before I’d go to bed I’d ask myself, ‘Is what I did today something I could do for the rest of my life?’ If I felt deprived, I’d do it differently tomorrow. If I thought, ‘Yeah, I could do this tomorrow,’ then I was on the right track,” says Ritu.

16. Go back to school. Joining a weight loss class or working with a dietitian can help you learn proper portions, even without weighing and measuring. “If you get a half cup of cottage cheese, it should look like a tennis ball, a quarter cup should look like a Ping-Pong ball,” says Meeta. “Now, I know what appropriate portions look like.”

17. Don’t toss those measuring cups, though. “I usually misjudge portions of salad dressing, and ice cream,” says Sheela. “They’re really high in fat and calories and cause the most damage if overdone. So I still measure them.”

18. Cook for your family, not an army. Even for low-fat foods like grilled chicken,Mala stopped overfeeding her family of four. “I stopped making six or seven roasted chicken pieces, thinking that everybody had to have two or three,” she says. “Now I make just one for each person.”

19. Plan ahead. An empty fridge after a stressful day begs for pizza. The now-slender crew doesn’t leave meals to chance. Many of them plan their menus a week or more in advance.

20. A little dab will do it. If you just can’t pass on some high-fat favorites, stick to the most flavorful ones. “A single slice of chicken meat is enough to flavor eggs or a potato,” says Hena, 61, who lost about 21 kgs. Her husband’s lost more than 45 kgs.

21. Fake fry. Try”frying” with calorie-free cooking sprays instead of oil. Spray sliced potatoes and roast them in the oven for french fries that taste fried without the fat, suggests Manu.

22. Stock frozen veggies. With meat or tomato sauces, they are diet saviors. “I’ve been known to eat a whole bag of vegetables — and with only a quarter cup of sauce, it’s only about 3 grams of fat,” says Maithili. “It’s saved my butt many times when I was really hungry and had to eat now.”

23. Flavor up. Rice, beans, and other cooked grains are the staples of many successful dieters. For variety, cook them in different liquids — tomato juice, apple juice, beef or chicken stock. “Rice done in pineapple juice is especially good for rice puddings and Chinese dishes,” she says.

24. Find the right support person. A nag won’t do. Neither will a partner in crime. Look for someone who can empathize and support you in a positive way. When Ritu finally succeeded in losing weight, her fiance was a big help. “We didn’t focus all our socializing around food. We went Brisk Walking a lot and played table tennis instead of going for Pav Bhaji.”

25. Join a support group. “Hearing someone say she lost 20 kgs would be real motivating,” says Rekha. “I’d think, She’s just a normal person like me. If she can lose 20 then I can do it too.’”

26. Create your own group. “I started my first women’s group when I first started exercising. It was just a bunch of women that got together once a week, and we would compare notes,” says Depti, 44, who’s 54 kgs slimmer than she was 13 years ago.

27. Be picky. “I’m not afraid to ask for dishes to be prepared differently,” says Sheela. “My philosophy is that every restaurant has a grill and an oven. They don’t have to fry everything.”

28. It’s not the Last Supper. This is not your last chance in life to have a particular food. “Those french fries will be there in a half hour if I really have to have them,” says Depti. Or they’ll be there next week.

29. Don’t wait to doggy bag. “As soon as the maid puts the food down in front of me I cut the whole portion in half, put it on my butter plate, and ask her to wrap it,” says Sheela. If you wait until the end of your meal, oftentimes you pick at it until the maid returns.

30. Tackle buffets. “I get only one tablespoon of everything,” says Ritu. “Usually I don’t even fill my plate, but I at least taste everything so I don’t feel deprived.”

31. Stay busy. Do something that’s not conducive to eating. The folks we talked to aren’t sitting around thinking of hot chocolate fudge. They’re learning BharatNatyam, taking classes, Briskwalking, leading weight loss groups, and more.

32. Keep ‘em out of sight. Overwhelmingly, weight loss vets control foods like chocolate, ice cream, and potato chips by not having them around.

33. Moderation is key. But they’re not depriving themselves, either. “If I want a piece of cake, I’ll have one,” says Meeta. “Then I just won’t have another one for a week or so. Knowing that I can eat something and no one’s going to say ‘you can’t’ works for me.”

34. Indulge and enjoy! Go for the best brand of ice cream or the best punjabi dish paneer kofta. “If I’m going to blow 500 or 600 calories, I want to make sure that I’m enjoying it to the max,” says Mamata. “Often desserts look much better than they taste. If it tastes like cardboard, forget it. It’s not worth it.”

35. Limit portions. “When I have to snack,I put my hand in the bag or box and whatever I can grab, that’s what I eat — only a handful,” says Rashmi.

36. Buy individually packaged snacks. Cookies, chips, even ice cream come in single serving sizes. “If I want some cookies or chips, I grab one little bag instead of a whole box,” says Ritu.

37. Keep reminders around. A note on the refrigerator reading “Stop” kept Ritu from raiding it. Underneath she listed other things to do, like “take a drink of water” and questions such as”Are you really hungry?”

38. Find alternatives. Chocolate is still a favorite even for successful dieters. But they’ve found ways to enjoy it and still keep their waistlines. Beena makes fat-free eggless cake. For Sitara, who lost 16 kgs and has kept it off for two years, a cup of sugar-free hot coffee topped with a little fat-free whipped cream does the trick.

39. Don’t give in to peer pressure. If the cookies, chips, or ice cream you buy for the rest of the family is sabotaging your efforts, stop buying it. “My daughters carried on for about a month, but after that they got used to the change,” says Beena.

40. Know your triggers. You have to know which moods send you to the toffee jar before you can do anything about it. Once you know your triggers, have a list of alternate things to do when the mood strikes. “When I get tired or discouraged, I get an ‘I don’t care attitude,’” says Reena. For those times, taking a walk or reading affirmations can help.

41. Quiz yourself. Determine if you’re really hungry or eating for other reasons. “I’ll ask myself ‘Do you really want this, or is it something else, like boredom or depression?’ About 80% of the time it’s not hunger,” says Girija.

42. Call a friend. Talking about what’s eating you can keep you from eating. “I had to be willing to call my support people at 9 o’clock on a Friday night,” says Beena, 46, who’s kept off 19 kgs for more than 15 years.

43. Stop worrying. Remind yourself that you only have control over you — not your spouse, boss, parents, or friends. If you can’t do anything about it, just let it go, several people suggested.

