"The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night."
~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In order to take advantage of losing weight and being successful, you must be prepared--that means " paying your dues."

Nothing is more frustrating than to see that you are gaining weight again.

Be in a position to benefit from your failure. It pays to be prepared, and that comes down to plain, hard work. It's not usually glamorous. It's not always exciting. It's not always fun. It is, however, always necessary.

By being prepared, you have to create a game plan to get back on track right away without beating yourself up and devastating your self-esteem. My game plan is taking it a bite at a time. What's your's? Maybe it's taking it a day at a time, going back to your diet tomorrow. Maybe it's getting angry and becoming more determined then ever to succeed.

Have you ever been at a Weight Watchers or TOPS meeting and noticed several people there who are slim and trim? What about those Jenny Craig and Nutri/System ad's with their before and after pictures? They make losing weight look so effortless, but remember, in reality, these people have been dieting for years.

Without effort and action, you will not succeed. You can't wish your weight away. You have to work at it and be prepared for those times when you slip, so you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on...

Losing weight demands preparation, effort and commitment to come to fruition.

Once you have made up your mind to lose weight, you should make that commitment and go into it with a positive attitude. We all know that losing weight can be quite a challenge. In fact, for some, it can be downright tough. It takes time, practice and support to change lifetime habits. But it's a process you must learn in order to succeed. You and you alone are the one who has the power to lose unwanted pounds.

Think like a winner, and not a loser - - remember that emotions are like muscles and the ones you use most grow the strongest. If you always look at the negative side of things, you'll become a downbeat, pessimistic person. Even slightly negative thoughts have a greater impact on you and last longer than powerful positive thoughts.

Negative thinking doesn't do you any good, it just holds you back from accomplishing the things you want to do. When a negative thought creeps into your mind, replace it reminding yourself that you're somebody, you have self-worth and you possess unique strengths and talents.Contemplate what lies ahead of you. Losing weight is not just about diets. It's about a whole new you and the possibility of creating a new life for yourself. Investigate the weight loss programs that appeal to you and that you feel will teach you the behavioral skills you need to stick with throughout the weight-loss process. First you should look for support among family and friends. It can be an enormous help to discuss obstacles and share skills and tactics with others on the same path. You might look for this support from others you know who are in weight loss programs and you can seek guidance from someone you know who has lost weight and kept it off.

There are success stories across the country today. On television and in newspapers, magazines and tabloids about people who have miraculously lost untold pounds and kept it off. In all instances they say their mental attitude as well as their outlook on life has totally changed.

Diets and weight loss programs are more flexible now than they once were and there are many prepared foods already portioned out. They are made attractive and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Low-fat and low-calorie foods are on shelves everywhere.

You will probably need to learn new, wiser eating skills. You will want a weight loss regimen that gives you some control, rather than imposing one rigid system. Look for one that offers a variety of different eating plans, so you can choose the one that's best for you.

Keep in mind, too, that your weight loss program will most likely include some physical exercises. Look at the exercising aspect of your program as fun and recreation and not as a form of grueling and sweaty work. The fact is that physical fitness is linked inseparable to all personal effectiveness in every field. Anyone willing to take the few simple steps that lie between them and fitness will shortly begin to feel better, and the improvement will reflect itself in every facet of their existence.

Doctors now say that walking is one of the best exercises. It helps the total circulation of blood throughout the body, and thus has a direct effect on your overall feeling of health. There are things such as aerobics, jogging, swimming and many other exercises which will benefit a weight loss program. Discuss the options with your doctor and take his advice in planning your exercise and weight loss program.

When we discover that we are heavier than we want to be, we have a natural inclination to eat less food. We may skip lunch or eat only a tiny amount of our dinner in the hope that if we eat less our body will burn off some of its fat. But that is not necessarily true. Eating less actually makes it more difficult to lose weight.

Keep in mind that the human body took shape millions of years ago, and at that time there were diets. The only low-calorie event in people's lives was starvation. Those who could cope with a temporary lack of food were the ones who survived. Our bodies, therefore, have developed this built-in mechanism to help us survive in the face of low food intake.

When researchers compare overweight and thin people, they find that they are roughly the same number of calories. What makes overweight people different is the amount of fat that they eat. Thin people tend to eat less fat and more complex carbohydrates.

Losing weight is not something one can do overnight. A carefully planned weight loss program requires common sense and certain guidelines. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformantion floating around and lots of desperate people are easily duped and ripped off.

Every day one can open a magazine or newspaper and see advertisements touting some new product, pill or patch that will take excess weight off quickly. Everyone seems to be looking for that "magic" weight loss pill. Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, spending billions of dollars every year on diet programs and products. Often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost.

A survey was done recently to try and determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so. So rampant has the so-called diet industry become with new products and false claims that the FDA has now stepped in and started clamping down.

Being seriously overweight and particularly obesity can develop into a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it is now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.

The myth is that people get heavy by eating too many calories. Calories are a consideration it's true, but overall they are not the cause of obesity in America today. Americans actually take in fewer calories each day than they did at the beginning of the century. If calories alone were the reason we become overweight, we should all be thin. But we are not. Collectively, we are heavier than ever. Partly, it is because we are more sedentary now. But equally, as important is the fact that the fat content of the American diet has changed dramatically.

People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.

Select an exercise routine that you are comfortable with and remember that walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening your bones, controlling your weight and toning your muscles.

Most people have no idea how much water they should be drinking, and most Americans live from day to day in a dehydrated state. They don't drink enough water.

Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products and toxins resulting from metabolism.

Water is vital to digestion and metabolism, acting as a medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood, regulates body temperature and lubricates our joints (which is particularly important if you're arthritic, have chronic muscular-skeletal problems or are athletically active).

We need water to breathe; we lose approximately one pint of liquid every day just by exhaling.

If you are not in "fluid balance" you can impair every aspect of your body's physiological functioning.

Dr. Howard Flaks, Beverly Hills:
"As a result of not drinking enough water, many people encounter such problems as excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness (particularly after exercise) and water retention."

Proper water intake is the key to weight loss," says Dr. Donald Robertson, Scottsdale, Arizona. "If people who are trying to lose weight don't drink enough water, the body can't metabolize the fat, they retain fluid, which keeps their weight up, and the whole procedure we're trying to set up falls apart."

"I'd say the minimum amount of water a healthy person should drink is 10 eight-ounce glasses a day," he continues, "and you need to drink more if you are overweight, exercise a lot, or live in a hot climate. Overweight people should drink an extra eight ounces of water for each 25 pounds that exceeds their ideal weight."

Your water intake should be spread judiciously throughout the day, including the evening. Dr. Flaks cautions against drinking more than four glasses in any given hour. Always check with your physician before embarking on a water intake increase program.

You may ask, "If I drink this much water, won't I constantly be running to the bathroom?" Initially, yes, because of the hypersensitivity of the bladder to increased fluids. But after a few weeks, your bladder calms down, and you urinate less frequently, but in larger amounts.

There is a difference between pure water and other beverages that contain water.

Water is water. Obviously you can get it by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks, beer, coffee or tea. Unfortunately, while such drinks contain water, they also may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.

Dr. Jerzy Meduski, Los Angeles, California: "Beer contains water, but it also contains alcohol, which is a toxic substance. Beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee, stimulate the adrenal glands; fruit juices contain a lot of sugar and stimulate the pancreas. Such drinks may tax the body more than cleanse it."

Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for water.

The way to interpret all of this, therefore, is that the recommended daily water intake means just that--WATER!

NOTE: I realize this article may offend some people, but I believe that you need to hear the truth about weight loss rather than some watered down "feel-good" version of the truth!

