Archive by Author

Sitting On THIS Reduced Back Pain By 58% In Teens

17 Mar

Sometimes the simple things work the best. At least, that’s what it seems like according to the results of a recent back pain study. In the study, 97 teenaged students (most with back pain) took part in a four week study. 51 students sat on a hard foam wedge for three weeks in almost all of their classes, 46 students did not.

Results: Both groups were the same after the first week, but after that, the wedge users started reporting improvements in pain.

Both groups had increased pain at night as compared with the morning, but the wedge users had a significantly lower increase.

Researchers believe the wedge increased the forward tilt of the pelvis, taking pressure off the joints and disks.

Even though this study is relatively small, it accentuates a very big point in back pain. Many experts believe POSTURE is one of the biggest causes of back pain and neck pain.

If bad posture can affect resilient teenagers, imagine what it can do to a middle-aged spine?

Too many people think back and neck pain comes from ONE BIG INJURY like a slip and fall, sports injury, car accident or something similar. Many cases of back and neck pain DO come from such traumas, but MANY cases of back and neck pain come from very small stresses placed on the body and spine over long periods of time.

These stresses are called “micro-traumas” and are often not felt for YEARS. If you have ever simply bent over to pick up a pen or piece of paper and had your back “go out,” then this is what might have happened to you.

A healthy, strong spine doesn’t just go bad all of a sudden. Just like a cavity in your tooth, it slowly breaks down over time. You usually have symptoms years after the damage started to accumulate.

That’s why it is important to try to minimize the bad stress on your back, neck, and spine. Have good posture, exercise, eat right, limit stress, and get a Chiropractic check-up to stay tuned-up. 

What’s Better To Lose Weight: Cardio or Resistance Training?

17 Mar

Here’s an inconvenient truth: Many people do not believe based on facts. They pick a side based on any number of other things (what sounds right to them, a celebrity endorsement, their past experiences, etc.) and then emotionally defend their stance… NO MATTER WHAT.

The examples of this are endless, and not the point of this newsletter. The point IS to separate fact from fiction, which is often much more difficult than one would think.

For example, a new study (done at Duke University Medical Center) is out that compared aerobic training, resistance training, and a combination of the two to determine the optimal mode of exercise for obesity reduction.

Researchers said that few studies have compared the effects of similar amounts of aerobic and resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight adults.

The study, published in the December 2012 edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology, started with previously sedentary overweight or obese males and females between the ages of 18-70. 119 completed the study and had collectable data.

There were three groups: Group 1 did resistance training (RT) only 3 days a week, 3 sets a day, 8-12 repetitions/set. Group 2 did aerobic training (AT) only – calorically equivalent to approximately 12 miles/wk at 65-80% peak VO2. Group 3 did aerobic training PLUS resistance training (A T/RT). Aerobic was calorically equivalent to approximately 12 miles/wk at 65-80% peak VO2 Plus Resistant: 3 days/wk, 3 sets/day, 8-12 repetitions/set.

RESULTS: The groups assigned to aerobic training and aerobic plus resistance training lost more weight than those who did resistance training only.

Fat mass and waist circumference significantly decreased in the A T and A T/RT groups, but were not altered in the RT group. However, measures of lean body mass significantly increased in the RT and A T/RT groups, but not in AT group.

Having the benefit of both modes of exercise allowed the A T/RT group to decrease body fat percentage significantly more than either the AT or RT groups, due to decreased fat mass combined with increased lean body mass.

One researcher said that after seeing the results of this study, “it may be time to seriously reconsider the conventional wisdom that resistance training alone can lead to weight and fat loss.”

Tags:

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

16 Mar

The answer to that old saying, of course, is: One bite at a time.

Once you read the inspirational story posted last week, you’ll know just how powerful that can be.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, but the story is about a man who lost 111 pounds in 101 days. He put video updates on YouTube every now and then to show his progress.

Most people think the weight loss came from the juice fast he was on. We beg to differ. There are many ways to lose weight.

The real secret to his success was making the decision in his life to make a change, and then taking action. He started with a small, attainable goal (his original goal was only 10 days) and then he expanded on it.

He attacked his goal one day at a time. It was no different from how you would eat an elephant or take on ANY seemingly huge or daunting task.

One bite. One step. They all lead into the next, which leads into the next. Before you know it, 111 pounds, or an entire elephant, or whatever it is you want to accomplish is completely finished.

The same is true about EVERYTHING in life, including your health.

The only way to true health is by eating right, exercising, relieving stress and seeking the proper health care when the need arises.

This all may seem like eating an elephant. But if you make small goals and take action, just one day at time, the results you achieve can be amazing.

Maybe make a goal to cut out junk food and go for a short walk tomorrow. Make it your goal to do that for 3 days. Just make it through those 3 days. That’s it. And see what happens.

And if you have any aches or pains, make it a goal to come in and get them checked out and taken care of.

Whatever goal you want, break it into small chunks and TAKE ACTION RIGHT NOW. Not next week. Not tomorrow. RIGHT NOW.

Who knows how great your life could be? The possibilities are practically limitless.

Want To Feel More Full While Eating Less?

14 Mar

Do you want to feel full while eating less? Everyone does because it allows you to lose weight without being hungry. Well, researchers have just discovered that eating a meal with a low GI (glycaemic index) increases gut hormone production which leads to suppression of appetite and the feeling of fullness. Many people already know that low GI meals make you feel fuller, but now researchers have discovered WHY. The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those that are rapidly digested and absorbed, and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health.

