Author Archives: bhealth
Author Archives: bhealth
How Fiber Foods Affect Your Body
Usually, when fiber comes to mind, you think about foods that help to keep your digestive tract working well. But fiber foods actually offer a number of benefits for overall health.
Besides keeping your bowels moving, eating foods that are high in fiber can protect you from certain diseases such as diabetes. Consuming the right amount of fiber can also protect you from cardiovascular events and some cancers.
But what you might not know is that fiber is a great weight loss help. Fiber is made up of plants or parts of plants and it can be soluble or insoluble. Soluble means the fiber can dissolve in liquid, and insoluble cannot.
Insoluble is the kind that you’ll find in vegetables and other foods with high fiber content. Soluble is found in things like some fruits. You can find certain foods that contain both kinds of fiber and one thing to remember if you’re trying to lose weight or get fit is that foods that are in their natural state will always tend to have more fiber.
When you eat fiber foods, you can lower your bad cholesterol levels as well as your blood pressure while at the same time boost your good cholesterol. Consuming fiber also helps your immune system stay healthier.
Fiber does more than just help keep you regular. Consuming fiber can also lower your risk of gallstones and painful issues like hemorrhoids. One of the many reasons that it’s a great food to eat when you want to lose weight is that fiber works to help get rid of abdominal weight gain.
Carrying extra pounds in this area is something that can add the most risk to your health. A healthy meal plan that includes plenty of fiber can not only keep diabetes at bay but it can help those who do have the condition to be able to control their glucose levels.
Fiber aids with weight loss because when you eat foods that contain it, you end up feeling full for longer periods of time. Fiber doesn’t digest rapidly like some foods do plus, you can find high fiber foods that don’t have a lot of calories.
So that means you’re not eating a lot, but your stomach thinks you are which means you won’t be as temped to overeat or snack. Another plus for eating fiber rich foods is that they give you a lot of energy.
This energy will help to keep you going through your day as well as through your workouts. The recommended daily grams of fiber that you should get depend on whether you’re male or female and how old you are. A woman between the ages of 18-30 needs 25 to 26 grams of fiber whereas a woman who’s over 50 only needs about 21 grams.
From Japan - A Weight Loss Plan without Dieting or Exercising
If you’re like most people, you’d like to lose weight but you don’t want to go broke doing it. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on a weight loss plan if you choose one that has you following an expensive diet or insists that you pay a lot for a membership.
Then if you add up the cost of workout gear, the amount you’ll spend trying to lose can quickly add up. Most people just want something easy that’s known to work. There is something helpful with weight loss that’s been making the rounds and it doesn’t involve money or having to follow a strict eating plan.
All it involves is you and how well you can breathe using intervals. This breathing weight loss plan originated in Japan and is used by people to help get rid of that extra flab. While it’s known as a diet, it’s not technically a diet but rather a body control ability that helps with weight loss.
To get it work for you, you have to know how to stand and when to draw in a breath. You’ll need to know how long to hold your breath - which is for three seconds - and when you need to let go of that breath.
The instructions are that you need to do the breathing exercises for two minutes. That’s all it takes to get you on the road to weight loss. The way that it works has to do with your oxygen intake and the way that you breathe.
When you use this technique, you’ll draw in oxygen. When you’re drawing in oxygen, it’s latching onto the fat cells and then when you breathe out, you’re literally breathing out those fat cells.
The science behind it is simple. Your fat is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. When you breathe in and then exhale, the fat is let go through oxidation. The atoms in the fat cells change with your breathing.
It’s a natural process but the breathing does need to follow a specific pattern to work. In addition to giving you a metabolism boost, this breathing technique also works out your body’s muscles.
When the process was studied, it was discovered that people who follow the breathing instructions correctly can get rid of fat every day and you’ll notice the difference by the inches you’ll lose.
This diet, which is known as the Long Breath diet even though it’s not really a diet, works because the breathing oxidation is the process that stars the fat burning. You can spend a lot of time and money on diets and meal plans or you can learn to breathe and get started now on losing weight easily and quickly.
Find Inspiration to Keep on Your Weight Loss Journey
Losing weight can lead to a healthier you, but along the way, especially if things get hard, you can lose your inspiration and that can lead to discouragement. To stay motivated, there are some simple steps you can take to guarantee your success.
You want to first understand the reason behind what you’re doing. When you know the reason behind your weight loss goals, it’s easier to keep focused on that. It might be something like you want to be healthier or you want to be able to do things that your weight is holding you back from doing.
Once you identify your reason for losing weight, don’t lose sight of that. Write down your reason or even multiple reasons on a notecard and tape it up so that you see it every day.
That way, you’re reminded of why you’re doing what you are. Always make your goals specific. You don’t want to have a goal of wanting to lose some weight. Instead, pick the number of pounds that you’d like to lose.
