Showing posts with label reduction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reduction. Show all posts
Weight Reduction Principles
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Excess weight is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing medical issues in America today. Statistics indicate that close to 70% of adults are either overweight or obese, and even more disconcerting is the rise seen among children and teens. As obesity increases, so do the diseases which are associated with excess weight, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Sensible weight loss allows for dramatically reduced risk from these diseases, and can provide a natural treatment without the need for a lifetime of dangerous prescription medications.
Cut Calories By 25%
People routinely set out to lose weight by following a poorly organized diet. They fail to understand that weight loss requires proper planning and organization, with calories and nutrients being calculated with every meal. Many overweight people have tried countless diets and are unable to maintain their initial weight loss.
Initially the diet works well as the first pounds come off, but eventually metabolism slows and our innate survival mode causes weight loss to plateau. Once this happens, most dieters become disappointed and put the pounds back, plus a few just in case they should try again. Less than 5% of people following a traditional diet are able to maintain a normal weight range for more than 5 years, as our body defends our desire to attain a healthy weight.Weight loss can be achieved by strict adherence to a well laid out regimen which reduces total calorie intake by 25%. This may seem drastic at first, but after two weeks the body will adjust to the reduced caloric load and overall metabolism will become more efficient, making the new dietary lifestyle a pleasant experience. It is important to ensure that the minimum requirements are met for all vitamins and minerals. This is accomplished by using dietary software which is available on the internet at no cost.
It is essential to record every food item eaten in the program, and initially all food must be counted or weighed. There will be no room for unhealthy processed foods which are laden with sugar, salt, trans-fats and excessive carbohydrates. The calorie restricted diet will focus on raw and steamed vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean protein and limited fruits and monounsaturated fats. The health benefits of this new lifestyle can be seen almost immediately in reduced weight, lowered blood pressure and normalization of blood sugar.
Interval Training Exercises Fuel Weight Loss
Exercise is the catalyst which fuels weight loss. Any type of diet is destined to fail without the right type of exercise program which is designed to increase fat burning and metabolism. Aerobic exercise has been popular for increasing the heart rate and does help in weight management. This type of progressive exercise does little to build up muscle which is key to the sustained burning of fat for energy.
Our genes have been programmed based on many thousands of years of evolution. Our early ancestors did not evolve in a world of aerobic exercise, but instead used short bursts of intense physical motion which was required in the hunt for food or to evade an enemy. It turns out that we gain the most benefit from exercise which is short in duration, intense and repeated to work many different body parts. Develop a fitness program which highlights all major muscle groups alternatively and lasts 30 to 60 seconds each. The total workout session should last 10 to 20 minutes. Research has shown that this type of short burst, intense pattern has the same fat burning effect as an hour of aerobic training, and most importantly provides muscle conditioning and sustained fat burn to compliment calorie restricted weight loss.
Fish Oil Fats Help Burn Fat
Fish Oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids which have shown an amazing capacity to fuel fat metabolism in the body. Studies show that supplementing with fish oil activates lipase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down fat when digested. Since the fat is converted for use as energy at a 25% higher rate, it is not stored, assisting in weight loss and maintenance.
Omega-3 fats from fish oil also have the capacity to reduce insulin resistance, allowing our cells to better utilize glucose as needed. This not only has the benefit of correcting metabolism problems which can lead to diseases such as diabetes, but also keeps sugar from being converted to fat where it can be stored. Fish oil has been known to benefit brain health for a number of years, but we now understand that it can also be an aid in attaining our weight loss goals.
Obesity is a problem that will plague our culture for the foreseeable future. The skyrocketing trend among children will guarantee the problem will persist for generations. We have the tools to correct the problem, starting with caloric control through dietary modification. Reduce calories by 25% by adopting a healthy eating regime and monitor all food eaten. Develop a fitness routine which uses short burst, high intensity intervals, and utilize targeted supplementation with fish oils as a compliment to achieve your weight loss goal.
Mindfulness based stress reduction helps lower blood pressure
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Blood pressure is effectively lowered by mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for patients with borderline high blood pressure or "prehypertension." This finding is reported in the October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
"Our results provide evidence that MBSR, when added to lifestyle modification advice, may be an appropriate complementary treatment for BP in the prehypertensive range," writes Joel W. Hughes, PhD, of Kent State (Ohio) University and colleagues.
Mindfulness Practice Leads to Drop in Blood Pressure
The study included 56 women and men diagnosed with prehypertension -- blood pressure that was higher than desirable, but not yet so high that antihypertensive drugs would be prescribed. Prehypertension receives increasing attention from doctors because it is associated with a wide range of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. About 30% of Americans have prehypertension and may be prescribed medications for this condition.
