The emotional benefits of weight loss

There are many people out there who know that they need to lose weight. However, the majority of the time this is because they know of the physical implications often associated with overweight, for example, being more susceptible to some diseases e.g. cancer or heart diseases, and in general, living for a much shorter period of time. What many people don’t realise however is that there are a number of emotional benefits to weight loss. Let’s take a little look at a couple of them. 

Perhaps the biggest emotional benefits is that weight loss (and the exercise associated with it) can help relieve stress. This is because endorphins are released into the blood stream, and these endorphins are known to ‘perk’ you up. Therefore, losing weight, and keeping to a regular exercise regime should help boost your ‘happiness’ levels. Studies have also shown that those who exercise regularly are much better equipped to deal with stress in the future. 

Of course, there are a number of self-esteem issues related to losing weight. For example, the majority of people out there who consider themselves to be overweight are incredibly reluctant to go out in public, let alone ‘show off their bodies’. They often fear going to the beach, or swimming pools were they are exposed to the public. However, when people start to lose weight, they will find that they become much more confident in how they look. Every time they look in the mirror they get a small self-esteem boost, knowing what they have accomplished and what they are working towards. Ever notice people who have lost a lot of weight tend to be more outgoing? This of course will have benefits for people that find it difficult to enter relationships as they feel they aren’t worth anything. 

Many people love the success of losing weight. There is just so much pleasure you can get out of feeling as though you have ‘beaten’ something in your life, whether it is an eating disorder, or simply the feeling that you have beaten anything that was causing you to gain weight in the first place. Achieving your first success is a great motivator for the future. 

Many people that are overweight tend to place an ‘over reliance’ on food, and instead of expressing how they are feeling, they use food as a ‘crutch’. However, once they lose weight they will turn to food less and find other and much better ways of expressing themselves, much more positive and building ways. 

Finally, it will make you feel absolutely wonderful knowing that you can lead your life in the same way as much ‘slimmer’ people. For example, overweight people tend to feel persecuted, for example, having to buy multiple seats to enter a sporting arena or fly on a plane. They often have to shop in special places for their clothes and furniture. However, once they lose weight, they can start living a normal life, and this of course helps them feel much better as a result. 

So there you have it, when you are losing weight, look forward to the long term emotional benefits that you are going to be provided with as well as the physical benefits. It really will help add to your motivation! 

Happy Weight Loss !

Written by Jim Cowan 

For Weight Loss and Training see http://weightlossandtraining.com

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Why Diet Programs And Supplements Don’t Work

How many different diet programs and supplements have you tried to help you lose weight? Have you grown tired of spending your money of pills and programs that promise to “force your body to incinerate massive amount of tummy fat” or will “burn fat off your hips and thighs like a furnace”?

It’s not your fault that these products haven’t worked for you. As a matter of fact not one of them is designed to work in the long term. Millions of people just like you and me have been duped by the fitness and exercise industry into thinking that we need them to lose weight, feel great, and be healthy.

Not only have they lied to us but they’ve stolen from us as well. We have handed them our money over and over again just to remain overweight, unhappy, and unhealthy. It’s time to break the cycle and learn what it really takes to lose fat and to keep it from coming back.

The solution is so simple that it’s brilliant and once you are able to let go of everything that the diet and exercise groups have force fed us for decades, everything will become crystal clear. You’ll start to lose weight and you’ll never gain it back.

What The Secret?

There actually is no secret once you get down to it. We’ve just lost our way, so to speak.
The secret is to eat food. And not just any food but real, all natural food. You don’t have to shop for organic produce or grass fed beef. But what you do have to do is to stop eating processed food and get back to eating foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.

That’s it. That’s all you have to do. No more microwave meals, dinners from a can, or breakfasts from a box. Slowly shift your focus away from those and towards fruits, vegetables, meats, and starches.

The low fat diet craze convinced us that we need to cut fat from our diet to lose weight. What happened? We got fatter. Know why? Because our bodies actually thrive on a diet that’s high in healthy fat. Even saturated fat from animal protein is healthy as long as we aren’t eating too many of them. It’s the hydrogenated fats that were first invented in a lab as a “healthy” alternative to saturated fats that are killing us.