Put that goal at the top of your page. Then list steps that lead up to that goal. These are smaller goals that feed into that larger goal which is the completed weight loss. Make these goals something that you can accomplish – like you promise to commit to exercising twice a week with an emphasis on building muscle the third day of the week.
Then, every time you achieve that workout goal for the week, you put a check mark by that day. This helps you see what you’ve accomplished already, and it keeps you inspired to keep going.
Losing weight doesn’t have to be a solitary journey. Studies have shown that it helps to have people who are going through the same thing so that you can get support.
This can be in the form of having friends or family lose weight with you as long as they’re just as committed.
If you don’t have anyone in person that can be your support, look for an online community. You can find a lot of these where you can share goals, wins, weight loss roadblocks and more.
The success needed to lose weight begins in the mind. You have to keep a positive mindset and don’t let yourself dwell on negatives, difficult steps in the journey or setbacks.
Instead, keep a positive mindset. This can help you when you feel like you’re not making any headway. Write down positive thoughts or quotes about weight loss and read those daily if you have to.
Make sure that every single goal that you accomplish you inspire yourself through a small reward. This can be something like new music, going to the movies, buying a new book or an outfit or a new piece of workout gear. These rewards help you to look forward to reaching the next goal.
Eating Fat to Stay Slim
You may have heard the advice that if you want to stay slim then you need to give up eating fat. The opposite is actually true. You need to eat fat in order to stay slim. When you eat foods that are high in carbs or high in sugar, this creates a reaction in your body that makes you crave more of the same.
So you begin to hold onto fat and the more fat your body holds onto, the more you weigh and the more you’ll battle hunger and cravings. Without enough fat in your diet, you can get caught in an endless cycle.
Trying to lose weight while eliminating fats is a blueprint to diet failure. When you consume more fat, your body in turn lets go of stored fat. The types of fat that you need to consume matter.
When you plan your meals, you want to make sure that your carbohydrate portions are not as great as your fat. You’ll want to cut out processed foods and eat things like plenty of fish and chicken as well as fruits and vegetables.
By creating an eating plan that uses a healthy balance of fat and carbs, you can spur your body to lose fat and pounds. It works based on the science of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which basically means that it’s your body’s currency.
When you need energy, your body will use fat to fuel that energy through oxidizing the fat. If you eat more carbs than fats, your body uses the carbs instead. Which means you burn calories but not fat.
To slim down and lose fat, you have to eat fat to give your body that fuel. That doesn’t mean that all fats are equal. Some are pretty bad for your overall health and especially for your heart.
Fats are listed under the umbrella of being either saturated or unsaturated. The fats in foods will be found in one of these groups. Unsaturated fats are the ones that you want to look for.
These are the fats that are best for your heart health because they help keep your cholesterol levels low and they’re also good for weight loss. Other fats in this group contain omega-3 which is good for the heart.
You’ll see this in fats that are in vegetable oils and certain types of fish such as salmon. Olive oil is a good oil to consume for helping you to stay slim. Good fats are found in things like some types of seeds, nuts, avocados and olives.
Fats that you should limit or avoid when you’re watching your weight because they’re bad for your heart as well as unhelpful when it comes to losing pounds are things like the skin of some meats, solidified fats, cookies, potato chips and other kinds of junk or fast food.
Colon Cleanses to Boost Your Weight Loss Goals and Keep You on Track
You might not realize that what’s adding pounds to the number that you see on the scale is all the waste that you have in your colon. This waste can also contribute to bloating, which can make your clothes feel tighter and add inches to your waistline.
When you do a colon cleanse, you usually end up losing at least five pounds or more right away. Cleansing your colon is something that’s available using a variety of methods and what you choose to use can completely clean out your colon.
It will remove all the waste and you’ll notice it immediately. It’s good for anyone to use who wants to shed some weight. Because your digestive system is constantly working, the waste will accumulate again.
However, losing the weight with a colon cleanse can help to boost your motivation and keep you on track for your weight loss goals. When you eat foods that aren’t good for you or foods that are known to have certain toxins such as dye, then your body holds onto those toxins.
When they remain in your system, it can make you feel sluggish and just not like yourself. When you use a colon cleanse, you get to start with a clean slate for your digestive system.
The kind of colon cleanse that you use depends on which one you choose. Some colon cleanses are medicine based such as laxatives. Some involve the use of enemas while others rely on supplements to clean out the colon.
There are homemade colon cleansers that you can make at home using all natural ingredients. These are usually juice based or rely on the use of herbs and they have a laxative effect on your system.
The length of time that you’ll use a colon cleanse is based on the type of cleanse that you choose to do. Some will last for a day or two while others last longer than that.
During your colon cleanse, you’ll follow a strict eating plan.
You’ll focus on consuming foods that are all natural such as fruit and vegetables. You’ll avoid foods that have added ingredients such as dyes, artificial sweeteners and anything that’s been processed.
The point of this is to keep unnatural foods out of your system while you go through the cleansing process. When you’re on a colon cleanse, you will get rid of all the waste in your intestines so that when you do have a bowel movement, it’s completely clear. A colon cleanse is a great way to boost your weight loss and it helps many people find the start they need to stick with a longer weight loss plan.
Cleansing Detox Diet for Quick Weight Loss
Detoxifying your body can give you many health benefits as you get rid of all those chemical and environmental toxins within. But a detox can do more than just get rid of toxins.
It can also give you a quick weight loss. If you follow a cleansing detox diet, you’ll notice a few things right away. You’ll notice that your skin looks amazing. It’ll be softer and look younger.
You’ll notice that you suddenly feel better and have a ton of energy. You’ll see that you’ve lost inches too once you’ve been on the diet a few days. Though some naysayers claim that there’s no need to detoxify, that’s not true.
A detox diet isn’t a fad and it’s not an unhealthy diet either. It’s used to help your body to get healthier and that’s just a side effect of both the weight loss and the way that you’ll be eating.
There will be certain foods that you can’t have such as dairy and alcohol. You’ll also have to refrain from eating foods that contain sugar while you’re on the diet. The length of time that you follow the detox diet will depend on which version of the diet that you choose.
Some of them last for a week and some of them last longer. To get started, you’ll want to make sure that you have time to be at home for the first day or so. This is because a detox diet can cause you to have some side effects in the beginning.
These side effects are normal and happen as your body adjusts to eating differently as well as ingesting foods that can cause you to experience the need to remain near a bathroom.
After the first day or two, these side effects will be gone. Some people confuse a fast with a detox diet - but on a fast, you usually don’t eat any food at all except water. On a detox diet, you do eat food but they’re limited to raw foods which means things like vegetables, nuts and fruits.
You are allowed to have eggs and some meats and you’re also allowed to have tea as long as it doesn’t have caffeine. Anyone on the diet will need to drink a lot of water in order to aid in flushing out the system.
You can also drink smoothies that are made from vegetables and fruit. You can find a good detox eating plan and recipes by looking online or buy buying a book that has step by step instructions as well as recipes. Most detox diets do allow you to continue your workouts just not to the point that you don’t have enough calories to give you the energy that you need.
Choosing a Diet Plan for Your Health Needs
Whenever you want to lose weight, besides getting rid of pounds and slimming down, you’ll want to look at which one is best for your health needs. Some people will have good health and so their choice will focus on one that looks at weight loss separately.
But some people have problems with their heart. Maybe they’ve been warned that they need to eat healthier - or they’ve just been diagnosed with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
If that’s something that you’re experiencing, then you’d want to look for a diet that had an emphasis on heart health. If you’re struggling with pre-diabetes or you’ve been told that you’re a diabetic, the diet that you’ll want to choose will be one that focuses on cutting both calories and carbohydrates since certain kinds of carbs can cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
Look for diets like the Mediterranean one or the DASH diet that specifically say they’re for lowering diabetes risks or for managing the disease. For people who have a family history of brain health worries such as dementia, cognitive issues or Alzheimer’s then you’ll want to pick the diet that can help lower your risk of developing any of those conditions such as the MIND diet.
You’ll want to look at how well the diets you’re considering rank against the others. Look for ones that focus on overall health in addition to the specific health need that you’re looking for.
For example, Weight Watchers focuses on losing weight in order to lower the risks associated with having extra pounds or being obese. But it also focuses on prevention of diseases through eating foods that are good for the body.
When you’re considering a diet, look for one that’s going to fit your lifestyle. If you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot of time, then you’re not going to be happy with a diet that has you cooking elaborate meals.
If you’re someone who enjoys food, you won’t be happy with one that has you cutting out entire meals and replacing them with a supplement or shake. If you have trouble making good food choices and you struggle with portion control, then a diet such as Jenny Craig that does the work for you might be what’s best.
You’ll also want to take into account whether or not you’re going to be exercising and to what extent along with the diet. Some diets that are too restrictive aren’t good when paired with a vigorous workout program.
You’ll also want to consider whether or not you need to lose weight fast for your health or if you can choose something that you stay on for awhile. If you need a fast weight loss, then you’d look at something like the HMR diet.
Choose the Ketogenic Diet to Burn Stored Fat
When you follow a ketogenic diet, you end up using fat as your fuel. This not only lets you get rid of stored fat, but it causes you to lose weight as well. You’ll feel better physically and mentally when you follow a ketogenic eating plan.
You’ll notice that you have plenty of energy to exercise and you’ll notice that you don’t feel the hunger to eat a lot like you may have before you started the diet. You’ll also have sharper mental abilities as well as notice that your skin looks better.