One group of patients was assigned to a program of MBSR: eight group sessions of 2½ hours per week. Led by an experienced instructor, the sessions included three main types of mindfulness skills: body scan exercises, sitting meditation, and yoga exercises. Patients were also encouraged to perform mindfulness exercises at home.
The other "comparison" group received lifestyle advice plus a muscle-relaxation activity. This "active control" treatment group was not expected to have lasting effects on blood pressure. Blood pressure measurements were compared between groups to determine whether the mindfulness-based intervention reduced blood pressure in this group of people at risk of cardiovascular problems.
Patients in the mindfulness-based intervention group had significant reductions in clinic-based blood pressure measurements. Systolic blood pressure (the first, higher number) decreased by an average of nearly 5 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), compared to less than 1 mm Hg with in the control group who did not receive the mindfulness intervention.
Diastolic blood pressure (the second, lower number) was also lower in the mindfulness-based intervention group: a reduction of nearly 2 mm Hg, compared to an increase of 1 mm Hg in the control group.
Mindfulness-based interventions Could Prevent or Delay Need for Antihypertensive Drugs Ambulatory monitoring is an increasingly used alternative to clinic-based blood pressure measurements. However, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring showed no significant difference in blood pressure with the mindfulness-based intervention.
"Mindfulness-based stress reduction is an increasingly popular practice that has been purported to alleviate stress, treat depression and anxiety, and treat certain health conditions," according to Dr Hughes and coauthors. It has been suggested that MBSR and other types of meditation may be useful in lowering blood pressure. Previous studies have reported small but significant reductions in blood pressure with Transcendental Meditation; the new study is the first to specifically evaluate the blood pressure effects of mindfulness-based intervention in patients with prehypertension.
Although the blood pressure reductions associated with mindfulness-based interventions are modest, they are similar to many drug interventions and potentially large enough to lead to reductions in the risk of heart attack or stroke. Further studies are needed to see if the blood pressure-lowering effects are sustained over time.
The researchers argue that mindfulness-based interventions may provide a useful alternative to help "prevent or delay" the need for antihypertensive medications in patients with borderline high blood pressure.
Beetroot Juice Effective in Alzheimers Disease Risk Reduction
Sunday, March 2, 2014
(Article first published as Beetroot Juice May Hold a Key to Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention on Technorati.)
The results of a new study published in the journal Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry shows the impact of beetroot juice on brain health. Researchers already know that beetroot juice is beneficial to heart health as it effectively lowers blood pressure. A new study demonstrated the extract could be used as an agent to improve oxygen flow to the aging brain and improve cognitive decline.
Healthy blood flow to the brain declines with age as the vascular endothelium begins to harden and normal flexibility is lost. The heart needs to beat faster and harder to pump the same volume of blood and normal oxygen supply is reduced. These are known risk factors for the onset of dementia as well as stroke.
The study conducted at Wake Forest University`s Translational Science Center included 14 adults aged 70 and over for a period of 4 days. Participants were broken into two groups and provided with a diet high in nitrates (from beetroot juice and leafy green vegetables) or a traditional diet without nitrates. The next day blood was drawn to determine nitrite saturation levels and an MRI was performed to check for blood flow to the brain. Participant diets were switched on subsequent days and the tests repeated.
Nitrates in Beetroot Juice Relax Aging Arteries
Beetroot juice is high in natural nitrates that turn into nitrite and help to relax and open aging blood vessels that supply the brain. More blood flow corresponds to improved oxygenation, improved memory and the ability to learn and retain recent events.
Blood Flow to the Brain Improved with Beetroot Juice
Study Concludes Beetroot Juice Improves Blood Flow and Cognition
Test results indicated that blood flow to the critical front lobe white matter was increased as a result of the diet high in nitrates from beetroot juice. No change was seen when a traditional diet was provided. The study authors concluded “Our results support the proposal that oral nitrate therapy may be beneficial in treating cognitive decline that is often observed with aging. Towards that end, we show a direct effect of dietary nitrate on cerebral blood flow within the subcortical and deep white matter of the frontal lobes”.
Increasing blood flow and oxygenation is essential to prevent the cognitive decline that is so prevalent in the aging population. Half of those people at age 80 will experience some form of dementia or vascular disorder. Research continues to confirm that a natural diet including foods such as beetroot juice can help to improve cognition and allow people to age naturally.
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