44. Take an emotional inventory. Ask yourself: “What do you feel guilty about? resent? fear? regret? What are you angry about?” Then deal with it, says Beena. Confront the person involved, talk to others, or write a letter — even if you don’t send it.

45. Get spiritual. If religion isn’t for you, try yoga, meditation, or relaxation exercises. These are especially helpful if you tend to eat when you’re stressed, says Beena.

46. Challenge the power of food. Ice cream is a poor companion if you’re lonely. “If I eat the whole bag of potato chips, am I going to be any happier? Probably not,” says Jaya.

47. Look how far you’ve come. “By keeping a graph of my weight, I could see that the line would go up and down and up and down, but overall it was going down, so there was no reason to throw my progress away,” says Ritu.

48. Don’t give up. “There are plenty of times when I’ve wanted to give up, but I didn’t,” says Meeta. “I realized a long time ago that entrepreneurs fall and rise up every time they lose a venture, but they just keep getting up.” The same is true for weight loss.

49. “You can do it.” Repeat this to yourself. Many people post affirmations around their homes or offices as constant reminders. One dieter even programmed her computer screen to keep her on the right track.

50. Get inspired. “I read a lot about other people who have come back from obstacles and really made it,” says Meeta. Their determination can make you feel like you can succeed too.

51. Envision your svelte self. “If you can actually visualize yourself as the person you want to be, you’ll become it,” says Meeta. “When I felt like I couldn’t do this one more minute, I slipped in a motivational tape. Step by step, it would walk me through a visualization exercise so I could see myself as I wanted to be.”

52. Find new measures of success. When she lost some weight, trying on her old, too-big clothes further motivated Sheela. “I also bought myself a size below what I was wearing,” she says. “I’d see if I could get the pants on, then if I could zip them, and finally when I could wear them comfortably.”

53. Learn to like your trouble spots. Mala, who’s lost about 30 kgs, dresses in a salwar and, standing in front of a mirror, she points out everything about herself that she doesn’t like. Then she counters that. For instance, “I hate my legs, but they work,” she says. “I can walk and dance. I have no control over the way they look, so it’s silly to obsess over them. Don’t dwell on it.”

54. Pamper yourself. Take baths and get massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures. “They make me look good and feel good,” says Meeta.

55. Stop negative talk. “If you make positive speech a long-term goal and stop using ‘I was bad (or good) today,’ you’ll begin to feel better about yourself,” says Meeta.

56. Don’t compare yourself to others. Instead, think “I’m better or just as good as anyone else is. Once you start thinking that about yourself, believe me, you get real cocky,” says Meeta.

57. Look in the mirror and say, “I look good.” You may not believe it now, but you will. “When I first started this, I avoided mirrors,” says Beena. “I never wanted to go into a dressing room, so I’d get various sizes, take them home, and then try them on. If they didn’t fit, then I took them back. But now I’ll look in every mirror.”

58. Stay flexible. Many people who have kept the weight off never reached their initial goal weights. Instead, they’ve gotten to a realistic weight that they can maintain. “In 13 years, I’ve never gotten down to my initial goal weight, but I’m very happy and feel very good even though I didn’t reach it,” says Ritu.

59. Quit the numbers game. Mala is 5′ 5 1/2″ tall and weighs 68 kgs — by society’s standards she’s heavy. However, she can slip into a size 8 thanks to the fact that most of her weight is muscle. “It doesn’t matter what the scale says, it matters how I look,” she says.

60. Reject others standards. “Thin is whatever you think thin is. Next to Reena, I’m thin. Next to Tina, I’m fat,” says Meeta.

61. Stop being a perfectionist. “Look at it like walking a tightrope,” suggests Reena. “The goal is not just to stay on without falling off. The goal is to get to the other side, and if you know that you can fall off as many times as you want as long as you get back up again, you’re gonna be successful.”

62. Start fresh, ASAP. If you have a slip, don’t wait until Monday or even tomorrow to get back in line. Reena uses water as a cleansing ritual to end a binge. When she realizes what’s happening, she drinks a water to signal that the eating is over, and she’s back on track immediately. “It’s made my lapses shorter and shorter,” she says.

63. Practice early detection. “I weigh myself about once a month,” says Rinki. “If I start inching up, I increase my exercise a little bit.”

64. Enlist professional help. Many of the people we talked to used dietitians, personal trainers, and even psychologists to help them deal with problems that were hindering their efforts. If you feel like you can’t do it on your own, seek help.

Losing Weight

Losing weight is not a very difficult job if you know to do it properly, if your basic ideas about dieting are right and if you exercise regularly. Everyone wants to be slim and look beautiful and in order to achieve that one normally adapts to wrong methods, which result in failures. Following are a few tips that will help you lose weight without too much effort.

Be Patient
Being in too much of a rush is the biggest mistake you can make that will hamper your weight loss regime. You wont lose weight in a week but this process will take some time. So don’t be in a hurry. Losing weight fast will depend on your present weight, your lifestyle, how much stress you’re under and several other factors.

Stop Worrying About Your Figure
The more you worry about your weight the more difficult it will be for you to lose weight. Stress is a major hurdle in losing weight and it will keep you fat. So relax and concentrate on your daily diet coupled with proper exercise and you will see results in no time.

Make Food Your Friend
This is important because dieting doesn’t mean that you give up eating. The best way to lose weight is to make friends with food. Learn to eat the proper food and avoid junk food as far as you can.

Exercise To Stay Fit
Exercise will keep you fit and healthy. But exercise doesn’t mean that you over exert yourself. Exercise 20-30 mins five-days in a week and eat a balanced diet.

Forget about eating tiny helpings
Many dieters have this misunderstanding that if they eat in tiny portions they will lose weight quickly. But sorry you are mistaken. Eating this way will keep you hungry resulting into either giving up dieting or eating whatever junk food you can lay your hands on. The best way to lose weight is to eat several smaller meals during the day and eat lots of good food in the process.

Don’t get obsessed with calorie counting
Calorie counting is the worst thing to do if you want to lose weight. Because although counting calories helps to raise your awareness of what you eat, it doesn’t help you to stay healthy. It’s more important to know which foods are best and to learn good eating habits.

Forget about drinking gallons of water
Using water as an appetite suppressant or as a substitute for food is not recommended and dangerous too. So avoid this behaviour.