In a new study, author Dr. Reza Noroury concluded, “Our results show for the first time the direct effect of a single GI meal on gut hormone levels. We already know that the hormone GLP-1 and a low GI meal independently lead to suppression of appetite. This study builds on these findings by providing a physiological mechanism to explain how a low GI meal makes you feel fuller than a high GI meal. GLP-1 is one of the most potent hormones for suppressing appetite. Our results suggest that low GI meals lead to a feeling of fullness because of increased levels of GLP-1 in the bloodstream. This is an exciting result [that] provides further clues about how our appetite is regulated, and offers an insight into how a low GI diet produces satiety. This is a preliminary study that only involved a small number of people. We now need to expand these findings and look at the effects of low versus high GI meals in a larger cohort of people.”

Do You Feel Less Hungry Because You Think You Ate More Than You Actually Did?

New research done by the Nutrition and Behaviour Unit, School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, has come to a surprising and possible useful conclusion. In the study, subjects had the amount of soup they ate secretly altered through a special pump hooked up to their soup bowl during lunch. Basically, one group thought they ate more than they actually did.

According to the study, immediately after lunch, participants reported the degree to which they were still hungry. Their scores aligned with the actual amount of soup they ate, not the perceived amount. However, 2-3 hours later, the opposite was true and hunger scores correlated with how much soup they perceived they ate. Researchers believe this may prove memory is an important and independent part of satiety.

A very wise man once said, “Thoughts become things.” It sounds like he was somewhat correct, at least for hunger.

The Weight Loss King? How Did A 32-Year-Old Man Lose 111 Pounds In 101 Days?

13 Mar

Just about everyone wants to lose weight. Some want to lose a lot. Some just want to lose a little. No matter how much weight you want to lose, you probably would like to know who “The Weight Loss King” is and how this 32-year-old lost 111 pounds in 101 days. Here’s the story…

“The Weight Loss King” was seriously overweight at 333 lbs. His health was spiraling out of control and he sat himself down and decided he had to make a change. That change was going to be a 10-day juice fast.

By the third day, things looked bleak. Hunger and the detoxification process was waging war on him. But he kept his promise to himself and made it to the fourth day. That’s when things started to get a little better…

Each day he just tried to make it to the next. By the 8th day, he shot a video about his progress. He had lost 16 lbs., but he said something much more important happened than the amount of weight he had lost. He said that his initial goal was to make it 10 days. But now on the 8th day, he changed his goal. His new goal was to stay on the juice fast for another 10 days, and possibly 10 after that, for a total of 30 days.

This meant he was going to miss Thanksgiving, but by this time, he knew he was creating a whole new life for himself. He admitted he didn’t even think he was going to make it the initial 10 days. It’s amazing how things can change…

He made another video update on day 15, and reported that he was down 23 lbs. This time, he said he was going for 30 days and it was clear by the conviction in his voice that he was going to make it. In this video, his entire face was beginning to change and he was becoming a completely different person.

By day 22, he had lost 30 lbs. He said he had one week to go and he wanted to drop another 10 lbs. in his final week.

On day 30, you could see everything had changed. He was down 38 lbs. and he looked and talked like a new person. He said, “I’m on day 30 of a 10 day juice fast which means I’ve done better than I thought I could.” The most important thing was the self-confidence he now possessed, and the incredible positive momentum he was building.

He announced that he changed his goal once again and he planned to do a full 60 days on the juice fast. By day 33, he was down 41 lbs. He said that he was feeling the best he had ever felt in his life. The days went by and the weight continued to come off. Each video update was better than the previous one, until he reached his ultimate goal by dropping a whopping 111 pounds in 101 days.

So what do a juice fast and all this weight loss have to do with you? The weight loss actually has nothing to do with you, but there is something much more important here that does…

On his last video update, he said he thought reaching his juice fast goal would be the end, but when he got there, he realized it was just the beginning. The important thing here is that he did not attempt a 101 day juice fast. He only attempted 10 days. He committed himself to something small and believable and then he took action. He just tried to make it through each day, one day at a time. When he did, the momentum grew. That’s how big changes take place, one small step at a time.

No one is telling you or anyone else to do a juice fast. For this newsletter, the juice fast is merely symbolic of the process of change and how you can achieve major accomplishments in your life by making a commitment to a small, attainable goal and taking one small step at a time. The key is taking that first step.

Tags:

Taste Buds and Smell.

13 Mar

You have several thousand taste buds on your tongue. Taste buds are actually tiny nerve endings that allow us to perceive different tastes, including Salty (i.e. french fries, peanuts), Sweet (i.e. cotton candy, strawberries), Sour (i.e. shock tarts, lemons), Bitter (i.e. black licorice, radishes), and Umami (a specific taste in meat).

Another major component to taste is smell. By smell alone, you can often tell the difference in foods or beverages; while without smell, it can be difficult to distinguish between different tastes. You may notice this when you have a cold or stuffy nose and food does seem to taste normal. As you get older, you tend to lose taste buds and your sense of taste weakens. Taste buds can be dulled or even damaged if they are irritated by extreme heat or cold, infections, a dry mouth, smoking, spicy foods, extremely sour foods, and some medications. Some people are sensitive to a particular food, such as walnuts, which may cause soreness in their mouth. Fortunately, damaged taste buds can heal, so your sense of taste is not lost.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →