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7 Big Weightloss No-No's

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:13:48 GMT

What are some of the least effective steps people take when they try to turn their life around? What are some of the things that seem helpful but may actually be harmful to your health and to your efforts to improve it? Just as with the last list, this one will consist of an initial post with the topics and some general information about each, and then follow up posts with more information on each item. So without further ado, here’s the list of things not to do when you’re trying to lose weight, get in shape and be healthy.

1. Fad Diets - You’ve heard of them, you might have even tried them. The diet with nothing but fruit, the diet with nothing but bacon, the Atkins diet, the North Beach diet, the diet with nothing but shrimp or even the diet where you fast for three days to detoxify. All of these are fad diets. They might show some initial weightloss but are difficult to maintain and, in some cases, bad for your health. You’re much better off living a better lifestyle with healthy eating habits than you are trying one of these fad diets.

2. Do No Exersise - This is particularly bad among women. The belief here is that weightloss and health is something that is directly related to eating habits and nothing else. Exercise and physical activity is seen as unnecessary, which is why you often see women engaging in some diet but seeing little in the way of results. Yes, physical activity is absolutely necessary if you want to be healthy and lose weight.

3. Do No Research - And before the men get too cocky, here’s the common failing of most men. Rather than do research, they simply do what they think is right, what their friend Bob the mechanic thinks is right, what they remember from that show they saw on the Discovery Channel two years ago and what they think that girl they dated two years ago did to lose weight. Many men will do absolutely no research before engaging in life changing projects.

4. Cardio Too Soon - While cardio is a vital part of any healthy life, try it too soon, when you’re still overweight and out of shape, and you’ll find yourself out of breath, demoralized and discouraged. Even worse, you could actually damage your health by pushing cardio too fast and too hard before you’re ready for it. Take it easy. It took you years to get your body into the doughy shape it’s in now and it will take some time to fix that damage. So start out slow and work your way up.

5. Weight training too hard - This is another one for the guys. We tend to work out too hard when we first get to the gym, especially when it comes to weights. It’s as though we think the whole world is judging us and laughing at the fact that we can’t bench press more than 50lbs. So we try too hard and we lift too much and two days later we’re in the most intense pain of our lives. And sometimes, this makes us never come back to the gym. Start out slow and with a low weight, then work your way up.

6. Treat little setback as complete failures - This one is common to both men and women and it’s one I wrestled with when I first started recovering from my health meltdown. It’s the tendency to blow up any little setback into a major failure and then self destruct. You wake up in the morning and the scale tells you something you don’t want to hear, so you get frustrated and spend the whole day binging on chocolate. You try to walk up two flights of stairs but are out of breath by the second one, so you get demoralized and stop walking altogether. You give in to temptation and eat a donut in the morning and then you beat yourself up and binge on steak and cheesecake in the evening. We tend to think that one small failure means all our efforts mean nothing. Even worse, we use that one small setback as an excuse to leap headlong into failure. After all, if we already had one little failure, then the rest of the day’s worth of major failures doesn’t count, right? Wrong. It all counts. Stop using your little failures as justifications for bigger ones. So you made a mistake, so what? It’s not the end of the world.

7. Do it yourself, with no support - Human beings are social creatures. What we do and how we act depends in large part on the people around us. Our eating habits and physical activities are reflections of our upbringing, family, social circle and professional life. A change of health and fitness involves changing all of these things. Therefore, it’s much easier to do if you don’t try to do it alone. Get your family engaged in your project, get your friends involved. At the very least, keep people informed so they know what you’re trying to do and why. You’ll find that your family and friends can be very supportive of your efforts to live a healthier life and you’ll find that your health can greatly benefit from their support.

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Eat Well, Live Well

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:27:06 GMT

You know those suggestive little voices that whisper in your ear ... and suddenly you're knee-deep in ice cream? Change the sabotaging, discipline-destroying thoughts, and you can change your life -- or at least your weight.

You're out to lunch and you've ordered the grilled cheese. Don't say, "I ordered the grilled cheese, so why not get the fries, too?" Instead, think this to yourself: "One treat at a time. I'm indulging in grilled cheese, so I'll trade the fries for a salad."

University of Toledo psychology professor Janet Polivy calls it the "what the hell" effect and says it causes people to devour so much food that they feel they'll never get back on track.

To prevent this scenario from playing over and over, Polivy says, you have to redefine your idea of healthy eating. Allow yourself the occasional treat, as long as it's accompanied by smarter food choices like fresh fruit and vegetables.

If there is a treat nearby, don't fall into the "I'll have just one" trap. Instead, say to yourself: "If I can't stop at one or two cookies, I shouldn't have any at all." It's okay to eat your favorite foods, provided you're the type who can stop after a small amount.

"One cookie could turn into 1,000 calories or more if you proceed to eat the whole bag," warns Stephen Gullo, PhD, president of the Institute for Health and Weight Sciences. He suggests that you take a step back and honestly assess how you've reacted to your favorite foods in the past. You may discover that chocolate chip cookies trigger uncontrollable cravings but one square of dark chocolate appeases your sweet tooth quite nicely.

Even if a loved one as close as your husband comments on your weight, say to yourself: "I want to get in shape for myself, not him."

Whether or not you need to shed a few pounds, acting in response to someone else's hurtful remarks will breed self-doubt and lower your self-esteem, says Marlene Schwartz, PhD, co-director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders in New Haven , Connecticut .

To reset your weight loss goals so they revolve solely around you, sit down and figure out how you could benefit from changing your lifestyle. (Writing your thoughts out on paper might help.) If you identify areas that need improvement, talk to your spouse about how they can play a part: Plan low-fat weekly menus together in lieu of eating out, or take walks after dinner instead of watching TV.

Alternatively, if you're exercising, eating right, and feeling pretty healthy the way you are, Schwartz says, "tell them that this is their problem, not yours."

In the dead of winter, it can be hard to stay motivated. Don't put getting in shape off until summer. Instead, think this to yourself: "By eating more now, I'm creating a lot of extra work for myself when spring rolls around."

A study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health tracked 195 people through the holidays and found an average weight gain of about a pound. By the following year, most had gained another half pound, and the researchers predicted that the trend would only continue.

If being overweight is a prevalent trait in your family, say to yourself: "I can't change my DNA, but I can change my fate."

"Genetics helps determine your natural weight range, but you have some control over where you fall within that range," says Edward Abramson, PhD, an expert on obesity, dieting, and weight disorders and the author of Body Intelligence. Rather than aiming for a size, aim for health: If being overweight is a family trait, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related illnesses could be, too, Schwartz says.

Walk to the grocery store, choose the stairs over the escalator, and take good care of the body you were born with. "It's important to distinguish between body size and body health," she says. "Research shows that people who are overweight and physically fit can live longer than people who are ideal weight and not physically fit."

So you've had a fantastic workout. Does that mean it's time to reward yourself with a bacon double cheeseburger? Not exactly. If you're tempted, say to yourself: "After busting my butt at the gym, my body deserves the VIP treatment."

"Most people overestimate the number of calories they've burned," says Brian Wansink, PhD, a professor of marketing, applied economics, and nutritional science at Cornell University and author of Marketing Nutrition.

To burn off a bacon double cheeseburger, the average 140-pound woman has to jog at a rate of five miles per hour for more than 60 minutes. Recast your concept of reward: Instead of seeking food, take a luxurious bubble bath, rent a guilty-pleasure movie, buy a new pair of shoes, or lose yourself in a good novel.

We've all experienced that mid-afternoon energy slump. Instead of reaching for a candy bar, remind yourself that you need food that will help you go the distance. Candy and other sweets have little nutritional value, and they destabilize blood sugar, causing you to have more cravings later on, Gullo says.

To head off a snack attack, he suggests, "reprogram yourself to seek out a mini-meal 30 minutes before you usually hit a slump." By eating before you're famished, you should be able to resist the sweet stuff and choose foods with enough protein, fat, and complex carbs to keep you sated and energized until dinner. Some of Gullo's top picks: bran crackers with low-fat cheese, a hard-boiled egg, or a cup of low-fat yogurt.

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Body, Mind and Spirit

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:59:01 GMT

Well-being is optimal physical, emotional and spiritual health. This is something of a new concept in medicine but the idea is now gaining ground and is workable thanks to breadth of knowledge we have in each of these area. Well-being is simply a question of balance, rather like a constantly fluctuate.

There are three motives for which we live; we live for the body, we live for the mind, we live for the spirit. No one of these is better or holier than the other; all are alike desirable, and no one of the three--body, mind, or spirit--can live fully if either of the others is cut short of full life and expression. It is not right or noble to live only for the spirit and deny mind or body; and it is wrong to live for the intellect and deny body or spirit.

We are all acquainted with the loathsome consequences of living for the body and denying both mind and spirit; and we see that real life means the complete expression of all that we can give forth through body, mind, and spirit.

Whatever we say, no one can be really happy or satisfied unless his body is living fully in every function, and unless the same is true of his mind and his spirit. Wherever there is unexpressed possibility, or function not performed, there is unsatisfied desire. Desire is possibility seeking expression, or function seeking performance.