Eat Yourself Slim

Dieting does not mean eating less or keeping yourself starved. Most women on diet have this idea of dieting and the result is that they are hungry since they eat less and hence they give it up as quickly as they started. Dieting simply means eating differently and eating sensible food and less junk food. Sensible eating means choosing low fat, low sugar foods, lots of fruit, vegetables, beans, cereal, potatoes, wholegrain bread, rice & pasta, low fat dairy foods and modest amounts of lean meat & fish.

Following are the important diet mistakes that are committed which results into a disastrous attempt.

Most dieters don’t eat enough. Result — They get so hungry that ultimately they give up.
Most dieters want to lose weight too fast. Result — They get so impatient, they give up.
Most dieters don’t understand fat. Result — They eat all the wrong food available.

Hence one has to eat sensibly. Follow the following guidelines.

Don’t Go Hungry and Avoid Food
Hunger is definitely your biggest enemy. Because if you stay hungry then it makes you feel miserable. And the end result is that you give up dieting and go back to the biscuits/cookies and all kinds of junk food you can lay your hands on. Unfortunately, most dieters still think that dieting means eating in small quantity – that’s why most of them give up dieting and stay fat.

Avoid Fat
Avoid fat because it is no good for your health. Fat contains more than twice the calories of other nutrients. Fat in small quantity is ok i.e., you need no more than about 30 grams of fat per day. To do this, you must switch to low-fat options whenever possible. Switch to low-fat dairy products. Avoid high-fat foods like, fried breakfasts, fries, pastries, butter, mayonnaise, chocolate/candy and biscuits/cookies. Eat less red meat (beef, lamb, pork). Twice a week is enough. Switch to fish, chicken, pork steak, lean beefsteak.

Eat Less Sugar
Sugar provides us with virtually no nutrients, so if we stopped eating it tomorrow we wouldn’t be any less nourished. It is not your friend and so have as less sugar as possible in your diet. To do this you will have to reduce the amount of sugar you add to your tea or coffee or juice. Have cereals without sugar. Avoid non-diet soft drinks. Instead, enjoy diet drinks/minerals or 100% fruit juice. Avoid so-called treats like biscuits/cookies, chocolates/candy and cakes.

Eat More Fibre
Fibre is very important and you must include more fibre in your diet. Fibre contains far fewer calories than fat or sugar so it’s an ideal slimming food. It also fills us up, so we feel nice and satisfied. It also helps to protect against a number of digestive complaints like constipation, diabetes, gallstones etc. High fibre, starchy foods include: whole meal bread, potatoes, pasta, brown rice, beans, peas, leafy green vegetables, sweet-corn, pulses, bran-based cereals, oat bran.

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Adding lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet is not only good for reducing those extra weight but it makes your skin glow, hair shine and is very good for your health. Ideally, eat 4-5 helpings of fruit and 3-4 helpings of vegetables every day. Eat more salads; drink vegetable soups and green leafy vegetables in your daily diet. Add fruits in your cereals, drink fresh fruit juice without sugar or simply cut fruits into big pieces and munch on it.

Dealing with Fat Thighs

The main reason why women have fat thighs, fat hips or a fat butt is because of what they eat. Normally women store fat on the lower part of their body in order to protect their reproductive organs. Thus, after menopause, when they are no longer able to reproduce, the weight distribution changes and fat is then accumulated above the waist – just like men. Secondly this phenomenon is also hereditary and depends largely upon the genes.

A Few Facts About Fat Thighs

There are NO special ‘hip and thigh’ diets, which can reduce, fat from your hips and thighs. The ONLY way to get back in shape is to follow a proper balanced diet.
There is NO exercise, which can reduce, fat from a specific area of your body like your hips, thighs or butt. All that exercises can do is try to maintain your figure once you have reduced the fat deposit by eating sensible weight loss diet.
Exercise can improve the shape of a particular part of your body, by tightening muscles, but it can’t reduce the fat in these areas. The only way to lose fat off your thighs, hips & butt is by changing your eating habits
Although each of us has a unique bone structure and basic body shape, which we can’t change, we can change our weight and fat. All you have to do is be patient and follow a sensible diet, which is a balanced low-fat eating-plan, which is high in vegetables, fruit, and other complex carbohydrates, and LOW in fat.

Exercise for Fat Thighs

To exercise thighs & butt
1. Stand with feet apart, toes pointed outwards, and hands on the outside of your thighs. Keeping your back straight, at right angles to the floor, bend knees and allow your hands to slide down your thighs until they reach your knees. (Keep back straight!) Hold your knees for a count of 5, and then slowly return to start position. Repeat 10-20 times.

2. Stand with feet slightly apart. Stretch your arms straight out ahead of you. Slowly bend your knees, until your thighs are roughly parallel with the floor. Slowly raise yourself back to the starting position. The slower you do this, the better. Start with 10 real slow ones. But please don’t strain yourself. Go at your own pace.
To exercise the inside of your thighs
Sit down on the floor in front of an ordinary straight back chair. Stretch your legs straight out in front of you, with your feet on either side of the chair. Keeping your back straight, place your palms on the floor on either side of you. Clasp the legs of the chair with the soles of your feet as though trying to push both chair legs together. Press hard and hold for a count of 50.
To exercise the back of your thighs
Stand with feet apart. Bend forward from the waist. Reach to your right with both hands and clasp your ankle with both hands. Push your upper body downwards towards the floor. Count to 20. Return to start position and repeat exercise on the left-hand side.
To exercise the front of your thighs
Kneel upright on the floor, with knees together. Lean backwards and clasp your right ankle with your left hand. Do not sit on your ankles. Hold this position for a count of 20. Return to start position and repeat exercise on the left-hand side.

Healthy Ways to Gain Weight

Do you think that you are underweight? Though you eat all the fatty and oily stuff and eat lots of sweets and diary products and drink gallons of whole milk and cream, then also nothing seems to be working for you. You still remain as thin as a hockey stick. Well don’t despair, it is not impossible to put on weight. But remember that you should aim for a healthy weight gain and not just adding body fat. To do so you should know a few things about your body.

Your Genes
Genetics play an important role in shaping your body. And this is hereditary, which means that if your parents are thin then there are chances that you will have a similar body type and you can work out how your body might change with age. Secondly your lifestyle also plays an important role in your shape. If your life steams along at a frenetic pace, you don’t eat regular meals, you’re unlikely to put on weight easily. If you are a fidgeter and it is impossible for you to relax, then you will face this problem. People who fidget constantly can burn up to 700 calories a day – that’s about two whole chocolate bars!

