Promote Health

The title of this post may need some explaining…

The idea that some people have that working-out is the best way to lose weight and get that tight body we all want isn’t an entirely accurate way of thinking. Don’t get me wrong, working-out is a very important part of getting in shape, but it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. In my opinion, when it comes to weight loss, having a healthy diet is more important than working-out. Let me explain…

Case in point - In my early 20’s, I worked-out like a madman with both weights and the treadmill, but I never seemed to lose that last 10 pounds that I was looking to shed. The reason?…I ate like crap! I indulged in pizza, macaroni and cheese, ice-cream, lots of pasta, and all of the other comfort foods that we all crave. Once I finally learned to change my diet to include things like whole wheat bread, pastas, and even pizza, along with keeping an eye on portions during each meal, I shed about 30 pounds within 6 months! The kicker is that during this time, I barely worked-out at all!

The moral of the story is that while exercising is a vital piece of the pie when it comes to weight loss, it’s not necessarily the end-all of the weight loss equation - it’s just a piece of the puzzle. The foods you eat have a drastic effect on your weight and just a few small changes in your diet will have a huge effect on your weight loss goals.

So instead of working-out for the sole purpose of losing weight, work-out for your heart health, stress relief, and for its mood-boosting qualities, and let your diet take care of shedding the pounds.

As 2008 slowly fades away and 2009 is finally here, most of us gather up whatever motivation (or lack there of) we can muster up and set out to accomplish our New Year’s resolutions - but we all know it’s not as easy as it sounds. Most of us make ‘em, but few of us actually follow through and complete our New Year’s goals. Whether it be to get in better shape, lose weight, get a better job, or just live a better life, accomplishing these resolutions aren’t that easy.

I decided to take a look at the most common New Year’s resolutions that people make year after year based upon a list that comes from USA.gov. My hope is to try and cover most, if not all, of these topics throughout January and possibly as 2009 roles on. Hopefully I can help to motivate people along in their New Year’s resolution endeavors and make it a bit easier to stick with it.

Here’s some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions:

• Lose weight (No surprise there)
• Manage debt
• Save money
• Get a better job
• Get fit
• Eat right
• Get a better education
• Drink less alcohol
• Quit smoking
• Reduce overall stress levels
• Reduce work stress
• Take a vacation
• Volunteer to help others in need

Good luck on your New Year’s resolutions, and stick to it!

According to a recent article in Woman’s World (December, 2008), 24 million Americans are suffering from diabetes, and another 52 million are at risk of developing the disease.  There are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, and in most cases, they’re just small changes in your lifestyle that will reduce your risk of diabetes by as much as 50% in some cases.  Here’s a list of 11 easy ways to control, or even prevent, diabetes…

1. Pick Fruit Over Juices
   The fiber in slow-to-digest fruits (apples, pears, bananas, etc…) satisfies your sweet tooth while reducing your risk of diabetes by as much as 31% thanks to their dose of soluble fiber and other insulin-controlling compounds. Juice can actually up your risk by as much as 18%!
2. Sleep More
   Sleeping for less than 6-1/2 hours per night on a regular basis can raise your body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol to harmful levels. This increases the risk of diabetes by about 34%, so start getting some more sleep every night and reduce this risk greatly within just a few days.
3. Laughter is the Best Medicine!
   Laughing and having a good time actually reduces blood sugar levels by as much as 25%.
4. Eat More Protein
   Protein helps to reduce blood sugar spikes by 50%, and allows your body to burn protein for fuel instead of sugar.
5. Consume Healthy Fats
   Foods such as nuts, avocado, coconut, or olive oil work to stabilize blood sugar by slowing the absorption of carbs. They also help to curb your appetite for sugary foods.
6. Take a Vitamin D supplement
   This little tip can lower your risk of diabetes by as much as 28%. The recommended dose is 800-IU per day.
7. Watch Your Iron Intake
   Unless you’re iron-deficient, avoid taking too much iron each day, because too much of it can raise your risk of getting diabetes by as much as 50%.
8. Eat Lean Cuts of Meat
   Skip the fatty cut of meat and opt for some chicken, fish, or lean beef cut instead. This can reduce your risk of diabetes by 50% in the long run.
9. Ditch the Salad Dressings
   Instead of traditional salad dressing, drizzle some vinegar or lemon juice on your salad - both are healthy alternatives that can greatly help to reduce the risk of diabetes.
10. Skip the Sugary Drinks
    Sugary sodas (or “pop” as we Michigander’s call it!) can disrupt your body’s insulin control and increase the risk of the disease. Opt for a diet soda if you really need to get your fix.
11. Kick Fast-Food to the Curb
    Many fast food restaurants contain foods with harmful trans-fat that can damage your body’s insulin resistance.