I receive hundreds (yes, hundreds) of questions every month with this general theme... "HELP... I'm doing all the right things but I'm still not losing weight." After talking to hundreds of these people over the years, I've come to a few general conclusions. Keep in mind that these are generalizations, but they would apply to over 95% of people in this situation. Also, please note that these ARE in order of importance...and I'm not pulling any punches! :)

1. The vast majority of these people (I call them "non-losers") are not exercising anywhere near enough (if at all)! You can only decrease your caloric intake so much. Your other alternative is to increase your caloric expenditure. You can write this in stone... ** VERY FEW people are successful at losing weight AND keeping it off without exercising almost everyday!!

If you're having trouble losing weight, 20 minutes of exercise three times a week isn't going to cut it! Most people who tell me they are *really serious* about losing weight are not willing to do what it takes to get where they want to be. If you're not willing to make exercise a *serious* priority in your life, your chances of succeeding at losing weight and keeping it off are VERY small! Many of my clients who are serious about weight loss are exercising 1 to 2 hours per day. Many split it up and do some in the morning and some in the late afternoon or evening. If you're having difficulty losing weight, I would recommend that you average at least 30 minutes *everyday*, ideally more.

2. Most "non-losers" that are exercising are not weight training. Weight training is *critical* to maintaining your muscle mass and tone. If you're not weight training while trying to lose weight, you will lose muscle mass and tone and your basal metabolic rate will decrease causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hour-a-day!

3. "Non-losers" are actually consuming about 600 calories more per day than they think they are. Recent research with a large group of "non-losers" determined that they were significantly under-estimating the number of calories they were consuming on a daily basis. If you're not sure, write down everything you eat for a few weeks.

4. "Non-losers" want *instant* results. When it doesn't happen they either give up or go on some crazy diet. You HAVE to be resolved to the fact that it WILL be slow!

5. "Non-losers" are actually consuming more fat than they think they are. Limiting fat intake to 20 to 30 grams per day is critical for "non-losers".

6. "Non-losers" are notorious for skipping meals! This is really bad news because it slows your metabolism causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hours-a-day.

7. "Non-losers" consume far too much sugar or simple / refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white (non whole wheat) flour products, white (non whole wheat) pastas, soft drinks ("pop" for you northerners), sweetened drinks, and the hundreds of products that contain addded sugar that's deceptively listed on ingredient lists with names like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

8. Some "non-losers" don't want to give up their alcohol. Alchol is a triple whammy...it stimulates your appetite, slows your metabolism, and it's loaded with calories! Enough said.

9. Many "non-losers" consume far too few fruits and vegetables.

10. Many "non-losers" always eat until they're full. Practice stopping before you're "full" and see how you feel 30 minutes later. You will probably feel satisfied by then.

11. Many "non-losers" consume artificial sweeteners which stimulate the pancreas to release insulin just like sugar would. Insulin causes your body to store fat and prohibits your body from burning fat for fuel.

Weight loss is VERY difficult! Simply put, If you don't want it bad enough to do what it takes, it's NOT going to happen. If you really want to lose weight, quit playing around with it. Get serious about it and make it an absolute, non-negotiable priority in your life... and it will happen! :)

1. Weight training tones your muscles which looks great and raises your basal metabolism... which causes you to burn more calories 24 hours-a-day. You'll even burn more calories while you're sleeping.

2. Weight training can *reverse* the natural decline in your metabolism which begins around age 30.

3. Weight training energizes you.

4. Weight training has a positive affect on almost all of your 650+ muscles.

5. Weight training strengthens your bones reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.

6. Weight training improves your muscular endurance.

7. Weight training will NOT develop big muscles on women....just toned muscles!

8. Weight training makes you strong. Strength gives you confidence and makes daily activities easier.

9. Weight training makes you less prone to low-back injuries.

10. Weight training decreases your resting blood pressure.

11. Weight training decreases your risk of developing adult onset diabetes.

12. Weight training decreases your gastrointestinal transit time, reducing your risk for developing colon cancer.

13. Weight training increases your blood level of HDL cholesterol (the good type).

14. Weight training improves your posture.

15. Weight training improves the functioning of your immune system.

16. Weight training lowers your resting heart rate, a sign of a more efficient heart.

17. Weight training improves your balance and coordination.

18. Weight training elevates your mood.

1. Elevates your metabolism so that you burn more calories everyday.

2. Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This gives you the ability to go through your day with less relative energy expenditure. This enables a "fit" person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue.

3. Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscle. Exercise also increases your muscular endurance.

4. Decreases your blood pressure.

5. Increases the oxidation (breakdown and use) of fat.

6. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol.

7. Makes the heart a more efficient pump by increasing stroke volume.

8. Increases hemoglobin concentration in your blood. Hemoglobin is part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

9. Decreases the tendency of the blood to clot in the blood vessels. This is important because small clots traveling in the blood are often the cause of heart attacks and strokes.

10. Increases the strength of the bones.

11. Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles.

12. Enlarges the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

13. Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).

14. Improves control of blood sugar.

15. Improves sleep patterns.

16. Increases the efficiency of the digestive system which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.

17. Increases the thickness of cartilage in joints which has a protective effect on the joints.

18. Decreases a woman's risk of developing endometriosis by 50%.

19. Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier.

20. Exercise, in addition to all the physiological and anatomical benefits, just makes you feel GREAT!

If I had to pick a single factor that I thought was most important in a successful exercise or weight loss program, it would be to exercise first thing in the morning... every morning! Some mornings, you may just be able to fit in a 10 minute walk, but it's important to try to do something every morning.

So why mornings?...

1. Over 90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning.

2. When you exercise early in the morning, it "jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours, sometimes up to 24 hours! That means you're burning more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning!

3. When you exercise in the morning you'll be *energized* for the day! Personally, I feel dramatically different on days when I have and haven't exercised in the morning.

4. Many people find that morning exercise "regulates" their appetite for the day...that they aren't as hungry and that they make better food choices. Several people have told me that it puts them in a "healthy mindset"

5. If you exercise at about the same time every morning... and ideally wake-up at about the same time on a regular basis, your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms adjust to that, and physiologically, some wonderful things happen; A couple of hours *before* you awaken, your body begins to prepare for waking and exercise because it "knows" it's about to happen...why? because it "knows" you do the same thing just about everyday. You benefit from that in several ways...

a) It's MUCH easier to wake-up. When you wake-up at different times everyday, it confuses your body and thus it's never really "prepared" to awaken.

b) Your metabolism and all the hormones involved in activity and exercise begin to elevate while you're sleeping. Thus, you feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake-up.

c) Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.

6. For many people, that appointed time every morning becomes something they look forward to. It's time they've set aside to do something good for themselves...to take care of their body and mind. Many find that it's a great time to think clearly, pray, plan their day, or just relax mentally.

7. Research has demonstrated that exercise increases mental acuity... on average it lasts four to ten hours after exercise! No sense in wasting that while you're sleeping. :)

8. Exercise first thing in the morning is really the only way to assure that something else won't crowd exercise out of your schedule. When your days get hectic, exercise usually takes a backseat!

9. If finding time to exercise is difficult, anyone can get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier to exercise (if it's a priority in your life). If necessary, you can go to sleep a little earlier. Also, research has demonstrated that people who exercise on a regular basis have a higher quality of sleep and thus require less sleep! :)

10. You'll feel GREAT! DO IT! :)

Last summer, A lady called me about her frustrating attempts at weight loss. She said she had gone from diet to diet for over 25 years...only to end up fatter and with a slower metabolism after each "diet".

We talked for a long time, but the gist of it was this; I told her to "dump the diets" and start focusing on pursuing fitness and health. We talked about a few fruits and vegetables she really liked. We talked about all the benefits we get from fruits and vegetables and how we forget how good they really taste...because we're bombarded with fat-laden foods day after day.

She mentioned that she reeeeeally liked tomatoes... which also happens to be a favorite of mine. I mean I'm a tomato fanatic. I absolutely love them! I grow several varieties in my backyard and several types of cherry tomatoes indoors when it's too cold outside! So, we had quite a conversation about tomatoes. We talked about her focusing her eating on some fruits and vegetables she really liked and doing some creative things with tomatoes. I also told her to start walking EVERY morning...even if it was only 10 or 15 minutes some mornings, but to try toget 30 to 45 minutes in every day. I also told her todo a basic weight training program at home with dumbells.

Well, I hadn't heard from her in nine months and she called me last week. She's lost 48 pounds in nine months. She said she focused on some fruits and vegetables she likes, but went crazy with fresh tomatoes. She used over 10 healthy recipes that use lots of tomatoes...she even ate tomato hash browns (without oil) and tomato sandwiches for breakfast sometimes! :) She was so excited and said she has never felt so good in her life!

Now, I'm NOT suggesting that you only eat one or two foods, but I am suggesting that you find the delicious fruits and vegetables that you like and a few that you REALLY like... and focus on these wonderful foods that God has given us. These are the REAL, naturally low fat foods that we should be eating! We've forgotten how good so many fruits and veggies really taste...yes even without fat-laden sauces, cheeses, butter, etc. I challenge you to re-discover the delicious fruits and vegetables you really like.

Cook a huge pot of several veggies you like...they'll be available all week, without alot of preparation time when your hungry. Maybe mix them with some brown rice and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them... there's nothing better! :)

You can do the same with fruits. Make a big fruit salad with three or four fruits you enjoy. Keep it in the frig for quick access when you're hungry.

Here are some of my favorites (and some resources)...

1. Lemons are one of my favorites...you can do so much with them. My kids love squeezing them for fresh juice that we use for a variety of things...salads, vegetables, rice, to make salad dressings, lemon aid, etc.

>> FREEBIE: Sunkist publishes a fantastic free pamphlet called "150 Ways To Use A Lemon" - you'll find some great ideas in here. Call 1-800-248-7875 Mon - Fri 8:30 - 5:00 PST. Press #2.

Grow your own lemons and other citrus indoors or out on true dwarf citrus trees. Call Four Winds Growers for their catalog of dwarf citrus trees... 1-510-656-2591

2. Tomatoes are really high on my list...nutritious and great for salads, sandwiches, vegetables, sauces, etc. I put tomatoes on practically everything! :) Call these companies for their catalogs of 100's of varieties of tomato seeds you can grow at home, some even indoors year-round...

Tomato Growers - 1-888-478-7333
Totally Tomatoes - 1-803-663-0016

3. Garlic is loaded with health benefits and can aid your weight loss efforts by giving flavor to numerous foods! Call the Garlic Information Center for their brochure... 1-800-330-5922.

Aside from all the health benefits of exercise, a good exercise program can also help you save money and possibly make more money....and you can implement an effective, comprehensive exercise program with very little expense.

Research has demonstrated that people who exercise on a regular basis save thousands of dollars in medical expenses over a lifetime. Because exercise improves your immune system, exercisers usually experience fewer colds and other respiratory infections and thus have fewer "down days" and doctor bills. Exercisers also have fewer sprains and strains, and the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and certain cancers is lower in exercisers!

Exercise also increases mental acuity, reduces fatigue, and improves the quality of sleep...leading to improved productivity and thus more income for many people.

A comprehensive exercise program consists of two components; aerobic and anaerobic. They work together to give you all the benefits you can derive from an exercise program.

1. Aerobic exercise refers to exercises like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, aerobic dance, outdoor cycling, stationary cycling, rowing, stair climbing, etc. The benefits of aerobic exercise are numerous including increased caloric expenditure, increased metabolism, increased energy levels, decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease, etc.

The simplest, most liked, and usually least expensive of these is walking. Or, If you already have the required equipment such as a rower or stationary cycle, or access to a swimming pool, these would also be inexpensive options. If you're interested in buying exercise equipment, never buy it new! Free classified type newspapers around the country are LOADED with used exercise equipment! I've gotten some great deals by keeping an eye on those classified papers.

I recommend doing some form of aerobic exercise on a daily basis, preferably first thing in the morning. Forget this "twice a week" stuff! Our bodies were "designed" to be active on a daily basis! When we are, all sorts of wonderful things happen, including the fact that our metabolism soars!

Although you should try to average about 45 minutes per day, even if you can only do 10 minutes some days, that's alot better than doing nothing! Get in the habit of exercising everyday...just like brushing your teeth. Ideally, your heart rate should be in your "target range" for most of your aerobic exercise session. That can be calculated as follows... (220 - age) x .6 is your lower limit and (220 - age) x .8 is your upper limit. For example, if you're 40 years old, your lower limit would be 108 beats per minute (180 x .6) and your upper limit would be 144 beats per minute (180 x .8).

2. Anaerobic exercise is the second component of a comprehensive exercise program and refers primarily to resistance exercise like weight training to tone and strengthen your muscles. Weight training is loaded with benefits such as increased metabolism, improved appearance, increased fat burning 24 hours a day, increased sense of well-being and confidence, decreased incidence of osteoporosis, etc....

Weight training can be done at a health club or less expensively at home. For less than $20 you can usually buy the dumbells (small weights) needed for an effective home weight training program. You should weight train three days per week and it can be accomplished in 20 to 30 minutes. If you'd like my guide to developing a safe and effective home weight training program, mail a $6 check to... Greg Landry, M.S., 5253 Dijon Drive, Suite C, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.

My experience over the years is that most people try to "buy" a successful exercise program....they believe that if they "buy" the "latest and greatest" exercise gadget or if they "buy" the magical new supplements that burn five pounds of fat a day, or if they "buy" a health club membership, they can acieve their exercise goals. The fact is that an effective, comprehensive exercise program can be implemented with very little expense! Get started! :)

By Kay Cross

You have just decided a good electric treadmill is exactly what you need to maintain your commitment to regular aerobic exercise. But you find there are dozens of different treadmills, ranging in price from $399 to over $3,000. What accounts for the huge difference in price? What do you look for when buying?

Don't Leave Home . . .

First, before going anywhere, decide where you will put your new treadmill--and measure the space. You'll need some free space around the machine itself--and some head room if you're going to get a machine that inclines.

Second, dress in loose, comfortable clothing and workout shoes. You'll want to try out several machines before you buy. Finally, head off to a specialty fitness retail store.

Construction

The deciding factor in the life of a treadmill is the motor. If you want your treadmill to last, look for the larger, heavier motors.

"Horsepower" is applied to two different ratings--"peak duty rating" and "continuous duty rating." The peak duty rating is advertised on a treadmill tag. The continuous duty rating is stamped directly on the motor and is the rating that determines its quality and duration.

In general, the larger and heavier the motor is, the cooler it will run and the longer it will last. Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter recommends purchasing a machine with at least 1.5 continuous duty horsepower--higher if you weigh more than 185 pounds or plan to run on the treadmill. (But be sure to check the voltage. Some treadmills with heavy motors are 220, which won't work in most homes.)

The thickness of the walking deck and the size of the walking track should also be high on your list of priorities. The thickness of the deck affects the comfort of the legs and feet with prolonged use. Choose a treadmill that has a deck thickness of at least 3/4 inch, or one inch if you plan to do both walking and jogging.

The walking track needs enough length (at least 48 inches) and width (at least 17 inches) for you to walk comfortably without stepping off the track. If you plan to run on your new treadmill, you may want a longer track. Test it while you are in the store.

The "buzz" feature these days is definitely shock absorption. To provide effective cushioning for the legs, feet and back, the treadmill's suspension must be directly under the walking deck. (Some treadmills may have "shock absorbers" on the legs of the treadmill so you can see the frame bounce while you are walking. This is not effective shock absorption!) The padding can be made of foam or rubber. Foam is softer and more compressible than rubber, but requires more time to return to its original thickness after impact. Rubber instantly recovers to full thickness and is better able to maintain its energy absorption level. Again, test the machine yourself.

"Perks"

After you've checked out the physical construction, you can look at a treadmill's electronic board. Here's where you can economize, if necessary. The less expensive treadmills have the basics: speed, distance, incline, time and calories. The more expensive treadmills also have a range of special preset exercise programs that automatically alter speed and incline, varying high-intensity effort with lower-intensity effort. Some treadmills even measure your heart rate! Ask yourself, will electronic programs and feedback motivate you to keep exercising? If not, and/or you're on a limited budget, you can buy a less expensive machine and a separate heart rate monitor, and develop your own programs.

Service and Warranties

Ask the dealer about delivery and setup. Sometimes this is included in the price--and other times, it's not. Also, check out the service and warranty policies.

The minimum warranty on a fairly good treadmill is 90 days parts and service. The better treadmills will carry a three-year warranty on the motor and two years on the drive train. As for who will be responsible for servicing a treadmill when it has problems--the store you purchased it from. So if the store offers a good guarantee, chances are the machine won't need servicing very often!

If you choose a quality electric treadmill, it will last for years and provide great versatility for your cardiovascular program. Find a good specialty equipment store in your area that can help you find the treadmill you need. And then by all means, use it!

By Chad Tackett

Most people's primary motivation for weight management is to improve their appearance. Equally important, however, are the many other benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Weight management through reduction of excess body fat plays a vital role in maintaining good health and fighting disease. In fact, medical evidence shows that obesity poses a major threat to health and longevity. (The most common definition of obesity is more than 25 percent body fat for men and more than 32 percent for women.) An estimated one in three Americans has some excess body fat; an estimated 20 percent are obese.

Excess body fat is linked to major physical threats like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (Three out of four Americans die of either heart disease or cancer each year; according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, approximately 80 percent of those deaths are associated with life-style factors, including inactivity.)

For example, if you're obese, it takes more energy for you to breathe because your heart has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs and to the excess fat throughout the body. This increased work load can cause your heart to become enlarged and can result in high blood pressure and life-threatening erratic heartbeats.

Obese people also tend to have high cholesterol levels, making them more prone to arteriosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries by deposits of plaque. This becomes life-threatening when blood vessels become so narrow or blocked that vital organs like the brain, heart or kidneys are deprived of blood. Additionally, the narrowing of the blood vessels forces the heart to pump harder, and blood pressure rises. High blood pressure itself poses several health risks, including heart attack, kidney failure, and stroke. About 25 percent of all heart and blood vessel problems are associated with obesity.

Clinical studies have found a relationship between excess body fat and the incidence of cancer. By itself, body fat is thought to be a storage place for carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) in both men and women. In women, excess body fat has been linked to a higher rate of breast and uterine cancer; in men, the threat comes from colon and prostate cancer.

There is also a delicate balance between blood sugar, body fat, and the hormone insulin. Excess blood sugar is stored in the liver and other vital organs; when the organs are "full," the excess blood sugar is converted to fat. As fat cells themselves become full, they tend to take in less blood sugar. In some obese people, the pancreas produces more and more insulin, which the body can't use, to regulate blood sugar levels, and the whole system becomes overwhelmed. This poor regulation of blood sugar and insulin results in diabetes, a disease with long-term consequences, including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and death. Excess body fat is also linked to gall bladder disease, gastro-intestinal disease, sexual dysfunction, osteoarthritiis, and stroke.

Reducing Body Fat Reduces Disease Risk

The good news is that reducing body fat reduces the risk of disease. At the University of Pittsburgh, researchers studied 159 people as they followed a weight management program. The subjects were under age 45 and 30-70 pounds overweight. Those subjects who were able to shed just 10-15 percent of their weight and keep it off during the 18-month study showed significant improvement in HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood pressure. In fact, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, body fat reduction is a more powerful modulator of cardiac structure than drug therapy.

For people with a family history of heart disease, an active lifestyle can slow or stop the process for all but those with serious genetic disorders. Studies by Dean Ornish, MD, have shown that a comprehensive intervention program that includes regular physical activity, a low-fat diet and a stress reduction program can even reverse the heart disease process.

Evidence also shows that an active lifestyle and its help in reducing body fat is associated with a reduced risk for some types of cancers: prostate for men, breast and uterine cancers for women. (Frisch, et al 1985)

In addition, regular physical activity and a low-fat diet are successful in treating non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM); for some patients, it has reduced or eliminated the need for insulin substitutes. In general, regularly active adults have 42 percent lower risk of developing NIDDM.

Gaining Weight Happens to Most of Us

The average American gains at least one pound a year after age 25. Think about it. If you're like most Americans, by the time you're 50, you're likely to gain 25 pounds of fat, or more. In addition, your metabolism is also slowing down, causing your body to work less efficiently at burning the fat it has. At the same time, if you don't exercise regularly, you lose a pound of muscle each year. Consequently, people are not only increasing their body fat stores, increasing their risk of disease, but they're also losing muscle, increasing the risk of injury, decreasing activity performance, and further slowing down metabolism.

Very few Americans exercise in any significant way. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports estimates that only one in five Americans exercises for the healthy minimum of 20 minutes, three or more days a week. In fact, the average American gets less than 50 minutes of exercise per week. Even worse, two out of five Americans are completely sedentary.

The Answer: Healthy Eating and Physical Fitness

But there is hope. Moderate weight loss--of fat, not muscle--and a healthy and active lifestyle--not dieting--have been found to lower health risks and medical problems in 90 percent of overweight patients, improving their heart function, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, sleep disorders, and cholesterol levels, as well as lowering their requirements for medication, lowering the incidence and duration of hospitalization, and reducing post-operative complications eight times less likely to die from cancer than the unfit, and 53 percent less likely to die from other diseases. Fit people are also eight times less likely to die from heart disease.

So, are you willing to be patient and make gradual changes in your life that will lead to a healthier, happier you? Once you have made the decision to go forward and accept change, the hard part is over. Sure, there is plenty of work to be done, but it really doesn't matter how long this new process takes. If you allow changes to take place over several years, your body will adjust comfortably, and you will be more likely to maintain the healthy lifestyle permanently.

When you begin achieving improvements in energy and physical and psychological performance, the fun and excitement you experience will make the change well worth the effort. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a safe and effective weight management program.

By Chad Tackett

Flexibility is a joint's ability to move through a full range of motion. Flexibility training (stretching) helps balance muscle groups that might be overused during exercise or physical activity or as a result of bad posture. It's important to clearly understand the many benefits that result from a good flexibility program.

Improved Physical Performance and Decreased Risk of Injury

First, a safe and effective flexibility training program increases physical performance. A flexible joint has the ability to move through a greater range of motion and requires less energy to do so, while greatly decreasing your risk of injury. Most professionals agree that stretching decreases resistance in tissue structures; you are, therefore, less likely to become injured by exceeding tissue extensibility (maximum range of tissues) during activity.

Reduced Muscle Soreness and Improved Posture

Recent studies show that slow, static stretching helps reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Static stretching involves a slow, gradual and controlled elongation of the muscle through the full range of motion and held for 15-30 seconds in the furthest comfortable position (without pain). Stretching also improves muscular balance and posture. Many people's soft-tissue structures has adapted poorly to either the effects of gravity or poor postural habits. Stretching can help realign soft tissue structures, thus reducing the effort it takes to achieve and maintain good posture in the activities of daily living.

Reduced Risk of Low Back Pain

A key benefit, and one I wish more people would realize, is that stretching reduces the risk of low back pain. Stretching promotes muscular relaxation. A muscle in constant contraction requires more energy to accomplish activities. Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, and other muscles attaching to the pelvis reduces stress to the low back. Stretching causes muscular relaxation, which encourages healthy nutrition directly to muscles; the resulting reduction in accumulated toxins reduces the potential for muscle shortening or tightening and thus reduces fatigue.

Increased Blood and Nutrients to Tissues

Another great benefit is that stretching increases blood supply and nutrients to joint structures. Stretching increases tissue temperature, which in turn increases circulation and nutrient transport. This allows greater elasticity of surrounding tissues and increases performance. Stretching also increases joint synovial fluid, which is a lubricating fluid that promotes the transport of more nutrients to the joints' atricular cartilage. This allows a greater range of motion and reduces joint degeneration.

Improved Muscle Coordination

Another little-known benefit is increased neuromuscular coordination. Studies show that nerve-impulse velocity (the time it takes an impulse to travel to the brain and back) is improved with stretching. This helps opposing muscle groups work in a more synergistic, coordinated fashion.

Enhanced Enjoyment of Physical Activities

Flexibility training also means enhanced enjoyment, and a fitness program should be fun if you want to stick with it. Not only does stretching decrease muscle soreness and increase performance, it also helps relax both mind and body and brings a heightened sense of well-being and personal gratification during exercise.

As you can see, flexibility training is one of the key components of a balanced fitness program and should be a part of your exercise routine. Without flexibility training, you are missing an important part of overall health. Flexibility training provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective flexibility training program.

By Chad Tackett


There's no right or wrong way to eat. Healthy eating is all about motivation, balance, and flexibility. There will be times when you eat a high-fat meal or eat beyond fullness, or when your schedule gets so busy that you miss a work- out. This happens. It's normal. But it's very important that you don't get down on yourself and abandon your new healthy lifestyle when this happens.

If you're like most people, your reaction to these diet/ fitness obstacles is guilt. You feel as if all your hard work has been for nothing. "I blew it; I was doing so well. Oh well, I might as well enjoy this weekend and start over on Monday." Or even worse: "I just don't have the motiva- tion or will power to start over and be successful. I quit." Feeling defeated, many people discontinue the healthy living and return to their old routine until some mythical time in the future: "Maybe this spring will be a better time to start over again." This kind of scenario is a perfect example of the diet mentality at work.

An all-or-nothing attitude is why so many people have so little success; we choose structured programs because they relieve us from making choices for ourselves. A properly designed program makes sense, but expecting to stick to a structured eating and exercise plan for an extended period of time without ever deviating makes no sense at all. In fact, this is so unrealistic as to be a set-up for failure. If you begin to change your habits with the assumption that any deviation from your plan will ruin it, you might as well not even begin. Life is full of unplanned obstacles, distractions, and temptations. Your best approach is to prepare for them, keeping an open mind and maintaining a positive attitude.

It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. Before you begin, tell yourself that no matter what happens, rather than abandoning your new lifestyle, you'll resume your healthy habits as soon as you can; it is equally important that you feel confident, not guilty, about doing so. What- ever the temptation or obstacle is, keep in mind that it's not wrong or bad to eat fattening foods once in a while or to miss a workout. Just remember to resume your healthy lifestyle. If you keep moving forward and you don't let guilt and discouragement stop your program all together, you'll eventually have improved eating and exercise habits.

With this approach, there is no such thing as cheating. When we feel we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we make ourselves feel guilty, frustrated and defeated. Replacing the negative concept of "cheating" with the idea of "straying from healthy habits" takes away the all-or- nothing emphasis on right and wrong. If you treat every deviation from your plan as a failure, you won't get very far

Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan instead of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more quickly to healthier habits, is more realistic. It's also easier and more enjoyable.

In the non-diet approach, all foods are legal. There are no "good" foods or "bad" foods. You must believe this. Sudden changes and/or drastic restrictions of high-fat foods when you have a preference or craving for fat will result in feelings of deprivation. No one can or should go through life depriving themselves of foods they really enjoy. You must learn how to make gradual healthy changes to the foods you love while experimenting with and learning to appreciate new flavors and textures.

A recent survey showed that more than 75 percent of people feel guilty about eating so-called "bad" foods. The greatest obstacle to adopting healthy eating habits is guilt. Attaching a value to foods only makes you feel bad for eating them. When you do decide to eat a high-fat food, enjoy it. Don't beat your- self up over it. Just make a special effort to eat low-fat the rest of the day. Remember, there is nothing wrong with splurging now and then. It can even be good for you if the satisfaction of a higher-fat meal that you've been craving helps you stick with a low-fat lifestyle the rest of the time.

If you're having a special diet meal that's different from what the rest of your family or friends are eating, you'll feel as though you're being punished. In order to be successful in changing your eating habits, you must look forward to and enjoy each meal you eat. This doesn't mean that you have to learn to like rice cakes and celery. It means you must learn how to make simple changes in the foods you love.

Perhaps one of your favorite meals is fried chicken, a baked potato, and salad. Small changes in how the food is prepared can turn this traditionally high-fat meal into a low-fat well- balanced one. Simply marinating a skinless chicken breast in sweet and sour sauce, rolling it in bread crumbs, and baking it makes the chicken a lot less fattening than if it's fried. Instead of butter or regular sour cream on your potato, try low-fat or nonfat sour cream or a reduced fat ranch dressing. Try using a non-fat or low-fat salad dressing rather than a regular dressing and adding as many vegetables to your salad as possible for their additional flavor, texture and nutrients. Any or all of these changes drastically reduce the amount of fat in the meal without sacrificing flavor or feelings of satisfaction.

Healthy eating patterns can only occur when you're enjoying all the foods you eat. If you're eating low-fat foods just to be healthy but without enjoying the flavors and textures or how they make you feel, this most likely won't be a permanent change. However, if you begin enjoying healthy foods, you're far more likely to stick with healthy eating for life.

Many people also enjoy eating out but associate this with being "bad" or eating "illegal" foods. Fortunately, it is very possible to eat a healthy, low-fat meal in a restaurant. You don't need to forego your favorite foods or eat before you go out with friends or family. The same decision-making process occurs whether you eat at home or go out to a restaurant. Many people think that they have two options when eating: eating for taste and pleasure or eating for health. As you learn and practice healthy eating techniques, these two options will become one and the same. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

By Chad Tackett

Many Americans view a healthy lifestyle as something difficult to attain--and something that's not much fun. Traditional diets have taught us that to lose weight, we must count calories, keep track of everything we eat, and deprive ourselves by limiting the amount--and kinds--of foods we eat. Diets tell us exactly what and how much food to eat, regardless of our preferences and individual relationships with hunger and satiety. Dieting can help us lose weight (fat, muscle, and water) in the short term but is so unnatural and so unrealistic that it can never become a lifestyle that we can live with, let alone enjoy!

While very few diets teach healthy low-fat shopping, cooking, and dining-out strategies, many offer unrealistic recommendations and encourage health-threatening restrictions. Even more important, diets don't teach us the safest, most effective ways to exercise; they don't teach us how to deal with our cravings and our desires, or how to attend to our feelings of hunger and fullness. Eventually, we become tired of the complexity, the hunger, the lack of flavor, the lack of flexibility, the lack of energy, and the feeling of deprivation. We quit our diets and gain back the weight we've lost; sometimes we gain even more!

Each time we go on another diet of deprivation, the weight becomes more difficult to lose, and we become even more frustrated and discouraged. Then we eat more and exercise less, causing ourselves more frustration, discouragement, depression. Soon we are in a vicious cycle. We begin to ask ourselves, "Why bother?" We begin to blame ourselves for having no will power when what we really need is clear, scientifically-based information that will help us develop a healthier lifestyle we can live with for the rest of our lives.

Deliberate restriction of food intake in order to lose weight or to prevent weight gain, known as dieting, is the path that millions of people all over the world are taking in order to reach a desired body weight or appearance. Preoccupation with body shape, size, and weight creates an unhealthy lifestyle of emotional and physical deprivation. Diets take control away from us.

Many of us who diet get caught in a "yo-yo" cycle that begins with low self-acceptance and results in structured eating and living because we lack trust in our body and are unwilling to listen and adhere to our body's signals of hunger and fullness. On diets, we distrust and ignore internal signs of appetite, hunger, and our need to be physically and psychologically satisfied. Instead, we depend on diet plans, measured portions, and a prescribed frequency for eating.