It’s the processed flours that have replaced the oats, corn and whole wheat in our diets that are making us fat.

It’s the over abundance of processed sugars that are making us lazy. Cookies and cakes do nothing but raise out blood sugar so high that we come crashing back down and feel like slugs for the rest of the day. Combine those together with hydrogenated fats and white flour and it’s a recipe for disaster. Guess what’s in Oreo cookies and Entenmann’s cupcakes. That’s right! They are loaded with all three of those.

So stop looking for the quick fixes and the diet aids to help you lose weight. Return to the foods that Mother Nature intended for us to eat. Return to foods that are as close to their natural state as possible and you’ll be feeling better, looking better, and thinking more clearly than you have for years.

If you’re interested in learning more about simple dietary principles that can help you look and feel your best check out this webpage on how to burn belly fat and when you’ve digested all of those nuggets you might want to start to build a bit of muscle to really help ramp up your fat loss efforts. Adding just a couple pounds of muscle can help you burn more fat in your sleep and to keep it off forever. Here I have outlined what I’ve found to be the best way to gain muscle fast.

I’d wish you good luck but if you follow the principles in the article you won’t need it. Instead I’ll wish you good health and I hope that you get started today so that you can begin to look and feel better tomorrow.

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10 Common Myths About a Healthy Lifestyle

Having a wide range of access to fitness and exercise information is beneficial for everyone. Though, easy to access, information shared may not always be correct. Having so, I have listed a few facts common followers might be led to believe true.

What they tell you: Exercising before bedtime will keep you awake.

How it really is: There is no evidence to prove that late-night workouts postpone sleep.

What they tell you: When you stop working out your muscles will turn to fat.

How it really is: Muscles can't turn to fat, in fact if you stop exercising your muscles, they will simply decrease in size and will therefore result in a greater proportion of your body weight to fat ratio.

What they tell you: You burn more calories exercising in the cold.

How it really is: Regardless of the weather, your body burns the same amount of calories.

What they tell you: For every pound of muscle you build up in turn burns an extra 50-100 calories.

How it really is: Your body only burns 10 to 15 calories per pound of muscle.

What they tell you: Water exercise doesn't burn a lot of calories.

How it really is: High paced exercises can burn at least 17 calories per minute, which is the same as running a five-minute mile pace.

What they tell you: Stretching has been proven to prevent injuries from working out.

How it really is: Even though stretching is a necessary influence on your mobility, no scientific evidence has proven that stretching will prevent injuries.

What they tell you: Exercise during pregnancy increases risks of having a miscarriage.

How it really is: Exercising while pregnant is not only healthy when approved by your doctor but also relieves aches, shortens labour and speeds up postpartum recovery.

What they tell you: Calories you eat after 7 p.m. turns straight to fat.

How it really is: No matter what time of the day it is, the more calories you consume than you burn will always turn to fat. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, regardless of the time, you will not gain weight, you will actually lose weight.

What they tell you: If you don't feel sore after your exercise you didn't work hard enough.

How it really is: Consistent soreness isn't a good sign, if you are consistently sore; you are disabling your body from recovering from your previous workout. The only time to feel sore is when you have begun a new or more strenuous workout.

What they tell you: Salads will help you lose weight.

How it really is: Lettuce is very healthy but once it includes toppings and dressing it becomes very unhealthy. If you want your salad to be healthy try including a range of vegetables, greens and filling protein rich items such as almonds. You can also try using a lighter vinaigrette or a small portion of low fat dressing.

Matt Beswick runs an SEO agency in London; among his clients is xxpress pcr.

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Benefits of Chewing Gum

Chewing gum taste good but the benefits extend far beyond the juicy flavors. Chewing gum can help improve your health in many ways, read on for the most valuable benefits of chewing gum.

Lose Weight

Many health and wellness experts recommend chewing sugar free gum if you are trying to slim down. Reaching for a five-calorie stick of gum over a full snack can help shave calories and trim your waistline. Many celebrities and diet experts chew gum to stay slim. The motion of chewing preoccupies your mouth and mind making it easier to stop thinking about other food cravings.