Hopefully these tips will help you live a healthier life and reduce your risk of diabetes. If you have any other tips, feel free to post them in the comments section below.

A recent report by ABC News suggests that sleep may play a major role in heart health. These findings are the first official results linking sleep to good health, although it’s no secret that a full nights rest can do wonders on the body.

The findings of this study were pretty staggering:

For each additional hour of sleep, the risk of calcification of the coronary arteries decreased by 33 percent — an outcome equal to reducing blood pressure by 16 point elevations.

The study consisted of 500 black and white, men and women between the ages of 37 and 47. The majority of participants showed reduced amounts of calcium build-up, or calcification, in their arteries that supply blood to the heart. The researchers couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for the decline in calcium, but they pointed to a few different possibilities:

• There may be some sort of unknown factor involved that links sleep and heart disease that the researchers just don’t know how to measure.
• Increased time sleeping may increase levels of cortisol released in the body, which would then reduce inflammation and consequently the release of calcium in the body.
• Blood pressure declines while we sleep, so lower blood pressure for a longer period of time each day may play a role in the findings.

No matter what the reason for the link between sleep and better heart health, it’s exciting to know that sleeping-in can actually be good for you. So next time you sleep through your alarm and you’re late to work, tell your boss that you’re just trying to live a healthy life!…Hey, it’s worth a try!

Most people don’t realize how many calories they consume each day from drinks alone. Studies show that the average person could cut about 450 calories per day from their diet if they just cut out the sugary drinks - that’s nearly 1 pound of fat loss per week!

People have turned to diet sodas in an attempt to avoid the empty calories of regular soda - not to mention the damage it can do to your teeth with all of its sugar content (just ask any dentist!). Although diet sodas don’t have the calories or sugar content that regular sodas have, they’re far from being a “healthy” drink.

Studies have shown that some people who drink diet sodas tend to eat more because the soda makes them hungrier. Also, diet sodas have no nutritional value, so they are far from a complete replacement of fruit juices or water. Lastly, diet sodas contain aspartame, which is 180 times sweeter than sugar, but has been found to produce negative effects in some animal research studies, including lymphoma and brain tumors. Despite these findings, the FDA says that aspartame is still safe to consume.

The bottom line is that neither diet or regular soda is actually healthy for you, but if I had to choose between one or the other, I’d choose diet for two reasons:

1. Diet has no calories

2. Diet doesn’t eat away at your teeth nearly as bad as sugary, regular soda does

So if you choose to drink diet soda, the key is to drink it in moderation. This means 1-2 per day max, and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Stick to these guidelines, and you’ll be able to enjoy a diet soda here and there without worrying about possible side effects of “OD’ing” on the stuff!

The word arthritis means inflammation, and that is exactly what is happening to your joints when you suffer from arthritis. It’s very common in adults, as many as 1 in 3 adults have some form of arthritis. There are over a hundred types of arthritis but they all share the same basic characteristics, swelling, stiffness, and pain. Arthritis is most commonly brought on by wear-and-tear of the joints, and nagging injuries that may not have healed properly.

There are many drugs out there that can help with the symptoms of arthritis. They also carry a lot of side effects including nausea, rashes, and even death. The drug Viox was linked to 300 deaths in Australia before it was recalled. Because of cases like these, it’s much too risky to use most arthritis drugs. There are natural treatments that are 100% safe and just as effective as drugs, if not more effective. If you want to learn about the natural treatments available, click the link below for more information.

Cold sores, which are also called fever blisters, are caused by the type 1 herpes virus. It is contracted by person-to-person contact, such as sharing utensils or kissing. This virus stays dormant in your nerve cells until you have a breakout in which blisters or irritation occurs around the mouth area. Do not confuse cold sores with canker sores. Canker sores appear inside the mouth on soft tissue, where as cold sores appear around the mouth, nose, and sometimes on the gums.

