Health resources by categories

Many herbs have a long history of use and of claimed health benefits. An herb, or botanical, is a plant or part of a plant that is used for its scent, flavor, and/or therapeutic properties. Although they are so-called ‘natural’, herbal products are not necessarily safe or without harmful effects. They may come from plants, but many plants are considered harmful and poisonous.

Unlike prescription medicines, herbal products are not tested to certify their safety and efficacy before their marketing. Active ingredients in many herbal medicines and supplements are still unknown. Some have been found contaminated with metals, unlabeled prescription drugs, microorganisms or other substances.

Since herbal products are not tested, they may cause certain health problems/complications. It may not be wise to take herbal products if you have any of these medical problems/conditions:

The human body is mostly water trapped inside the fragile walls of cells. We drink water to maintain the optimum level of hydration in our bodies, to flush the toxins out and cleanse the body, to cool off, to keep the joints working and to help the food digestion process. The minimum daily recommended water intake is 2 liters, because this is how much water the body uses throughout the day through sweating, urination and other bodily functions. Without replenishing lost water, the body goes into dehydration and all functions start to suffer, which is why dieting professionals recommend abstaining from food, but never from water.

Like many other bodily functions, the metabolism is dependent on water to work properly. Without enough water, the process of breaking food down and converting it to energy slows down dramatically, which means that too few calories are burnt and that too little weight is lost. Not drinking enough water can be compared to “running of fumes” and if you’re dieting and you seem to have hit the plateau, then you are probably not drinking enough water. When the metabolism slows down, weight loss slows down even more dramatically, especially since exercising becomes less effective as the body’s energy levels diminish.

Water also plays an important part in the process of digestion and elimination of residues. Not drinking enough water is a one-way ticket to constipation and a host of other problems of the intestines. Poor digestion means that you will not get enough energy from the food you’re eating. This will prompt the body to ask for more food and this is how the weight loss process stops and the weight gain process begins. A dehydrated body sends out fake hunger pangs, thus tempting you to forget about the diet and eat more food than you should.

Not to mention that water is also a good filler. If you want to eat less food, drink a tall glass of water half an hour before every meal. The water will fill a large part of your stomach and the body will be content to feel that the stomach is not empty. This is not idle speculation, but a sound advice whose effectiveness can be confirmed by many dietitians and weight loss experts. Nobody can overeat with half of the stomach filled with water and with the body telling him/her: “Seems like we’re almost full. We don’t need that much food, so cut it short this evening”.

Keep in mind that in order to reap the benefits of drinking enough water, you will want to spread the intake throughout the day. Don’t drink 2 liters of water all at once because the body will simply flush the excess and a lot of it will simply be wasted. Also, you don’t need to restrict yourself to water. Fruit juices, weak tea and coffee count as liquids that can be used by the body for hydration. Alcohol is out of the question, because alcohol has the opposite effect on the body. And, ladies, don’t be afraid that drinking a lot of water will make you retain it. It’s dehydration, not abundance, which forces the body to hang on to what it has.

Obesity is caused by unhealthy eating combined with sustained lack of activity. If food gives you more calories than you burn, your body turns on the storage program and puts on fat. This is the basic idea behind obesity.

Disorderly eating habits are the top reason why people becaome obese. With neither the time, nor the inclination to control one’s meals, it’s no wonder people get fat all over the world. Couple that with a sedentary lifestyle where most trips are taken by car and you got a health situation out of control.

Genetics:

Obesity can also be inherited from family members who suffered from it. If your family has a history of obesity, then you would do well to watch your weight.

Junk food:

We are all busy, but this does not mean that we have to eat everything fast food restaurants put before you. Burgers may look good, but they are fat too highly powered got your health. Thing is, a single burger is worth a whole meal, but your body does not judge the situation this way. Your stomach will never be filled by a regular burger, so it will keep asking for more, despite the fact that your body does not need more burgers.

Do you feel like giving up?