As a result, many of us have lost the ability to eat in response to our physical needs; we experience feelings of deprivation, then binge, and finally terminate our "health" program. This in turn leads to guilt, defeat, weight gain, low self-esteem, and then we're back to the beginning of the yo-yo diet cycle. Rather than making us feel better about ourselves, diets set us up for failure and erode our self-esteem.

The attitudes and practices acquired through years of dieting are likely to result in a body weight and size obsession, low self-esteem, poor nutrition and excessive or inadequate exercise. Weight loss from following a rigid diet is usually temporary. Most diets are too drastic to maintain; they are unrealistic and unpleasant; they are physically and emotionally stressful. And most of us just resume our old eating and activity patterns. Diets control us; we are not in control. People who try to live by diet lists and rules learn little or nothing about proper nutrition and how to enjoy their meals, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle. No one can realistically live in the diet mode for the rest of their life, depriving themselves of the true pleasures of healthy eating and activity.

We Don't Fail Diets; They Fail Us!

Decades of research have shown that diets, both self-initiated and professionally-led, are ineffective at producing long-term health and weight loss (or weight control). When your diet fails to keep the weight off, you may say to yourself, "If only I didn't love food so much . . . If I could just exercise more often . . . If I just had more will power." The problem is not personal weakness or lack of will power. Only 5 percent of people who go on diets are successful. Please understand that we are not failing diets; diets are failing us.

The reason 95 percent of all traditional diets fail is simple. When you go on a low-calorie diet, your body thinks you are starving; it actually becomes more efficient at storing fat by slowing down your metabolism. When you stop this unrealistic eating plan, your metabolism is still slow and inefficient that you gain the weight back even faster, even though you may still be eating less than you were before you went on the diet.

In addition, low-calorie diets cause you to lose both muscle and fat in equal amounts. However, when you eventually gain back the weight, it is all fat and not muscle, causing your metabolism to slow down even more. Now you have extra weight, a less healthy body composition, and a less attractive physique.

Diets require you to sacrifice by being hungry; they don't allow you to enjoy the foods you love. This does not teach you habits which you can maintain after the diet is over. Most diet programs force you to lower your caloric intake to dangerously low levels. The common theory is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. But when you eat fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its life-sustaining activities, you're actually losing muscle in addition to fat. Your body breaks down its own muscles to provide the needed energy for survival.

Traditional diets which use calorie restriction to produce weight loss are no longer appropriate. Most weight-loss programs measure success solely in terms of the number of pounds lost per weight loss attempt. Diets don't take into account the quality of the process used to achieve that weight loss or the very small likelihood of sustained weight loss. For long-term good health, you need to move away from low-calorie diets and focus on enjoyable physical activity and good nutrition. Exercising regularly and eating lean-supporting calories, protein and carbohydrates, and reducing fat-supporting calories will not only help you look and feel better, it will also significantly reduce your risk of disease.

America spends billions of dollars on different ways to fix people. If we focused more on prevention and on improving our day-to-day behaviors, we could cut health care costs in half. Contrary to popular belief, leading a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be difficult; it doesn't have to painful or time-consuming. Making gradual, simple changes in your diet and physical activity will make great improvements in your health and well-being, and they can drastically reduce your risk of disease.

If your weight management program is to be a success, everything you eat and every exercise you do must be a pleasurable experience. If you're not enjoying yourself, it is unlikely that you'll continue your program. It's that simple. These small, gradual changes are not painful or overwhelming but rather the core of an exciting lifestyle that you will look forward to.

Take the frustration, guilt, and deprivation out of weight management, and allow yourself to adopt gradual, realistic changes into your life that will make healthy eating and physical activity a permanent pleasure. You will soon discover what your body is capable of and begin to look, act, and feel your very best. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

* Be sure to check with your health care professional before making any changes in your activity habits.

By: Aryadana



The Art of Organic Jewelry

If gold and silver jewelry is too expensive, then organic jewelry can provide the same decoration for a much cheaper price. Organic jewelry started from the Native Americans by using connecting simple seashells together. Today, organic jewelry has evolved into a major role in the fashion industry. The most popular type of organic jewelry today would be in the form of pearls.

Where do pearls come from? Pearls come from an irritation in an oyster’s shell. The irritation is then covered with calcium carbonate which after many years turns into a pearl. Pearls were first used for jewelry by the Native Americans that first settled the land. Thousands of years later, they are now considered a must-have fashion accessory.

Pearls are used in many forms of jewelry including Necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

Pearl necklaces are very popular, and they come in a variety of forms such as Bib, Choker, Matinee, Opera, Princess, and Rope.

Pearl bracelets also work very well as fabulous fashion accessories. The classic single strand of different pearls can be used to match any outfit.

You can never go wrong with a pearl ring. A gorgeous pearl ring set with gold or sterling silver will made any woman happy.

If pearls are not your thing, there are many other forms of organic jewelry such as bamboo and hardwood. Bamboo is not considered a type of wood, but is instead a type of grass. There are many types of bamboo that are yellow, tan, green, brown, and even purple providing a great fashion accessory. The most common use of bamboo for organic jewelry is earrings. Although they are relatively easy to take care for, the wearer has to re oil the earring periodically for easy insertion. If you like designs, bamboos can have great designs burnt in them. The best part is that bamboo earrings only cost around fifteen dollars.

A more expensive alternative to bamboo is actual hardwood. Wood plugs are usually hand crafted and each piece is unique. Plugs work best on dry areas of the body like ears and might cause an allergic reaction. Like bamboo, hardwood jewelry has to be re oiled from time to time. Common oils used are olive oil, peanut oil, and jojoba oil. There are six major types of wood used for jewelry: Chakte Kok, Chechon, Ebony, Granadillo, Katalox and Maple each of these a different color.

ChakteKok is a glowing reddish yellow and is lightweight. Chechen is brown and gives a natural look. Ebony is black and is the heaviest. Grandillo is dark brown. Katalox is very dark brown and is almost black. Katalox is the rarest type and is hard to obtain. Maple is light brown and is almost yellow.

If you’re interested in wood plugs, they come in many different shapes: Saddle shaped, cylinder shaped, flared, nail shaped, taper shaped, and spike shaped. When ordering wood plugs, you must specify in diameter and length.
These are just a few examples of modern organic jewelry. There are many other types of organic jewelry including bones, horns, stone, and amber. While each type of organic jewelry is different, they all serve as a great alternative to expensive silver and gold jewelry.











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The author is the article writer of Asia Art Jewelry, the best jewelry resource in Bali, Indonesia

By: Jason Begley


The world of cosmetic medicine has grown in leaps and bounds during the last decade. This growth has been seen both in the demand for aesthetic products and services and in the technologies and techniques that are now commonly available.

The increasing popularity of the medical spa concept is due in large part to the fact that they offer primarily non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures that allow for benefits that could have previously only been provided by surgery.

For many years one of the more popular procedures performed by a plastic or cosmetic surgeon has been the facelift. The facelift is the solution to the problems that arise as the result of the passage of time. Gravity and diminished cellular functions take their toll, which becomes evident in the form of wrinkles and thinned or lax skin.

While the facelift has become more common place than ever before, it certainly has its down side. Afterall, a facelift is still surgery, and surgery means anesthesia, cutting, risk of infection, discomfort, and a recovery period. That is the price of beauty though, right? If you ask your local medical spa they will tell you that may no longer be true.

In fact, there are a variety of new tools that have been made available to medical spa professionals that can offer their clients similar benefits without the risks. We can now tighten loose skin, eliminate wrinkles, and fight the effects of gravity by using technologies that produce varying forms of energy that create extremely precise changes in human tissue.