Your Diet
The main thing about putting on weight is that you do it sensibly and that you put on the ‘right kind’ of weight: muscle rather than fat. Thus if you want to put on weight you need to you need to take in more calories than you burn up. The best source of calories is from carbohydrates – you should try to get at least 70% of your calorie intake from carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and pasta. Up to 15% of calories should come from protein and the rest from fat.

Guidelines

Keep a food diary for a couple of weeks to learn more about your eating habits.
Rather than struggle to eat really big meals plan 3 regular meals plus 2 to 3 snacks.
Make meals a little larger or more calorific, for example, an extra slice of toast at breakfast; drink grape juice rather than orange juice; make coffee with milk; serve an extra spoon of mash, rice or pasta; be more generous with healthier unsaturated oils, salad dressing and spreads; always have a dessert.
Have snacks to hand so you never go short. For example, nuts, seeds and raisins; pots of rice pudding, custard or yoghurt; cereal or cereal bars; milk or yoghurt, wheatmeal biscuits; cheese and crackers; fruit plus small chocolate bar.
Stop drinking non-caloric beverages. That includes diet soda, and plain coffee or tea. Choose skim or 1 percent milk (we want healthy calories, not fat, so avoid milk with higher fat contents), 100 percent fruit juice or sports drinks.
Make it a habit to routinely choose foods that are higher in calories. Each meal should include some type of starchy food (potato, rice, pasta, bread, cereal), fruits and vegetables, and a protein source (chicken, red meat, fish, peanut butter, legumes, eggs, cheese).

Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise and activity will help your body gain muscle and not unwanted fat. To gain weight in a healthy way, keep bones strong and your body toned. Ensure regular physical activity for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. You can go in for brisk walking, swimming, cycling or join a gym. Take care not to be too active. If you are someone who is always on their feet, make time each day to relax. Remember that you need to consume more calories than you can burn up. As always, check with your GP first if you haven’t exercised for a long time.

NOTE: This information is designed to help people who are otherwise healthy, and would like to put on a little weight. If you have recently lost weight for no apparent reason you should always see your GP for advice, as this could signal an underlying medical condition. If you have to follow a special diet to help treat an existing condition, then this information is not for you.

Posted in Health Care

Natural Health Care

Raj — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:33:24 +0000

Benefits of Garlic

Garlic has been around for centuries and is known and recognized for its medicinal powers. From the earliest times right up until today, garlic has been used for various forms of healing, as well as building strength and endurance. Studies have proved that garlic is best for prevention of heart disease and cancer. In the ancient times garlic has been used to treat everything from leprosy to wounds in both world wars and different other diseases.

Garlic for your Heart
Studies have shown that garlic aids with circulation by widening blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure. Garlic works in the body on the platelets, which are the blood clotting cells, making them less likely to stick together and cling to artery walls causing heart attacks. Garlic is also credited with dissolving clot forming proteins that affect the formation of plaque. It is also believed that garlic may interfere with the metabolism of cholesterol and aid with lowering the over all cholesterol count. All these factors lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Garlic prevents cancer
Garlic helps in preventing cancer and kills the growth if cancer cells. Garlic contains allium which is helpful in preventing cancer. Also one component of garlic, alliin, is an antioxidant. Some nutrients, such as selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and in particular alliin, scavenge free radicals, the free-roaming, unstable molecules that lead to cell damage and premature aging. Free radicals have also been implicated in the growth of tumors. In laboratory animals, garlic extracts have actually inhibited the growth of cancer cells.

Other Benefits of Garlic
Garlic helps combat colds and the flu. It is used to treat sore throats, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), digestive disorders, bladder infections, and liver and gallbladder problems. It’s believed to kill harmful bacteria in the stomach and protect against gastric cancer. It appears to be a potent antioxidant and may boost the response of your immune system. It also works as an anti-inflammatory. Garlic is effective against bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections.

Include Garlic in your diet
Garlic comes in many different forms including fresh herb or clove, liquid, oil, powder and capsules. If you find that the pungent odor of garlic is a bit more than you bargained for you can purchase the odorless garlic supplements. But it is best if you get your quota of garlic in food, as it may be more easily absorbed into your system.

A word of caution
Don’t use garlic supplements if you’re taking anticoagulants (blood thinners) or hypoglycemics (a type of diabetes drug). Do not take if breastfeeding. Rarely, may cause allergic reactions.

Benefits of Honey

Of course, we all know that honey is one of nature’s most delicious treats, but did you know that there are many topical uses for honey as well? Because honey contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, it is a wonderful beauty aid that nourishes the skin and the hair. Honey acts as an antibacterial and antifungal agent and helps disinfect and speed the healing process in wounds, scrapes and burns.

For best results, use raw honey. Raw honey is unprocessed and has up to 50 percent more vitamins than processed or cooked honey.

Following are the various benefits of honey:

Honey mixed with ground almonds makes an excellent facial cleansing scrub.
A tablespoon of honey whisked together with an egg white, 1 teaspoon of glycerin and about 1/4 cup of flour makes an excellent firming mask. Just smooth on the face, leave on 15 minutes, and rinse off with warm water. You’ll love the results.
Honey also makes a great moisturizing pack. Just mix 2 tablespoons of honey with 2 teaspoons of whole milk, smooth over the face and throat, and let it do its job for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, and finish splashing with cold water.
Honey also makes a great lotion for dry patches of skin on hands, elbows, or other parts. Just mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply to hands, elbows, heels of your foot, etc., and wash off after 15 minutes. Instant relief!
Honey works well on chapped lips and for acne because it has antibacterial properties.
To give your hair lustrous shine, mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water. Use as a hair rinse. And if you’re a blond, add the juice of 1 lemon, too.
Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with a cup of warm water. Use it as a mouthwash. Honey cleans teeth and dentures, and kills germs in the mouth.
Benefits of Lemon

Like all citrus fruits, lemons are a good source of vitamin C which enhances the beauty of your skin and has a lot to give both to health and beauty. They are also good for cleansing your digestive
system.

The various benefits of lemons are listed below:
Squeeze some lemon juice into warm water and drink it. It helps by cleansing your body of toxins.
Cellulite can also benefit from lemons. First of all, start each day with a drink of hot water and squeezed lemons. Water retention is also banished this way. Then use a lemon based cellulite oil to rub onto the affected areas.
Lemons can be rubbed directly onto skin and left for about 2 hours before rinsing. This is good to reduce wrinkles and treat blemishes. The treatment will work better if followed by olive oil after rinsing. It works by speeding up skin renewal and uncovering a fresh new layer of skin. However, it is important not to do this before going out in the sun as it will have a bleaching effect.
Another beauty treatment that can be done with lemons is a hair tonic. Massage some lemon juice onto hair and leave it for a while before rinsing. Again, do not do this before going in the sun. This treatment is especially good for greasy hair as it will regulate the sebaceous glands which produce oil and make the hair shine and prevent dandruff.