Many people try diets and manage to lose a few pounds. But returning to the old lifestyle and eating habits almost always means that weight lost turns into weight regained. Moreover, as diet follows diet, the body gets used to these “lean times” and makes it harder for you to lose weight.

To all this you may add that following a diet for a longer period of time is hard, because you will always crave the forbidden foods. The fact that certain delicious foods are forbidden makes them that much more attractive. A successful diet means adjusting your lifestyle to your needs, especially by making time for more exercising.

Literally thousands of weight loss products must be on the market today, each with its own distinct look as well as how they seem to operate too. Some of these will be legitimate offerings that can truly aid in your weight loss quest while others are carefully disguised cons with the sole purpose of taking your money.

How do you know which weight loss products are truly capable of aiding your quest to lose weight? You have to learn to read between the lines and recognize certain key buzzwords, testimonials and claims about the product’s effectiveness. When you see phrases like “ancient weight loss secret revealed” or “lose weight without diet or exercise,” you should know that any weight loss products associated with these claims are bogus.

The World of Dietary Supplements

Weight loss products in supplement form are just one of many types you can look forward to weeding through in your quest to lose weight. Many of these supplements, while not harmful, have no beneficial qualities and the effects are similar to a placebo. And because dietary supplements are not closely governed by the FDA, you have to be especially careful and read the ingredients labels to avoid harmful ingredients such as ephedra.

While most testing trials on dietary supplements are rather inconclusive, there are a few of them with certain ingredients that have shown promising results in some people. For instance, Hoodia has become a huge marketing phenomenon as it is supposed to decrease appetite. Chitosan and chromium are two other ingredients that can also help with preventing the absorption of fat as well as boosting metabolism.

Prepackaged Foods

Another part of the weight loss products chain is pre-packaged diet plan foods like Weight Watchers, Slim Fast and more. Many people don’t like to plan ahead for meals and what they can and cannot eat so they turn to prepackaged food weight loss products to take out the guesswork. There are the diet shakes you drink twice a day along with a nice low fat meal for the evening time. Prepackaged frozen dinners and snacks already come in proper portions for a serving which of course, provides an easy way of tracking what you eat.

Exercise Equipment

Part of every weight loss goal should be exercise and every infomercial watcher knows there is a new exercise gadget introduced virtually every day. Remember the Thighmaster or the boots that make you hang upside down during those late night weight loss products promotions? These were not quite the best things for losing weight but who really knew as these types of weight loss products are not regulated.

Basically, it is all a matter of common sense when it comes to weeding through the weight loss products available on the market today. While you may be desperate and ripe for believing the sincere claims that some of these products tout, you have to be strong and tell yourself that if all those positive, winning claims were true, there would be a lot of thinner people around these days!

Dieting doesn’t have to mean food deprivation and money spent on gym subscriptions. You can keep your body in shape with simple exercises that do not require gym equipment or professional advice and supervision.

A simple exercise that anybody can perform at home or the park is called Stair Sprinting. The name is pretty self explanatory. All you have to do is run up and down the stairs between several floors; the more floors, the better off you’ll be.

It’s a good idea to start small, even if you’re in a good physical condition. Run up and down four floors two times. First timers and overweight people are unlikely to manage more than two reps anyway. However, it’s no big deal if you can’t do more than two reps in the beginning. Resistance to effort is built in time. Do the two reps every other day for two weeks.

After two weeks increase the number of reps to either three or four, depending on how you feel. If you can take four reps up and down four flights of stairs, then by all means do so. If you can’t, then stick to three reps. As the weeks go by, you can add even more reps to your routine in order to increase your endurance and to really put the muscles to work.

This exercise is perfect for the legs and ass. Ladies and gents looking to build shapely asses and strong thighs ought to try stair sprinting. Having to carry your own weight up the stairs instead of flat terrain puts more stress on the muscles and helps the feet gain more endurance. However, be very careful when doing this exercise. Running up and down the stairs makes it very easy to trip or miss a step and splay an ankle. Even more serious injuries might happen if you’re not careful enough.