For example, micro current energy devices can emit small amounts of energy that stimulate muscle contractions. This energy is often targeted at facial muscle tissue in order to strengthen and tighten the appearance on the face. Society has placed an incredible emphasis on exercise and fitness, so why not do the same for you face?

Facial muscle tightening through micro-current energy is incredibly effective and provides for an immediate result. As with all forms of exercise, however, facial muscle toning requires upkeep and a regular schedule of visits to your local medical spa to maintain a favorable result.

Another form of energy produced by a medical grade laser technology has shown to be an immensely effective means of stimulating the bodys natural ability to produce a greater density of collagen fibers. Collagen and elastin are responsible for the supple appearance and elasticity of the skin. Soft supple skin is devoid of wrinkles and fine lines.

As we age our collagen fibers stretch or become damaged as the result of a variety of causes, which can include sun exposure or simply gravity. By stimulating and restoring the natural process of creating collagen we can reset the physiological clock without ever cutting the skin or causing discomfort.

Technology has also provided a means of tightening lax skin. With the use of both monopolar and bipolar radio frequency energy, collagen can become constricted in order to produce a tightening effect. This procedure likewise does not require anesthesia or surgery related after effects.

Simply stop in on your lunch hour, and get ready to become the new you, which is really of course the old you. The old you was younger with tighter, more supple skin. With the benefit of these revolutionary energy based technologies, you truly can reset the hands on time more safely and predictably than ever.











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Jason Begley has been a contributor to the laser hair removal industry for more than 15 years. He is also one of the founders of the nations premier esthetics school as well as the internets top cosmetic dentist and lasik surgeon directories.

Ingredients For Natural Skin Care Healing
By: kamikazeadmin


The human body is enveloped by the largest organ of the body. Our skin provides protection for our skeletal system, internal organs and muscles. Additionally, it is the first line of defense against infections. The skin is also a complex system that allows for perspiration which in turn evaporates. This evaporation process maintains the body’s temperature.

In addition, our skin has the capability of absorbing substances that are good for us as well as those substances that are detrimental to our health. Some products that we utilize contain harmful additives and unnatural ingredients that can cause adverse side affects and damage the structure of the skin. Also, with the capability of the skin to absorb, these toxins enter into the bloodstream and affect other organs of the body.

In the light of this knowledge it is important that we lavish our skin with those natural skin care healing ingredients and products that serve to replenish and nurture our skin. Therefore, it is important to understand what your current health care product contains and what you should look for in a natural skin care healing product.

What Does Your Current Skin Care Product Use?

When purchasing your skin care product it is advisable to review what the mixture is blended with. Most skin care products begin with the ingredient of mineral oil. Unfortunately, the texture of mineral oil is thick. This consistency is counter productive as it clogs the pores of the skin. Mineral oil can also cause the skin to be irritated allowing the product to be more harmful than productive.

On the other hand natural skin care healing products, containing natural ingredients such as oils from natural herbs or flowers, are beneficial. Natural skin care healing products, made from this lighter oil, allows the skin to absorb the wholesome nutrients.

Some Common Herbs And Their Healing Benefits

Some common herbs contained in natural skin care healing products include aloe vera. This herb will refresh skin that has been damaged by direct exposure to the sun, inhibit scarring and wrinkling and encourage cell reproduction.

Another beneficial herb found in a natural skin care healing product is chamomile. Not only used as blend for tea, but outwardly, when applied, will stimulate the natural healing process, decrease redness and puffiness and will make the skin soft

Lavender is also a healing herb that is blended into a natural skin care healing item. Lavender stimulates healing of the skin especially in cases where the skin has imperfections. Additionally, lavender brings a soothing effect upon burned areas of the skin.

One additional herb, out of many, is the rose. This herb, found in a natural skin care healing, mixture provides a soothing effect upon the skin. Also the rose herb purifies and cleanses the skin as well as providing moisture.






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Dr. José Maria Ricart Vayá is chief of dermatology in the Instituto Valenciano de dermatología y Láser: Dermoestetica Botox en Valencia

By: Ursula McLean


It is important to have a body care routine. When body care products are not used on a regular basis, they are ineffective. Nobody can expect smooth skin from a single day of moisturizing. It takes several days to witness results. In order to maintain that same level, it must be performed routinely. This may seem like a lot of work, but when someone gets into a regular body care regimen, she can manage to do it all in mere minutes!

Body Care: Start in the Shower

Start from the top and work down from there. The first thing people should see is a healthy, glowing face. This starts with a good face wash. A foaming face wash is an excellent choice. It is made just for the face and will help retain the skin's moisture. Regular bar soap is not a good idea because it can dry out the face's delicate skin.

The next step is to use a good exfoliator. This should be gentle enough for the face but may also be used on every part of the body. An exfoliator removes the dead, dry top layer of skin cells and reveals the healthy skin underneath. This should not be done every day, but should be done at least once a week.

While in the shower, it is best to use a shower gel to wash the body. This is more delicate than a bar soap and also smells wonderful. It is especially easy when used in combination with a loofah. A loofah helps to exfoliate skin as well.

Body Care: Out of the Shower

After stepping out of the shower, the first thing to do is apply moisturizer to the entire face and body. This generally requires two different products since the face will need something gentler. This is the best time to apply a moisturizer because damp skin absorbs more effectively than dry skin. This will help keep the skin soft and smooth.

There are special moisturizers that are made for hands and feet. Feet are often neglected when it comes to total body care. These moisturizers are made especially for rougher, drier skin. Our feet and hands are exposed to so much that they need something a little stronger to keep them looking and feeling healthy and beautiful.

Body Care: During the Day

It is essential that people are aware of their bodies all day long. It is a good idea to carry antibacterial hand lotion or soap. There are germs everywhere and not enough places to wash our hands. This will help keep the hands and face germ free since everyone touches their face during the day. It is also a good idea to carry wipes that absorb face moisture. This will help keep pores from becoming clogged and also feels great on the skin.

Body Care: Before Bed

Before going to bed each night, there are several body care products to use in order to maintain healthy skin. The first is a good cosmetics remover. It is not recommended that a woman retire for the evening without removing her make-up, as it tends to clog pores and cause breakouts. Once this is accomplished, the face should be washed with a good foaming cleanser. After washing the face, it is a good idea to use a toner. A toner will clean out the pores of the face, reaching deeper than the foaming cleanser can. Finally, apply a blemish cream that will work overnight. This entire routine should take only five minutes and is worth every second to have beautiful skin!

Body care is essential all day long. In order to have skin look and feel its best, it is important to follow each of these steps. Following a body care regimen every day will keep skin beautiful and soft!








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Ursula McLean is a IA and ITEC qualified beauty therapist working with Feel Confident. Visit www.feelconfident.co.uk for great deals on Australian Bodycare.

By: Beth Campbell


Many struggle today trying to keep their weight at a level that is healthy as well as what is nice in appearance. In doing this, they try to find the diets that are suitable for the goals they wish to accomplish. There are many diet choices available today. Some people choose to follow low fat low carb diets. Those who follow such diets are happy with the benefits they reap. Here are just some of the benefits gained from low fat low, carb diets:

1. When people eat a diet that is low in fat, this decreases their chance for developing heart disease. They will also not need to worry as much about arteries clogging with fat as those who are eating a diet that is not low fat.

2. Diets that are low in carbohydrates reduce the risk of developing diabetes. For those who are already sufferers of the condition, these types of diets are effective at restoring insulin responses.

3. For those who suffer problems with Cholesterol, low fat diets can assist in keep levels where they should be so as to maintain good health. As fat intake can raise Cholesterol levels, diets low in fat can maintain levels as there is a low fat intake. Doctors have also found such diets to be beneficial for patients suffering problems with Cholesterol.

4. Should one be a sufferer of metabolic syndrome, low carbohydrate diets can improve symptoms of the condition. Metabolic syndrome is the cause of many strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure, low HDL levels, high triglycerides, and obesity. Doctors are now finding that this condition can be controlled should patients discipline themselves to strictly stick to a diet that is low in carbs.