Benefits of Vitamins

Vitamins are an important ingredient in our daily diets. Vitamins keep us healthy and strong. Vitamins are necessary for our growth, vitality and well-being. Sometimes vitamins are used as therapies for various ailments and disease. We must get vitamins from our natural foods or dietary supplements. You can also buy vitamin supplements to increase the level of a particular vitamin your body can use. Below listed are the various vitamins and their benefits.Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat soluable vitamin, meaning that it needs fats and minerals for proper absorption. Retinol Vitamin A comes from animal food sources and is stored in the body, whereas Beta-carotene Vitamin A comes from both plant and animal sources, and is not stored in the body. Retinol Vitamin A benefits your vision, tissues, skin, teeth, hair, nails and bones in many ways.

Possible Benefits of Vitamin A
Helps improve vision. And protects against formation of cataracts.
Inhibits cancerous growth and may reverse precancerous conditions.
Antioxidant properties help prevent heart disease and reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.
Powerful immune protector.
Antioxidant properties may be helpful for Alzheimers, chronic fatigue syndrome, male infertility and fribromyalgia.
Promotes wellness of bones, eyes, hair, mucous linings, membranes, nails, skin and teeth.

Food Sources
Dark green leafy vegetables and yellow, orange or red fruits and vegetables: sweet potatos, carrots, cantaloupe, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, fish liver oils, liver, kale, turnip greens, squash, tomatos, pumpkin, peaches, mangos, apricots, milk and dairy products.

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Vitamin B1
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin) is a water soluble vitamin, meaning any excess is excreted and not stored in the body. It is known as a “morale booster” since it affords beneficial effects on the nervous system and in a person’s mental disposition. Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin) is necessary to convert carbohydrates from food into energy. It plays a key role in reactions that lead to the formation of energy (along with riboflavin and niacin), and this energy metabolism process is needed for growth, physical movement, nerve functioning, and most body processes.

Possible Benefits
Aids in energy production and efficient energy metabolism.
Promotes growth and healthy nerves – stress relief.
Aids digestion, particularly carbohydrates.
Improves mental attitude and mental clarity.
Strengthens the heart.
Keeps nervous system, muscles, and heart functioning normally.
Soothes heartburn and helps fight airsickness or seasickness.
Studies have shown it aids in lowered blood pressure, weight loss, better sleep and increased energy.

Food Sources
Grains, meats, sunflower seeds, pork, bran cereal, peas, fish, beef, liver, ham, peanuts, almonds, macaroni, rice, bread, lima beans, corn, broccoli, potato, orange juice, orange, avocado, dried beans, oatmeal, milk and dried yeast.

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Vitamin B2
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) is a water soluble vitamin, meaning any excess is excreted and not stored in the body. People have an increased need for Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) in stress situations, and it is the most common vitamin deficiency. Vitamin B-2 is easily destroyed by light, water when cooking, sulfa drugs, estrogen, and alcohol consumption.

Possible Benefits
Aids in growth and reproduction.
Benefits vision, alleviates eye fatigue, and prevents/delays onset of cataracts.
Reduces the frequency and severity of migraines by increasing energy to the brain.
Promotes healthy skin, nails, and hair.
Works as an antioxidant booster to fight free radicals, fight cancer, and strengthen the lens of the eye.
Helps eliminate sore mouth, lips, and tongue.
Helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy.
May be important for healthy nerves.
Speeds healing of wounds, injuries, and after-surgery recovery.
May help with many nerve-related and other ailments: Alzheimers, numbness & tingling, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis.
May help with sickle-cell anemia if have riboflavin deficiency.
Beneficial for anxiety, stress, and fatigue.

Food Sources
Milk, yogurt, American cheese, cheddar cheese, liver, pork chop, beef, egg, tuna, collard greens, broccoli, spinach, macaroni, bread, liver, cereals, avocados, mushrooms, kidney, yeast and leafy green vegetables.

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Vitamin B6
Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine) is a water soluble vitamin, meaning any excess is excreted and not stored in the body. This important vitamin performs more than 100 functions over and over during a day’s time, and must be present for the production of antibodies and red blood cells. Women taking oral contraceptives, adolescent girls, and pregnant women may especially have low levels of Vitamin B-6, making them prone to depression and other ailments.

Possible Benefits
Helps prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Assists in proper assimilation of protein and fat.
Clears excess estrogen from the body and can alleviate PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
Works as building block for brain neurotransmitters and may reduce epileptic seizures.
Helps prevent various nervous and skin disorders.
Alleviates nausea and morning sickness.
Eases insomnia.
Treats carpal tunnel syndrome by alleviating nerve inflammation in the wrist.
Helps relieve asthma attacks.
May relieve depression, stress, and anxiety in those deficient of this vitamin.
Promotes proper synthesis of anti-aging nucleic acids.
Reduces night muscle spasms, leg cramps, hand numbness, and some neuritis conditions.

Food Sources
Liver, salmon, fish, chicken, ham, hamburger, veal, eggs, pork, beef, split peas, dried beans, banana, avocado, watermelon, turnip greens, brussel sprouts, potato, sweet potato, carrots, peas, chickpeas, brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, wheat germ, kidney, heart, cantaloupe, cabbage, blackstrap molasses, and milk.

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Vitamin B12
Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin) is a water soluble vitamin and is effective in very small dosages. It’s not a typical vitamin, for it is produced only by microorganisms and is found nearly exclusively in foods of animal origin. Vegetarians or people with low intakes of animal products are at the greatest risk for a deficiency of Vitamin B-12, as well as people with gastrointestinal disorders, ulcers, Crohn’s disease, gout, chronic heartburn, and excessive alcohol drinkers.

Possible Benefits
Prevent anemia by forming and regenerating red blood cells.
Help maintain a healthy nervous system and reduce depression and irritability.
Alleviate nerve pain, numbness, and tingling.
Enhance proper utilization of fats, carbohydrates, and protein.
Increase energy.
Reduce heart disease risks.
Sharpen mental agility, concentration, memory, and balance due to its “brain booster” effects.
May improve multiple sclerosis and tinnitus.
Promote growth and increase appetite in children.
Keeps the immune system healthy.
May slow the progression of HIV infection to AIDS.
Improve ability to fight off disease.

Food Sources
Liver, trout, beef, clams, crab, lamb, tuna, veal, hamburger, eggs, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, brewer’s yeast, oysters, sardines, and organ meats.

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Vitamin C
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), a water soluble vitamin, is a potent antioxidant and studies suggest that this nutrient may prevent premature death from heart disease and cancer. Besides its antioxidant benefits, Vitamin C plays a primary role in collagen formation which is essential for the growth and repair of tissue cells, gums, blood vessels, bones, and teeth. Smokers and older people have a greater need for this vitamin.

Possible Benefits
Protection against cancer and heart disease.
Strengthens immunity and may prevent colds or minimize them through its mild antihistamine effects.
Potent antioxidant and raises blood glutathione, another antioxidant produced by the body.
Helps prevent cataracts.
Increases iron absorption.
Acidifies urine to prevent some types of kidney and bladder infections (urinary tract infections).
Helps treat asthma.
Promotes healthy gums.
Assists in lowering blood cholesterol.
Prevents many types of viral and bacterial infections.
Acts as a natural laxative.
Lowers blood clot incidences.
Reduces allergy-producing effects of many substances.
Prevents scurvy.
Extends life by enabling protein cells to hold together.

Food Sources
Kiwi fruit, orange, orange juice, cantaloupe, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, grapefruit, strawberries, watermelon, grape juice, raspberries, green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, collard greens, potato, tomato, sweet potato, and red peppers.

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Vitamin D
Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) is a fat soluble vitamin often referred to as the sunshine vitamin because the ultraviolet B rays of the sun causes skin oils to produce this vitamin. Light-skinned people get the RDA of Vitamin D with 30 minutes of sunlight exposure twice a week, and darker-skinned people require longer exposures for the light to penetrate the skin. Since the body’s ability to manufacture Vitamin D declines with age, older people (and people who don’t go outside much) may become deficient in this vitamin. Vitamin D’s importance is its role of making calcium and phosphorus available for the body to use.

Possible Benefits
Helps prevent osterporosis.
Promote healthy bones and strong teeth.
Helps absorption of the minerals calcium and phosphorus.
Prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
May help prevent colon, breast, and prostate cancer.
May slow progression of osteoarthritis of the knee.

Food Sources
Sunlight, fortified milk, salmon, tuna, shrimp, herring, beef and chicken liver, egg yolk, and fortified cereals.

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Vitamin E
Vitamin E has four major forms: alpha tocopheryl, beta, delta and gamma. Vitamin E (d-alpha Tocopheryl) is the most common and potent form. Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver. This important antioxidant vitamin protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Possible Benefits
Cancer, heart disease, and stroke prevention.
May prevent cataracts.
Works as natural blood thinner and may prevent blood clots.
May help people with diabetes better use insulin.
Enhances immunity.
Protects against cigarette smoke and air pollution.
Assists in healing of the skin.
Enhances the activity of selenium and Vitamin A.
Decreases bad cholesterol.
Protects against muscle damage due to oxidation.
May relieve osteoarthritis symptoms.

Food Sources
Vegetable oil, mayonnaise, margarine, salad dressing, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, cashews, sweet potato, collard greens, asparagus, spinach, soybeans, eggs, leafy greens, wheat germ, whole wheat bread, white bread, crab, shrimp, and fish.

Food to Fight Cold

Are you susceptible to cold and flu? Do you think that you are protected against these irritating viruses? If not, we have brought for you some easy home remedies which you have to incorporate in your daily food and say good-bye to cold and flu.
Chicken soup has to be at the top of the list. Hot chicken soup helps clear clogged airways, and the nourishing broth will give you more energy. Add plenty of vegetables, including onion and garlic, for extra healing power.
Cook a vegetable soup to boost your immune system. Boil lightly a colourful range of different vegetables with garlic and a teaspoon of black pepper. Toss in a couple of tomatoes for a good measure of Vitamin C.
Take in proper quantity of vitamin C in your diet. Reach for citrus fruits to increase your vitamin C intake. Drink orange juice for breakfast, have grapefruit, pineapple and strawberries whenever you are hungry.
Hot and spicy food also does the trick. Cook ethnic foods that contain garlic, peppers and hot sauce to help break up congestion.
Ginger also is also effective in protecting you against colds and the flu. Try making a ginger tea: Pour a cup of boiling water over 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger; let steep 5-10 minutes.
Garlic is the best home remedy to keep cold and flu away. Add garlic liberally to your favorite foods, or even chew a raw clove or two.
Stay hydrated with plenty of liquids. Instead of coffee, soda or sweetened beverages drink plenty of water and pure fruit juices. Hot beverages work better for some people; try tea, hot water mixed with lemon or even hot lemonade.

Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a great source of vitamin for many different reasons including heart protection, cancer preventer, immunity booster, brain preserver, wound healer etc. Vitamin E is the main antioxidant that protects all calls from damage, so its one of the most important nutrient supplements you can take to keep your whole body healthy and protected against disease.

Vitamin E acts as a powerful antioxidant by neutralizing free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage. Vitamin E also contributes to a healthy circulatory system and aids in proper blood clotting and improves wound healing. Some studies have shown that vitamin E decreases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and certain types of breast disease.

Vitamin E is good for the heart. Taking vitamin E can significantly lower your risk of heart disease, enhance the functioning of your immune system, and also reduces your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Women need 8 milligrams while men need 10 milligrams of vitamin E daily. It is best to take vitamin E from your daily diet. You can also take vitamin pills.

Sources of Vitamin E

Wheat germ
Vegetable oil and margarine
Avocado
Whole grain products
Egg yolk
Nuts
Liver
Peanut butter
NATURAL HEALTH REMEDIES

For minor ailments and illness you can use natural herbal remedies without running to the doctor for drugs that contain chemicals, which might cause other side effects. These herbal remedies are generally mild, and thus work best at the initial stages of illness. However if the illness is serious then it is always best to consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Below listed are a few common ailments and their natural herbal cure.

INDIGESTION
For indigestion ginger tea is the best remedy. Boil your tea with a thumbnail piece of ginger. Add sugar or honey for taste. Drink this tea 3 times a day to soothe the upset organ. You can also try one teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in water.

NAUSEA
For nausea, try lemon-lime soda. Make sure it’s not icy cold; room temperature is better as it won’t startle your stomach into cramping.