We often measure wellbeing as happiness or satisfaction with life. The search for happiness is often confused with the pursuit of pleasure, but wellbeing is about more than living ‘the good life’; it is about having meaning in life, about fulfilling our potential and feeling that our lives are worthwhile.

Well-being is not only about a healthy body, it also encompasses mental and emotional well-being. Maintaining a good level of well-being can therefore be quite a challenge.

To maintain your well-being you will have to be vigilant and prepared to change. Listen to yourself and your body and do not rely on a health regime that is inflexible.

To actively enjoy a way of living that keep body, mind and spirit in good health, it helps to learn more about your body and treat it, as it deserves to be treated.

When you have sorted out your personal well-being, you are likely to be little less inclined to envy the possessions, wealth, or health of others. Once you feel secure, confident, healthy, well adjusted, and focused, you can branch out with ease and assurance.

Always remember to keep aware that your being is made up of there parts, mind, body and spirit.

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Vigorous Exercise Helps People Stay Thin as They Age

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Mon, 21 May 2007 02:10:32 GMT

The old adage "use it or lose it" is truer than ever. People who maintain a vigorously active lifestyle as they age gain less weight than people who exercise at more moderate levels, according to a first-of-its-kind study that tracked a large group of runners who kept the same exercise regimen as they grew older.

The study also found that maintaining exercise with age is particularly effective in preventing extreme weight gain, which is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other diseases.

The study, conducted by Paul Williams of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), followed 6,119 men and 2,221 women who maintained their weekly running mileage (to within three miles per week) over a seven-year period. On average, the men and women who ran over 30 miles per week gained half the weight of those who ran less than 15 miles per week.

"To my knowledge, this is the only study of its type," says Williams, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division. "Other studies have tracked exercise over time, but the majority of people will have changed their exercise habits considerably."

The research is the latest report from the National Runners' Health Study, a 20-year research initiative started by Williams that includes more than 120,000 runners. It appears in the May issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Specifically, between the time subjects entered the study and when they were re-contacted seven years later, 25-to-34-year-old men gained 1.4 pounds annually if they ran less than 15 miles per week. In addition, male runners gained 0.8 pounds annually if they ran between 15 and 30 miles per week, and 0.6 pounds annually if they ran more than 30 miles per week.

This trend is mirrored in women. Women between the ages of 18 and 25 gained about two pounds annually if they ran less than 15 miles per week, 1.4 pounds annually if they ran 15 to 30 miles per week, and slightly more than three-quarters of a pound annually if they ran more than 30 miles per week. Other benefits to running more miles each week included fewer inches gained around the waist in both men and women, and fewer added inches to the hips in women.

"As these runners aged, the benefits of exercise were not in the changes they saw in their bodies, but how they didn't change like the people around them," says Williams.

Although growing older and gaining weight is something of a package deal, it isn't the same in everyone. The lucky few remain lean as they age, most people pack on several pounds, and some people become obese. The latter group is particularly at risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Fortunately, Williams' results show that maintaining exercise can combat such extreme weight gain.

"Getting people to commit to a vigorously active lifestyle while young and lean will go a long way to reducing the obesity epidemic in this country," says Williams.

Another paper published in the journal Obesity by Williams and Paul Thompson of Hartford (CT) Hospital found that runners who increased their running mileage gained less weight than those who remained sedentary, and runners that quit running became fatter.

"The time to think about exercise is before you think you need it," says Williams. "The medical journals are full of reports on how difficult it is to regain the slenderness of youth. The trick is not to get fat."

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The Benefits of Exercise For The Skin

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 04:18:09 GMT

The skin can reflect the general health and well being of the person.

The beauty industry spends a small fortune on the development of products aimed at giving men and women a youthful glowing complexion.

There is no doubt that many products do have a place in the well being of the skin but the easiest and the best way to keep your looks is to take up an exercise regime.

This is now medically proven

Regular workouts are now part of the medical professions’ formula for keeping the skin supple and youthful looking.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and should not be forgotten when exercising.

When you start your workout you should warm up to get the circulation moving around the body and that includes the skin as well as the muscles. Warm ups prevent possible injury from strains.

You will probably have noticed that when you exercise hard your face turns more and more rosy.

This is caused by the heart rate rising and the circulation increasing. This draws the blood to the surface of the body taking nutrients to the skin cells and helping to rid the body of toxins.

Health experts agree that stress levels are reduced significantly by exercise. The adrenal glands start working to produce less testosterone hormones such as DHEA and DHT. And that in turn will have a less adverse impact on the skin.

People who are prone to stress related spots and pimples will find that when they adopt an exercise program, the overall benefits will be a clearer complexion as the pores become unclogged due to the increase in sweat produced.

This will also help to control acne flare-ups, which affect many young people today.

Don’t just take up exercise for the sake of your body.

Take a look in the mirror after a long day walking in the mountains or just a good hike or maybe a long bike ride.

The fresh air and stimulating exercise will make your complexion glow with good health. You will look and feel much better than you did before you started out that morning.

Facts speak for themselves

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Does Exercise Improve Your Wellbeing?

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:49:42 GMT

A study by a group of Belgian investigators assessed the effects of aerobic exercise on various psychological dimensions, including well-being.

The first objective of this study was to compare the changes in physical self-concept, global self-esteem, depression and anxiety after participation in one of two 16-week psychomotor therapy programs for nonpsychotic psychiatric inpatients. The second objective was to study the relationship between changes in these variables.

One hundred and ninety-nine inpatients were randomly assigned to either a personalized psychomotor fitness program, consisting of aerobic exercise and weight training, or a general program of psychomotor therapy, consisting of different forms of physical exercises and relaxation training. Physical self-concept was evaluated using the Dutch version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile at baseline, after 8 weeks, and after completion of the 16-week interventions. At the same time points, additional variables of global self-esteem, depression and anxiety were assessed by means of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively.

After 16 weeks, both groups showed significant improvements in all outcome measures (p values ranged from 0.01 to < 0.0001), with no between-group differences. In both groups, the improvement in physical self-concept was correlated with increased global self-esteem and decreased depression and anxiety levels (p < 0.01). The results suggest that both psychomotor therapy programs are equally effective in enhancing physical self-concept. The relationship between improvements in physical self-concept and enhancements in global self-esteem, depression and anxiety supports the potential role of the physical self-concept in the recovery process of depressed and anxious psychiatric inpatients.

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How Much Exersise do YOU Need?

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:36:45 GMT

For many people, their views on sport and exercise were formed during school PE lessons and early involvement in youth sports. Often, what they're left with is the impression that only strenuous sport and exercise is beneficial for health.

In fact, there's a well-established and growing body of knowledge that shows mild to moderate physical activity is the best way to health. So instead of asking how much exercise is good for you, perhaps you should be asking how little you can get away with.

Health vs fitness

In order to find out how much exercise is enough, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve. Do you want to be fit or healthy? It's easy to confuse the terms as they're often used interchangeably to mean the same thing. But in fact they are different in both physiological and psychological terms.

Fitness has been defined in relation to a concept called physical work capacity, or how much work the body can do. A person's fitness can be determined in a laboratory by looking at how much energy they can produce on a cycle ergometer when cycling at a specific heart rate, or on an athletic track by looking at how far they can run in a set time. Fitness can also be understood in relation to a number of components including endurance, flexibility, strength and power. You need to be fit to play many sports, including football, hockey and tennis.

Health, on the other hand, is a broader concept that includes being free from and resilient to disease, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and the quality of our social relationships. Normally, being fit and being healthy go hand in hand, but this isn't always the case. For example, you can be very fit, through playing football for example, but suffer a major health problem such as alcoholism.

Understanding the difference between fitness and health is important because the level of exercise you need to be healthy is less than that needed to get and keep you fit.

Training for fitness

Many people want or need to be fit because of the job they do (eg, police officers), the sport they play (eg, basketball) or the body shape they want to achieve (eg, through resistance training).

If you want to be fit, you normally need to follow a structured training programme. Such programmes often take place in specialised facilities such as leisure centres and may be supervised by an exercise leader. Examples of fitness training include circuits, running and weight training.

One of the key variables in achieving a high level of fitness is the intensity of the exercise programme. If you want to be very fit, you may need to exercise at a moderate or high intensity. In achieving fitness goals, most people also become healthier. However, if you don't want to be fit but just healthy, you don't have to exercise as hard.

Active for health

If you want to reduce your risk of suffering from coronary heart disease, obesity or mental health problems, research indicates you should be physically active. To achieve these health benefits doesn't require the same intensity of training as becoming fit. You can simply build physical activity into your daily routine, either as a form of 'active commuting' (walking or cycling, perhaps) or in the comfort of a health club. The main message is that it doesn't have to be hell to be healthy.

Some people are put off becoming more active because they think they have to work out at a high intensity, compete with others or wear a designer tracksuit. None of these things are necessary.

Top active living tips:

Use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift at work.
Park your car in the parking bay furthest from the supermarket.
Don't use the remote control to change TV channels.

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The Science of Fitness

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 02:31:55 GMT

The scientific principles of exercise

To understand how much, or little, exercise you need to do to meet your own health or fitness goals, it may be helpful to consider the following scientific principles behind most tailored exercise programmes.

Frequency

This relates to how many times a week you need to exercise in order to become fitter or improve or maintain your health. To be healthy, experts recommend being physically active on at least five days out of seven.

This might sound like a lot, but don't forget that our bodies have evolved over four million years to hunt. With our biological inheritance, it's not surprising that to keep in shape we need to be active on most days.

Intensity

Exercise intensity can be measured in a number of different ways. In a laboratory it can be measured through gas analysis, looking at how much oxygen the exerciser is taking into the body and delivering to the working muscles. In the gym it can be measured using a heart rate monitor, which records the heart rate at different workloads. It can also be estimated using the Borg scale, which asks the exerciser how hard they perceive they're working.

The intensity at which you work can be described as either strenuous, moderate or mild. What constitutes a strenuous, moderate or mild exercise workload for you will depend on your current state of health and fitness. If you're an Olympic 10,000m runner, jogging one mile in nine minutes would count as mild activity. For most people, though, it would be strenuous or impossible!

As exercise scientists have discovered more about how the body responds to exercise programmes, they've discovered that for health purposes, mild to moderate levels of physical activity are all that's required.

For many of us, this means brisk or purposeful walking. Again, what brisk means will depend on your current state of health or fitness, but it definitely doesn't mean race walking as you'd see at the Olympics. It's a pace at which you feel you're making good progress while still being able to hold a conversation.

Duration

This is the length of time you need to spend being physically active in any one session. According to much of the research conducted over the past 20 years, you need to be active for up to 30 minutes, five days a week in order to benefit your health.

This might sound like a lot at first, but don't forget that you're only working at mild to moderate intensity. You don't have to run or do strenuous aerobics for half an hour; you simply have to walk.

If you haven't done much activity for some time, it's important to build up to this level over a period of weeks. This might mean starting with a walk of just five minutes.

If you're not sure how hard you can work or are worried about any health problems you may have, talk to your GP or practice nurse for help and advice. They might even refer you to a local leisure centre to work with an exercise professional - just be sure to check their qualifications first.

Putting it all together

The recommended physical activity guidelines from a range of expert bodies (including the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence in the UK and the American College of Sports Medicine) suggest that to improve your health, you should build up to being physically active at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes, five days a week.

A little goes a long way. The key message to take home is that any physical activity, no matter how small, is better than none.

We're increasingly living in a world where physical activity has been taken out of our lives. We have domestic appliances to wash and dry for us, cars to transport us and desks at which to sit and work or study.

One of the first lessons we learn at school is to 'sit still' - and we see nothing unusual in spending hours sitting or lying down while pictures move on a box in front of us.

Given these huge societal and cultural influences that have stopped us from moving, any physical activity is a health gain. There isn't a magic amount of exercise you need to do to get a benefit, the key is to make an effort and persevere. As soon as you move, you win!

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Finding your Workout "Zone"

myemail@myemail.com (Your DisplayName here!) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:39:33 GMT

The zone is the intensity of exercise that safely produces the results you want. If you exercise below the zone, you risk not getting results. If you exercise above the zone, you risk not being able to continue your exercise or, worse, you risk injury. The zone is the perfect intensity level at which to perform your cardiovascular exercise -- between 70 percent and 80 percent of your maximum ability.

How do you know when you're in the zone? There are essentially two ways: taking your heart rate and monitoring your level of perceived exertion. I prefer monitoring perceived exertion because there are a number of shortcomings in using your heart rate to monitor your exercise intensity.

First, your heart rate doesn't always directly reflect how hard you're working or how much oxygen you're consuming. A number of factors beyond your control can throw this relationship off, such as your emotional state, what you're thinking, medications you're taking, the temperature and the altitude you are in and your caffeine consumption. This could mean that although you're exercising at your prescribed target heart rate, you may be working either too hard or not hard enough.

Second, the formula to find your range (220 minus your age multiplied by 75 percent and then plus or minus 5 heart beats) is only an estimation of your heart rate and is accurate for only about a third of the population.

Third, obtaining an accurate maximum heart rate requires a maximum treadmill test and most people do not want to incur the cost and inconvenience of doing this.

Finally, have you ever taken your heart rate during exercise? Even if you're one of the lucky people whose target heart rate can be accurately calculated by the formula, trying to measure it during your workout can be next to impossible. You have to stop exercising, find your pulse and count the number of heartbeats all in a matter of seconds so your heart rate doesn't slow down too much. Many people couldn't find their pulse even if they were given an hour to do it!