A cold sore breakout typically lasts about 10 days. If it lasts longer than that, you should consult a doctor immediately. There is no known cure for cold sores, but there are various treatments to control it. Try to avoid instances that may trigger an outbreak, such as not getting enough sleep, prolonged exposure to the sun, and getting a cold or the flu.

I have found a book that uses proven natural techniques to get rid of cold sores within 3 days of a breakout. It is very inexpensive, and worth every penny if you suffer from cold sore outbreaks. This is the best information that I have found on the topic of cold sores. Click the link below for more information.

Moles are skin irregularities that can be very unsightly, and most people choose to have them removed. Some people are born with moles, as it is very common for skin moles to run in the family genes. You can also acquire moles through exposure to the sun. Some moles can be cancerous, so it is important to have them removed, or at least check out by a doctor. You can get them surgically removed, but it is expensive and can leave scars. There are natural alternatives to this procedure that can be extremely effective.

Warts are caused by a virus from the papillomavirus family. They can be passed from person to person through contact, and can grow on any part of the body. Warts will go away on their own, but this could take months or years. Because of this, most people choose to have them removed. One way of removal is by using liquid nitrogen procedure to basically freeze the mole off. I recommend having your doctor do this procedure, because it can be very dangerous. There are some downfalls to this method including, it can get pretty expensive and sometimes you will need multiple treatments to get rid of the wart.

A very inexpensive method you can try if you are strapped for cash is the duct tape method. Often times this method does not work, but it’s worth a try if you can’t afford any other method. What you do is place a piece of duct tape on the wart for one week. Take the tape off and rub the wart gently with an emery board or something else rough. Leave tape off the wart overnight. Then just repeat these steps again until the wart is gone. If the wart does not go away after a few weeks, you should try a different method.

The best way to rid yourself of warts is to use the methods in Chris Gibson’s book. His methods are 100% safe and 100% natural. He shows you how to remove skin moles, planter warts, genital warts, and more. Click the link below if you’re interested in finding out more about these natural removal methods.

It is extremely important to use natural skin products. Many people are allergic to other medications, which can make your skin look much worse than it did originally. There are many natural and inexpensive ways to get your skin looking great.

First of all, acne is caused by the changing of hormones in your body which causes excess oil to be produced on the skin and in turn, your pores get clogged and produce pimples. Acne affects teenagers the most, but that doesn’t mean that adults are exempt from this pesky condition. There are many myths about acne that have no evidence to support them. Greasy foods and chocolate show no evidence of causing acne. Another common myth is that stress causes acne, but this has been found to be totally false.

I want to share a few tips that will help keep your skin clear of pimples, zits, blackheads, or whatever else you want to call them:

1. Wash your face twice a day with a mild cleanser. Too strong of a cleanser could make your acne worse.

2. Keep your hands off your face! If you have a breakout, don’t mess with it. Touching your face will only introduce more oil, dirt, and irritation to your skin.
3. Stay out of the sun. The sun (or tanning beds) may initially help the acne, but in the long run it will make the acne worse. The sun dries out your skin, which makes your body produce more oil, which causes more pimples. Use sunscreen when in the sun to help guard against this problem.

These are a just a few basic tips that will definitely help to prevent future acne. I do recommend a book that gives detailed information about how to get rid of, and prevent acne. They claim to be able to get rid of your acne in 3 days. Their proven techniques do work, and best of all, their techniques are totally natural. Click here if you’re interested in finding out some more information.

Snoring occurs when there is any kind of blockage or narrowing in the mouth, throat, or airway that causes tissues to vibrate at the back of the throat. Snoring can be a big problem for you and your partner. Snoring can disrupt you and your partner’s sleep which has many health effects in itself, such as drowsiness, bad judgment, and other sleep problems. Snoring can also lead to sleep apnea, which is a serious health issue that can in some rare cased be deadly if untreated.

There are a variety of treatments associated with snoring depending upon what the exact cause is. Some of these treatments are nasal sprays, changing your sleeping habits, and losing weight. These can all be effective, depending upon what the root of the problem.

Click here to find out more information.