COLD
If you have a cold, cook a vegetable soup to boost your immune system. Boil lightly a colourful range of different vegetables with garlic and a teaspoon of black pepper. Toss in a couple of tomatoes for a good measure of Vitamin C. The vegetables provide multi-vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system to fight the cold. Garlic has anti-bacterial properties and helps to fight germs and viruses. Black pepper has chemicals to affect your body’s metabolism, which will in turn boost the immune system.

COUGH
For a good homemade cough syrup, mix a tablespoon of honey with a quarter cup of lemon juice and a quarter cup of warm water. Adults may also try adding a tablespoon of brandy or whiskey. This is not particularly tasty but it is effective.

SORE THROAT
Sooth a sore throat by gargling with one teaspoon of salt mixed in a small amount of warm water. Do not swallow. Repeat as often as necessary.

CUTS
Fresh, unprocessed honey contains vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. This is a powerful healer for cuts because the nutrients act directly on the wound, speeding up the recovery of cells. Honey also absorbs water when it is applied on the skin. A skin without moisture is not conducive to bacterial growth. Honey is not an antiseptic but acts like one in its action to inhibit bacterial growth.

THIRST
Cucumbers and coconut juice are “coolers” because they remove metabolic heat generated in the body. They are excellent thirst quenchers for the parched throat, dry body, or feverish body. They work twice as effectively as plain water alone and do not give you the bloated feeling of drinking too much water

INSOMNIA
Insomnia is a common sleeping disorder that may affect people of all ages. Even children may experience difficulty in falling to sleep from time to time. A hot, milky beverage will usually lull you to sleep. Lavender in its dried form or essential oil form is commonly used in aromatherapy to help insomnia sufferers. A few whiffs of the herb send you to dreamland. It is harmless enough for use with children and babies in the same room. There are also sedative teas like chamomile tea, which relaxes your body to induce sleep.

HEADACHE
Stave off a migraine headache by drinking a high-caffeine beverage as soon as you feel it coming on. Take one aspirin and lie down in a dark room. A cool cloth across the forehead can be soothing as well. A tension headache can be eased with a hot shower, massaging the affected area, or even by brushing your hair.

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, Health Care

Cleansing Your Body

Raj — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:29:45 +0000

To have a beautiful, smooth and vibrant skin it is very important that you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. The first step to regain complete health is to remove toxins from the body. When the cells in your body are clogged up with acid, sugar, and toxins you have no energy, you don’t sleep well, your complexion is bad, your eyes are dull, you suffer from acidity and stomach upsets, you’re nervous and irritable, and you feel indifferent – everything seems wrong. The sensible and logical thing to do is to clean out your body, not just the bowels but also the cells. By purging these cells, the body rids itself of accumulated toxic material. A simple, yet effective 6-day diet cleans the body from the inside and helps you get a clear complexion, you will sleep more soundly, acidity and stomach upsets will disappear, your nerves will be at ease and you will feel beautiful and lively and life will be full of joy.

The Journey Toward A Healthy Life: A Six-Day Diet Regimen

BREAKFAST FOR EACH OF THE SIX DAYS:
Fifteen minutes before you are ready to eat breakfast squeeze the juice of one lemon in a medium glass of hot water and drink it. The rest of the meal consists of 250 ml of fruit juice (orange or grape), 5 level tablespoons of cottage cheese, 250g fresh fruit – you can eat only one kind of fruit or combine fruits in a salad (no bananas or avocados). You may drink one cup of tea, with milk and sugar if desired. Between breakfast and lunch you should drink all the vegetable broth (recipe provided) as you can hold. Also eat fresh raw fruit. Make a large quantity of the vegetable broth and store in the refrigerator.

LUNCH FOR EACH OF THE SIX DAYS:
Drink two cups of vegetable broth during the meal. Make a salad by chopping fresh, raw vegetables in a bowl. Use four from the following list: Asparagus, beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, celery, green peppers, lettuce, onions, pumpkin, spinach, squash, tomatoes. For dessert, slice fresh fruit and serve with drizzle of honey. You may drink a small glass of fresh milk if desired. Between lunch and dinner drink all the vegetable juice you desire and eat all the fresh fruit you want.

DINNER FOR EACH OF THE SIX DAYS:
Drink two cups of vegetable broth during the meal. Select two or three of the different kinds of vegetables listed and steam-cook them with a little butter. Eat a generous helping of each. Eat a medium slice of whole-wheat bread with butter. For dessert, eat a fresh fruit salad. If you feel hungry after dinner, eat as much fresh fruits as you want and drink vegetable juice.

RECIPE FOR VEGETABLE BROTH:
To make vegetable broth, dice 7 carrots and 1 small bunch of celery into small pieces. Place in 2 quarts water and boil for 15 minutes. Add one-third bunch of fresh parsley and a large handful of fresh spinach. Flavour with tomatoes, green peppers or garlic. Boil 10 minutes more. Drain off the broth, retaining the fluid. Flavour with salt of onion. This recipe makes about one day’s supply. It can be used hot or cold. The purpose of this broth is to flush the system, so drink lots of it during the 6 days. It’s loaded with minerals.

NOTE :
This is a tough journey and you will face problems in the way but be strong and don’t give up. At the end of the first day, you may feel slight discomfort by having changed your regular mode of eating, but this is natural. About the third or fourth day the bowels and kidneys will begin to move freely and much toxic waste will be eliminated. You may experience headache and perhaps nausea but do not become alarmed. About the fifth day, you will begin to feel a surge of energy. Your general health will begin to improve and colour returned to your complexion, your eyes will begin to brighten, and you will feel wonderfully healthy. Continue on the diet until the end of the sixth day. From now on, follow a balanced diet with health giving whole foods, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, FITNESS

A To Z of Fitness – The Complete Guide To Fitness

Raj — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:23:52 +0000

A-stands for awareness.Go on a familiarization trip with your body. See if your body muscles are toned or rusting. Check if your heartbeat does not shoot up too much and too soon if you have to walk fast or climb stairs. Go for a thorough check up for the sake of your body. It also stands for aerobics, an activity that exercises your heart, lungs and blood vessels.

B-stands for balance, which you have to constantly strive to strike in life-be it your fitness regime or the food you eat, or even the quantum of time you set aside for yourself.

G- is for the good night sleep that is sure to envelop you after you have had an energetic, active or a positive stress day.

H- is for high, also called runner’s high that actually is the release of endorphin, secreted by the brain which gives you a natural high.