You will need to make sure that you’re paying attention to the precise food that you eat so that you enter into ketosis, which is what happens when your body is using fat for energy rather than getting it from the foods that you eat.
In order to reach ketosis, you have to cut out all the carb load you may have been eating. You’ll also need to stop consuming sugar. When you follow the diet, you’ll notice that it helps to bring glucose numbers down as well as lowers your cholesterol and blood pressure, both of which are factors that contribute to heart disease.
You’ll be able to choose which ketogenic diet that you follow from among four choices. The High-Protein Ketogenic one is as simply as it sounds which must means that you’re going to have more protein in your diet than in other versions of the eating plan.
The Standard or Regular one is the diet that’s most often followed and offers a choice between a low or higher range of carbs. In this one, you’ll also have some protein. The Cyclical Ketogenic is for a mixture of low carb with high carb and you simply cycle on and off days.
If you choose the Targeted diet that’s build around ketogenic eating, then you’ll eat according to the time that you have your workouts. Foods on any of the ketogenic eating plans should be unprocessed.
You’ll be eating mostly all natural foods that contain little protein and carbs but plenty of fat. You would think that since this diet doesn’t involve eating a lot of carbs that you don’t have to watch them, but you will.
That includes keeping an eye on the amount of fruit that you eat. Though most fruit is low in calories, most of it is high in natural sugar. In order to stay in fat burning mode, you have to keep your carbs limited to within a certain range.
If you go out of that range, then you can leave the fat burning mode. You will have to be sure that you get your liquids in and that includes consuming water. Being on a ketogenic diet can make you more susceptible to not getting enough to drink.
An Unbalanced Diet Can Cause Serious Health Problems
If you’re going to diet, you’re going to want to choose one that’s healthy. A healthy diet means that you’ll choose food for your meal planning from all the food groups. Any diet that has you cutting out an entire food group is not a healthy one and can lead to an imbalanced way of eating.
Without the right balance, you miss out on the important vitamins and minerals that these foods provide. Your diet should consist of fish and lean meat, dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
If you choose to follow a fad diet or a lose weight fast scheme, you’ll run into health problems. One of these issues could be weight gain. Though most diets do lead to weight loss, ones that are unbalanced cause you to regain weight while adding extra pounds over and above what you lost.
As a result, you’ll also gain fat. When that happens, you can easily become obese. A balanced diet must have food choices from the food groups but also need to have the right amount calories for the energy that you need every day.
Eating too few calories is just as bad for your health as eating too many. When your diet is unbalanced, this can also lead to the development of diabetes. Because you’re not eating foods that are good for your body, especially if the foods cause rapid drops and falls that can’t keep your glucose levels steady, your pancreas can have trouble processing the carb load.
Your diet should involve portion control, limiting high calorie, low nutritional value foods and it should include plenty of exercise. If you choose to follow a diet or a way of eating that involves eating foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat and you don’t eat a lot of healthier foods, it can impact your heart health.
Unbalanced diets are one of the leading causes of heart disease and high blood pressure not to mention elevated cholesterol levels. When your blood pressure and cholesterol are high due to your diet, it can lead to problems with your arteries which then lead to problems with your heart.
You’ll be more at risk of having a stroke as well. People who don’t eat a balanced diet can also develop bone and joint problems due to carrying more weight that the body can safely carry.
Not eating a balanced diet can also cause you to become malnourished. When that happens, you’ll experience all over problems with your health. Your muscles will weaken.
You’ll experience a lot of fatigue along with mood swings. Those who eat an unbalanced diet also have shorter life span than those who eat healthy. Diets that don’t include all the nutritional value that you need can also cause evidence of cognitive decline which can lead to forgetfulness and difficult concentrating.
In our modern world of perpetual busyness, our sympathetic nervous system is frequently in overdrive. We find ourselves constantly rushing from one activity to another, multitasking and being always available, thanks to our smart phones and the Internet.
Meditation offers us a chance to stop, to take a break from our busy lives. During meditation, we get familiar with how our mind works, we get to reconnect with our bodies and we get to recognize the feelings and thoughts that are causing our stress. These feelings are often related to external events or situations that we find stressful.
When we meditate, we cultivate a new awareness, or mindfulness, which helps us clearly see how our inner self-talk and automatic tendencies of reacting, or overreacting, to certain situations cause us stress. We start to appreciate how much of the stress in our lives we create internally by the way we think about and respond to situations. This new awareness then gives us the opportunity to make changes in how we respond to difficult situations.
So meditation is marvelous. But what about all the preconceived notions a lot of people have about meditation? Many people think meditation is too “out there” for them or that they won’t be able to do it. Let’s bust those myths right now so that you feel more comfortable and confidence using meditation to manage your stress....
The above is an excerpt of the "Meditation For Stress Management eBook"