For those wishing to keep their diets both low fat and low carb, be very careful with the menus of some of the more popular low carb diets as many of them do not limit fats and in fact encourage fat consumption. If you want to stay with a plan that is low fat as well as low carb, limit the amount of such items as butter, heavy cream, mayonnaise, and red meat with high fat content. Sticking to these diets will call for a serious amount of discipline along with lifestyle changes. These diets are something one must stick to and make part of an overall health plan in order to keep obtaining the benefits from them. It may take a bit more time spent on meal preparation and it also may take time to get used to a new way of eating. When accomplished, the wonderful results are endless!







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Beth Campbell holds a Masters degree in Counseling. Learn more about a low fat low carb diet and ways to lose weight. Beth also gives free diet tips about how to lose weight naturally on her Squidoo lens.

By: Josh Stone


Ah, you chefs! You tempt us with your delicacies, engross us with your artistic mastery, and seduce our senses into submission. That's what you hear a lot of, isn't it? The subject of weight gain and loss seems to come up a lot whenever there's a chef in the room. But if you really want a response or two, here's some myths about weight loss that the general public just keeps hanging on to. Put them to rest, and maybe your diners will start a fitness program that works - and quit blaming it all on your raspberry truffles.

#1. It is possible to lose fat in one location on your body, often called "spot reduction".

Spot reducing simply and plainly does not work. When the body burns fat, it is lost throughout every area of the body at the same time. Focusing on one area of the body for exercise may develop better muscle tone in that area, which will make that part of the body appear tighter and more fit, but it will not remove fat from that area. It is important to exercise the whole body, in a well-balanced fashion; this is the best method of reducing weight.

This myth is popularized by those late-night commercials for cream that you rub on that area - which is simply ridiculous. Turn it around logically - have you ever seen someone gain weight by suddenly getting fat arms, while their legs stayed skinny?

#2. Doing aerobic exercise is the best way to burn fat.

Of course doing aerobics, like doing any exercise, is a good way to stay fit and burn fat. But, there is no particular benefit of aerobics that is substantially better at fat-reducing than any other type of exercise. In fact, weight-training and resistance-training builds more muscle, which may help the body to burn fat more quickly, because it is more work.

#3. Weight training will make my muscles bulk up.

Ew! Women don't want to go around looking like a muscled freak! Well, actually, normal resistance exercise tones the body and improves overall fitness. Normal weight training does not build huge, bulky muscles. The weight trainers who look like a pile of boulders are actually doing that more with steroids, anaboloids, and protein powders, plus heavy strenuous lifting which can actually damage muscles with scar tissue in the long run.

#4. There is a pill that will make you lose fat, no matter how much you exercise or what you eat.

This is such complete and utter fraud, that the FDA is constantly shutting down these companies as soon as they pop up. There is no pill that will do anything to make you loose weight at all. The "best" weight loss pills will only be effective when combined with sensible eating and healthy exercise. And, surprise! Sensible eating and healthy exercise is effective without any kind of pills at all!

And most diet pills are made with ephedrine. Ephedrine is a naturally occurring stimulant very similar to the illegal street drug methamphetamine, whose effects are not as strong and are spread out over a longer time. Ephedrine is in fact the chief ingredient used to make methamphetamine! In other words, it's like being hopped up on speed, with about the same short-term effects - temporary decreased appetite and increased activity - and the same long-term consequences: risk of heart attack, run-down immune system, relapse to former state as soon as the drug is no longer taken, etc.

#5. After 20 minutes of exercise, your body is burning mostly fat.

The body uses both carbohydrates and fat for energy all the time; walking, jogging, sitting, sleeping. Over the course of exercise, the body will use more fat. Burning reserved fat exercises the whole purpose of why nature has mammals build up fat in the first place. But there is no specific time, whether twenty minutes or two hours, when the body starts burning only fat.

#6. Eating late at night causes you to gain more fat than eating at different times of the day.

A calorie is a calorie, regardless of the time of day. However, the sense behind this one is that eating the biggest meal of the day just before bedtime, as most Westerners do, is almost guaranteed to turn more calories into fat than the same meal eaten at the start of the day just before beginning your activities. Add to this that the average dinner for a Westerner involves huge slabs of meat and piles of starch, with perhaps some high-fat dessert and snacks. Trying to sleep with a freshly full stomach is never good for the digestive system anyway. So this one isn't as much of a myth as the others - but then, a huge breakfast followed by eight hours of virtual inactivity at a desk isn't exactly the cure either.

#7. Cellulite is the hardest fat to burn.

Cellulite is simply a combination of fatty tissue and fluid, closer to the upper layers of the skin. Its dimply appearance may be unsightly, but the fat in cellulite is no different from any other body fat. Reducing calories and exercising is the best method to get rid of cellulite, just like it's the best way to get rid of any other fat.

#8. If you eat no fat, you cannot get fat.

Any fuel that the body takes in which does not get burned as energy gets stored as fat. Absolutely, positively, regardless of whether that came from a chocolate cake, a slice of ham, a bowl of rice, or a stalk of celery. That's right: there are no "negative calorie" foods; if you consumed enough lettuce and did nothing but eat all day, you'd get fat off of lettuce! However, we're talking about more lettuce than the average person could wolf down... but if we have the same serving of calories from two kinds of foods, the weight-gain potential from each one is the same.

#9. Genes and hormones control your fat burning ability rather than diet and exercise.

While it is true that genes have some role in determining who is fat and who is thin, there is no reason that diet and exercise cannot control your weight. To this day, there has not been a single laboratory test confirming that a person had genes such that they would continue to have a weight issue in the face of a perfect balance of diet and exercise.

#10. Liposuction is one way of permanently removing excess fat cells.

Well, yes, liposuction will remove fat cells. But fat cells can just as easily be made by the body, whenever it wants to! Which is to say, there is no fixed number of fat cells that you were born with.






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By: Mark Kimathi


The truth is that you can reach any healthy weight from any size with the right techniques. You can drop from 450 pounds to a size 12 dress for example, without bariatric surgery or even medically supervised diets like Very Low Calorie Diets (VICD). Many have achieved this to confirm that it's a replicable possibility among particular people.

When it comes to total weight lost what is realistic is primarily depended on the individual. The motivation the desire and the willingness to change are very important. So important are these that even extreme interventions like weight loss surgery that have a near guarantee of huge permanent weight loss, weight regain can occur if the individual lacks the desire, will and motivation to change.

However even all the willingness and passion will never replace good dieting habits. Infact when looking at realistic dieting goals you should look at two main perspectives; total amount of weight loss targeted to result to the idea weight or desired weight and the time taken to reach this goal or rate of weight loss.

You have probably heard that you should aim for two pounds of weight loss a week. This is what is generally acceptable as healthy. But as you probably are aware, weight loss tends to taper and hit a platue.

Similarly you may have heard of people that lose much more in a week. For example the story featured on US magazine of Janet Jackson who lost 60 pounds in 4 months. From chubby figures that could no longer fit her rings, she transformed into a model that graced the cover of the magazine with chiseled abs.

What you need to understand is celebrities like Janet Jackson have nearly endless resources to support their endeavor, from motivational coaches to personal chefs. This is why what can be a realistic goal for one is by far not realistic to someone else.

Your goal setting should agree with your level of commitment. Commitment requires sacrifices. It also requires priotisation. Infact there is a level of commitment which if you find yourself in, you should forego losing weight for the time being. This is rather than putting yourself in a position of imminent failure hence frustrating yourself.

And though it seems that you should set goals depending on your level of commitment you can do the reverse. For example, you just want to fit in a size 10 jeans. Then you can find what is needed overtime to achieve this. Then you can commit to achieve it.
All in all what is realistic always depends on what your really want and how much you are willing to pay to get it.






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