You can see why I prefer perceived exertion, a method that requires you to pay close attention to your body and what's happening to it. Perceived exertion is a subjective rating of how hard you're working during exercise, which is based primarily on your breathing. You simply evaluate -- using a scale from zero to 10 -- how hard you're working based on how short of breath you are. Your optimum zone is anywhere between a seven and eight. I want you to exercise consistently at level seven when you first start out. Later, you can stay at seven or move up to working at level eight, if and when you're ready.

What you should be feeling at each level
Level 1: This is the feeling you would experience at rest. There is no feeling of fatigue. Your breathing is not at all elevated. You will not experience this level during exercise.

Level 2: This is the feeling you would experience while getting dressed. There is little or no feeling of fatigue. Your breathing is not elevated. You will rarely experience this low level during exercise.

Level 3: This is the feeling you would experience while slowly walking across the room to turn on the television. There is little feeling of fatigue. You may be slightly aware of your breathing, but it is slow and natural. You may experience this right at the beginning of an exercise session.

Level 4: This is the feeling you would experience while slowly walking outside. There is a very slight feeling of fatigue. Your breathing is slightly elevated, but comfortable. You should experience this level during the initial stages of your warm-up.

Level 5: This is the feeling you would experience while walking to the store. There is a slight feeling of fatigue. You are aware of your breathing, which is deeper than that of level four. You should experience this level at the end of your warm-up.

Level 6: This is the feeling you would experience when you are walking somewhere and are very late for an appointment. There is a general feeling of fatigue, but you know that you can maintain this level of exertion. Your breathing is deep and you are aware of it. You should experience this level in the transition from your warm-up to your exercise session and during the initial phase of learning how to work at level seven or eight.

Level 7: This is the feeling you would experience when you are exercising vigorously. There is a definite feeling of fatigue, but you are quite sure you can maintain this level for the rest of your exercise session. Your breathing is deep and you are definitely aware of it. You could carry on a conversation, but you would probably choose not to do so. This is the baseline level of exercise that you should maintain in your workout sessions.

Level 8: This is the feeling you would experience when you are exercising very vigorously. There is a definite feeling of fatigue, and if you asked yourself if you could continue for the remainder of your exercise session, your answer would be that you think you could, but you're not 100-percent sure. Your breathing is very deep. You could still carry on a conversation, but you don't feel like it. This becomes the feeling you should experience only after you are comfortable reaching level seven and are ready for a more intense workout. This is the level that produces rapid results for many people.

Level 9: This is the feeling that you would experience if you were exercising very, very vigorously. You would experience a definite feeling of fatigue, and if you asked yourself if you could continue this pace for the remainder of your exercise session, your answer would be you probably could not. Your breathing is very labored. It would be very difficult to carry on a conversation. This is a feeling you may experience for short periods when trying to achieve a level eight. This is a level that many athletes train at, and it is difficult for them. You should not be experiencing level nine on a routine basis and should slow up when you do

Level 10: You should not experience level ten. This is the feeling you would have with all-out exercise. This level cannot be maintained for very long, and there is no benefit in reaching it

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Regular Exercise Plays A Consistent And Significant Role In Reducing Fatigue

nick@itrainer.com.au (Nick) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 05:07:02 GMT

Forget so-called “energy drinks.” A new analysis by University of Georgia researchers finds overwhelming evidence that regular exercise plays a significant role in increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue.

“A lot of times when people are fatigued the last thing they want to do is exercise,” said professor Patrick O’Connor, co-director of the UGA exercise psychology laboratory. “But if you’re physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help.”

Health professionals encourage regular exercise to prevent or improve symptoms of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, but the scientific evidence on whether exercise increases or reduces fatigue had never been reviewed quantitatively. O’Connor, kinesiology professor Rod Dishman and lead author Tim Puetz, who recently completed his doctoral work at UGA, analyzed 70 randomized, controlled trials that enrolled a total of 6,807 subjects. They found strong support for the role of exercise in reducing fatigue.

“More than 90 percent of the studies showed the same thing: Sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise” O’Connor said. “It’s a very consistent effect.”

The study, published in the November issue of the journal Psychological Bulletin, quantified the magnitude of the effect of exercise and found that it was stronger than the treatment of fatigued people with drugs such as the narcolepsy drug modafinil. Specifically, the researchers found that exercise increased energy and reduced fatigue by 0.37 standard deviations when compared to control groups, whereas participants in a previous study taking modafinil had an improvement of 0.23 standard deviations.