J- is for jerks. Totally avoid them during exercise as they put pressure on your joints. Any pain during a workout means your body is begging you to stop.

L- points towards your legs. They follow the principle of direct proportion-the more you work on them the better they will get.

N- is for nature at its best. Foods closest to their natural form top the list of sensible in take.

O- is for overindulgence, which is obviously to be avoided if you are looking at a life full of fitness and fervour.

R- is for regularity. An absolute must for desired results.

S- is for strain. This is something you might be prone to if you donot warm up well enough, cool down or do simple stretches after every workout.

U- is for utility-utilize your energy and resources positively. It is also the urgency to get started.

Y- is for the healthy years that add to your life when you exercise regularly.

Z- is for the zenith-the highest point in your life when there is an amalgamation of self discipline, spirit and the zest for living.

Posted in FITNESS

Healthy Eating

Raj — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:37:19 +0000

The Basics

The nutrients in food can be divided into two classes: macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat, and water) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). In order for your body to feel healthy and energized, and to function at its best, it’s important to make smart decisions about the types of food you eat. The rest of this section will explain the basics of several nutrients.

Calories

Your body requires a specific number of calories every day to function properly. Individuals with active lifestyles require more calories in their diets than those with sedentary lifestyles. If your energy intake consistently exceeds your energy output, you will begin to notice a change in weight. For every 3500 calories consumed beyond the energy needs of your body, you may gain 1 pound of fat. On the other hand, creating a deficit of 3500 calories can result in the loss of 1 pound. To put this in perspective, cutting out a mere 250 calories a day could amount to a weight loss of 26 pounds in just one year!

Protein (4 kcal/g)

Protein, which is composed of building blocks called amino acids, performs a number of functions in the body. Protein helps:

Build and maintain healthy muscles when combined with diet and exercise
Support red blood cell production
Boost your immune system
Keep your hair, nails, and skin healthy

Protein is an extremely important macronutrient and should be eaten frequently throughout the day. High-quality sources of protein include whey protein, red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese. To support and help increase your protein intake, add a protein supplement to your diet and exercise plan.

Visit our protein calculator to find out how much protein you may require on a daily basis.

Carbohydrates (4 kcal/g)

Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy, especially in low-fat diets. They are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and are split into two categories: complex and simple carbohydrates. Choose a variety of foods ranging from fruits and vegetables to whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals.

In addition, try to select foods made with little fat or sugar, such as pasta, lentils, and beans. Baked goods such as cakes, cookies, croissants, and pastries include carbohydrates as well, but most of the original fiber is removed during processing. Try to limit your intake of these foods as much as possible.

Visit our calorie calculator to find out how many carbohydrates you may require.

Fat (9 kcal/g)

The two main types of fat are saturated and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats maintain a solid state at room temperature (like lard) and are generally considered to be associated with various health problems. On the other hand, unsaturated fats maintain a liquid state at room temperature (like olive oil) and have positive effects on the body’s health. Due to these effects, you should try to eat oil-rich fish, nuts,and seeds more often, while limiting your intake of saturated fats like non-dairy creamers, high-fat meats, french fries, and pastries.

Another fat found in our diets that needs to be controlled is hydrogenated fat. To counter its effects, enjoy a diet full of essential fatty acids (EFAs). Natural sources of EFAs include cold-water fish, olive and canola oil, nuts, seeds, and other supplemental sources such as flaxseed, or fish oils.

Visit the feature on dietary fats to gain a better understanding of this important macronutrient. You can also use our calorie calculator to find out how much dietary fat you may require.

Fiber

Dietary fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate that passes through our systems without absorption. Our bodies lack the enzymes to break down the various types of fiber into a form that can be absorbed into the blood. Two main classes of fiber in our diet are soluble and insoluble types.

Soluble fiber is found in fruits, legumes, oats, and rye, among other foods. This fiber combines with water to form a gel in our intestinal tracts, which softens our stools and slows the rate of food that passes through our digestive systems. Insoluble fiber can be found in vegetables and wheat bran. This fiber tends to expand when absorbing water, thus accelerating the rate at which food passes through our systems. The American Dietetic Association’s recommendation for daily fiber intake is approximately 20 to 30 grams per day.

Alcohol (7 kcal/g)

Higher in Calories Than You May Think

Although alcohol can be part of an enjoyable and generally healthy lifestyle that includes a good diet and exercise plan, it can still have harmful effects on your health and your weight if abused.

Alcohol does not contain fat, but it’s still high in calories. One note to remember is the more calories from alcohol you consume, the less fat your body can oxidize (burn).

Cholesterol

A Well-Known Fat-Like Compound

Cholesterol is a fat-like compound that is found in many foods, your bloodstream, and all of your body’s cells. The liver creates about 85 percent of your blood cholesterol, while the other 15 percent comes from your diet. Dietary cholesterol comes primarily from animal sources such as meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, and seafood.

The American Heart Association recommends a daily cholesterol intake of less than 300 milligrams, as a higher intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat is linked to atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries). To avoid these negative health effects, maintain appropriate levels of the different protein-composed carriers that transport cholesterol through the body. There are two main types: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) blood cholesterol carriers and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) blood cholesterol carriers. Always make sure the HDL levels are high and your LDL levels kept low.

Water

The Other Element of a Healthy Diet

Your body’s important chemical reactions all occur in the presence of water, which constitutes about 60 percent of your bodyweight and 70 percent of your muscle weight. Water helps regulate and maintain your body temperature; transports nutrients and oxygen; removes waste products; and moistens your mouth, eyes, nose, hair, skin, digestive tract, and joints. Limiting water intake can result in dehydration, elevated body temperature, fatigue, decreased performance, and increased risk of heat-related illness. Consume at least ten 12-ounce glasses of water per day.

Visit our water calculator to find out more about suggested daily water requirements.

Vitamins and Minerals

Micronutrients (more commonly known as vitamins and minerals) are different from macronutrients in that they do not supply direct energy. Rather, they work with your body to help extract energy from the foods you eat, and they help ensure that your body functions optimally during everyday activities. Some of the tasks minerals that perform include maintaining water balance; aiding absorption, digestion, and transport of nutrients; transmitting nerve impulses; and regulating muscle contraction.

There are 13 vitamins (4 are fat-soluble and 9 are water-soluble) whose responsibilities include ensuring normal metabolism, growth, and mental alertness. Vitamins and minerals are vital to our health, as deficiency in one specific vitamin or mineral can result in a related illness or disease that usually subsides once appropriate levels are reached again.

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, Health Care