Improves Oral Health

Many health studies have proven the oral health benefits of chewing sugar free gum. It can help improve your breath but more importantly it will help your actual teeth health. The reason why is because chewing on sugar free gum can help increase saliva flow in the mouth, which is an important component in preventing cavities and tooth decay.

Chewing on sugar free gum, washes away unwanted food particles. The dental Association of America suggests that chewing sugar free gum for at least 20 minutes after you eat or drink can improve your oral health.

Chomping on sugar free gum can prevent stains and help whiten teeth as well. Doctor Greg Williams, a dentist in Tigard Oregon recommends chewing gum regularly to help fight against cavities. Many studies have been tested to prove that gum is the best thing to help fight against plaque build up if you can’t brush your teeth. That’s why chewing gum it between meals will help you fell better.   

Reduce Stress

People who chew gum at work and during high stress periods of their life have the capabilities to reduce their stress levels. The chewing stimulates saliva flow, which gives your mouth a mini-refreshing workout. The motion stimulates the brain and helps calm the emotions.

 Improves Digestion

Gum can help you feel better if you have indigestion. Because it increases saliva flow which increases swallowing.

Connect With Your Inner Child

Chewing gum can help you reconnect with your inner child, especially when you blow bubbles. Children love chewing gum. It is fun to try new flavors, and bubble gum ice cream flavor is the number one kid’s recommended flavor. When we chew gums as adults there is a subconscious sense of nostalgia. It helps us feel like a kid again and not take life so seriously.

For more health advice visit Dr. Greg Williams, at Tigard Family Dental, a Dentist in Tigard, OR; Shannon Kaiser is a writer for Dr. Greg Williams. 

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4 Potentially Dangerous Natural Ingredients Present in Weight Loss Supplements

When you are trying to lose weight, using herbal supplements can be less invasive and safer compared to using prescription medications or undergoing risky surgical treatments. However, you will need to become a smart label reader before you head out and buy such supplements. The companies producing them claim that their herbal supplements can help you shed pounds, boosting your fat burning into high gear. But the truth is that some natural herbs are safe to use and can undoubtedly help you get slimmer and increase your energy levels. On the other hand, there are others that can lead to the development of several serious health issues, which you need to be aware of.

Guarana

Guaranin, which is the natural, active ingredient in guarana based supplements can effectively curb a dieter’s appetite, increase his mental alertness and stamina, since this potent, natural substance is almost identical to caffeine. This is why the consumption of such supplements can be dangerous for people suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy or an overactive thyroid. Guarana supplements can potentially worsen these conditions when they already exist in a person or can contribute to their development when they are not present, but a patient is susceptible to their development due to certain underlying health issues. Since all these medical conditions are linked to having excessive body weight, we can say that guarana is certainly not suitable for weight loss.

Bitter Orange Extract

Bitter orange extract, - which became popular after the FDA had banned ephedra – is present in many diet supplements today. The main natural active ingredients in it are synephrine and octopamine and due to their potent nervous system stimulant and appetite suppressant qualities this natural herb has the ability to induce several serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, palpitation or stroke.

Guar Gum

Although this natural soluble fiber supplement can increase the feeling of fullness after meals as well as it can block the absorption of fat into the body, there are several side effects associated with the regular use of guar gum. These include increased gas production, stomach cramps, bloatedness or diarrhea. However, if your body can tolerate this natural supplement, there is no reason why it shouldn’t be a part of your comprehensive healthy diet plan.

Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia gordonii, - which is a natural cactus-like plant, heavily marketed in the weight loss industry in the last few years - is not as safe to use after all. Studies have found that this natural appetite suppressant can cause a number of serious side effects, due to the fact that it affects healthy liver function. Hoodia gordonii is also known to interact with several medications prescribed for diabetes, depression, anxiety and high blood pressure.

Andrea Khan is passionate about providing scientifically accurate information about various health topics. She primarily writes for Holistic Hubs and her current projects include researching and writing about safe-to-use dietary supplements.

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