Puetz notes that their analysis found that nearly every group studied – from healthy adults to cancer patients to those with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease – benefited from exercise. He acknowledges that it may seem counterintuitive that expending energy through exercise would increase feelings of energy and reduce fatigue, but he points out that previous studies have shown marked increases in the levels of energy-promoting and mood-enhancing neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin in the brains of animals that are placed in regular exercise conditions.

“We live in a society where people are always looking for the next sports drink, energy bar or cup of coffee that will give them the extra edge to get through the day,” Puetz said. “But it may be that lacing up your tennis shoes and getting out and doing some physical activity every morning can provide that spark of energy that people are looking for.”

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Dangerous Weight Loss Methods

support@itrainer.com.au (Jono H) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:50:58 GMT

We’re all looking for that magic pill. You know - the one that we can take and lose weight without really trying!

What would you give up to be skinny? How about your health? Well, some of the methods of weight loss may cost you exactly that. Before you decide that the way to lose weight is to follow one of the below regimens, take a second look. Do your research and be sure that you understand the risks
Are you considering one of these dangerous weight loss methods?

*Prescription diet pills

Amphetamines are available only by prescription, and most doctors are leery of handing them out these days. While they do suppress appetite, you learn nothing about healthy eating, you don’t change your eating habits, and you are likely to gain the weight back the moment you stop taking them. In addition, they can be habit forming. The side effects include high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, sleeplessness, hallucinations and delusions.

*Ephedra

This all natural Asian herb is found in many herbal remedies and weight loss powders. It has a powerful appetite suppressant effect, but has been implicated in over 70 deaths.

*Phentermine Fenfluramine-phentermine (fen-phen)

Fen-phen was a popular weight loss supplement in the 90’s until it was implicated in deaths due to heart-valve damage. Phentermine alone is still sold in many weight loss aids. The side effects include headaches, dizziness, heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure and insomnia.

*Laxatives

One of the popular home remedies, used for purging. Regular use and abuse of laxatives can result in low potassium, arrhythmia, and pancreatic damage.

*Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame, the most commonly used artificial sweetener, has been implicated in multiple lawsuits alleging damages that include blindness, seizures and brain damage.

*Smoking

Afraid you’ll gain weight if you quit smoking? The National Institute of Diabetes says that you’d have to gain 100-150 pounds to match the health risks you invoke by smoking. Instead, set up healthy strategies to help you deal with food cravings and put down the cigarettes.

*Purging

Like laxatives, purging by forcing oneself to vomit or taking emetics can have very damaging effects on health. Depletion of nutrients like potassium and vitamins, damage to the esophagus from stomach acids, and esophageal rupture are all possible side effects.

*Diuretics

Taking diuretics encourages your body to rid itself of fluids - including vital electrolytes. The depletion can lead to dehydration, and cause your body to start retaining water, starting a vicious cycle. Repeated or prolonged use of diuretics can lead to kidney damage and serious electrolyte imbalances, which may result in kidney or heart failure.

*Herbal Remedies

We have a tendency to equate ‘herbal’ with ‘harmless’, but say nutritionists, this isn’t always the case. Remember that many medications are derived from herbs, and because of the lack of regulation, dosages of active ingredients can vary widely from one manufacturer to another. Below is a list of some of the most common ingredients found in herbal weight loss powders, along with cautions about their effects in certain conditions.

Ephedra (ma huang, ephedrine, ephedra extract, epitonin, ephdra sinica and sida cordifolia) should not be taken by people with heart, thyroid or kidney disease, or with hypertension

Cascara and Senna should not be taken by people taking diuretics (both are often found in herbal weight loss teas)

Selenium and Capsaicin should not be taken by people with bowel or digestive disorders

Kava should be avoided by people with mood disorders who are taking mood altering medication, and people with Parkinson’s disease.

Gingko biloba, licorice root, and dong quay should not be taken by people who are taking blood thinners or anti-coagulants.

While weight loss is a worthwhile goal, guarding your health is an even more important one. Be sure that whatever weight loss method you choose it won’t lead to other serious medical conditions.

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How to Lose Weight with an Exercise Bike Program

support@itrainer.com.au (Jono H) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:48:10 GMT

Your pants are a bit tight, you can't seem to stop eating junk, and you're tired all of the time. It's time to get healthy and lose weight. Combined with a more sensible diet, an exercise bike can help you achieve the results you want.

Ugh, the Diet.

So many people go wrong here. Forget fad diets, forget starvation. Slow and steady wins the race. Try changing one thing about your diet. Limit yourself to one soda a day. Stop skipping meals. If you always clean your plate, start leaving one or two bites. A total change in diet is work. If you go for a radical change, you are setting yourself up for failure. You'll be surprised how well small changes work.

The Right Bike Determines Your Success

This is a critically important part. There are literally hundreds of exercise bikes available. You have to be honest with yourself to discover the one that will work best for you. If you talk yourself into some fantasy world where your exercise plan is going to work this time even though there's nothing different, you're going to be disappointed. If you think ahead, you will buy the right bike for your needs. You will end up with a successful long-term exercise routine.

Think back to your last exercise routine attempt. Why did you stop? Did you suffer an injury? Did you get bored? Was it just too hard to do every day? Was it hard to find the time? Answer these questions truthfully. If you don't figure out where you went wrong, you won't be able to come up with a solution.

Avoiding and Working Through Injuries

If an injury caused you to stop working out, how did you sustain your injury? Becoming physically fit is supposed to help you prevent injuries, not cause them. There is an exercise bike for someone who has been injured working out. It's called a recumbent exercise bike. It's the kind found in a lot of health clubs. It has a large, bucket seat, and you sit back and low to the ground. It is perfect for people beginning a new exercise routine. It's also very good for back problems as it forces you to keep good posture. It puts no pressure on your joints, and you can keep working out even if you have minor injuries.

Overcoming Boredom

Did you get bored the last time you tried to workout on a regular basis? If you did, you are likely to get bored again. With exercise bikes, the solution is usually a bike with several different levels and riding programs. You can get bikes with different difficulty levels. This means that when it becomes too easy for you to pedal, you simply move up to the next level instead of having to ride longer (which just isn't likely to happen for the person who is easily bored). You can also get different programs. Programs give you variety and goals. They make you pedal harder, simulate conquering hills, and even sprinting for short periods.

Riding programs might not be enough for you. You might need a bike that you can hook up to your television that simulates riding through different courses. You can take a leisurely ride through a park or compete with other computer riders on a difficult obstacle course. These bikes might cost more up front, but if you don't invest in a bike that will let you sustain your workout, you're wasting money on anything less.

The coolest thing for game addicts who get bored is an interactive bike that plugs into a Sony Playstation or Playstation 2. It makes over 50 games interactive. Whatever is happening on your bike happens on the screen in bike, car, and similar games. There are all types of similar bikes available.

If you plan on listening to music or watching TV while you cycle, be sure to pay attention to features that will make the exercise bike quieter. It's also a good idea to get a quieter bike if you live with other people. For all you know, your workout time is going to be 5AM or midnight. A quieter bike won't disturb other people in your home.

Don't Try to Be Lance Armstrong Yet…

People beginning exercise programs are sometimes too ambitious. It's good to be excited, but you have to remain realistic. If your last exercise program failed because it was just too much work, don't make the same mistake again. Fight the urge to overdo your first workouts. It is critical to your long-term success that you start out slow. If you go from no exercise at all to 5 to 10 minute exercise bike workouts with little resistance, you are much more likely to avoid injury, soreness, and most of all, early feelings of defeat. If you aim too high - expecting to go from a sedentary lifestyle to 45 minute workouts immediately, for example - you are setting yourself up for failure. When you don't reach your unattainable goal, it is more likely you'll quit altogether to alleviate the feeling of failure that much sooner.

The perfect bikes for people who get a bit over-excited are exercise bikes with built in riding programs. You simply start out at the lowest level, and the bike determines your workout. You program in a small goal (10 minutes, 50 calories, or .25 mile) and when you reach that goal, your workout is over.

Finding the Time

You do have time to burn fat and calories on an exercise bike. No matter how intense your schedule is, there are people busier than you who find time to make an exercise routine work. They are not better than you. They don't have more than 24 hours in a day. They simply figured out how to make it work. You can, too.

It can be as simple as the time of day you chose to workout in the past. There is scientific evidence that people who are "morning people" or "night owls" are physically different. Different people have energy at different times. Think about when you work best. If you wake up without an alarm clock ready to go, you should exercise first thing in the morning. If you are a night owl, you should consider working out at night. You might find that you are one of the people who tire yourself out enough with a night workout to sleep like a baby.

You Can Do This!

Losing weight is not a punishment. You are smart enough to know how to eat a little better and become more active. If you are honest with yourself, you will choose the proper bike. You want to look forward to the workout itself. Don't get caught up in which bike burns more calories. Find an exercise bike you will enjoy riding. Figure out the time of day that's best for you to exercise. Make it like getting dressed or bathing - it's just something you do every day. You don't have to train for the Tour de France. You just have to get on and do something every day. Ten minutes a day will yield results. Bookmark this article for future motivation, find your exercise bike, and get busy!

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