16 Ekim 2007 Salı

Permanent Pubic Hair Removal - What You May Not Know

We have all heard the rumors and hype but the question remains; can it be done? The answer: Absolutely! Well almost. We all know the only guarantees in life are death and taxes; so we will have to live with "Almost" for now. In any case it is certainly agreed among industry pros that electrolysis, aka laser treatment for pubic hair, is the next best thing to completely permanent by today's standards. The electrolysis instrument in the hands of a professional can be applied with long lasting results. It is not too uncommon for results from electrolysis treatments to last six months to a year or more. Industry gurus also agree that proper laser treatment of pubic hair tends to remain dormant and will not grow back sometimes for as long as a year. Without a doubt this is a far better cry than shaving, waxing and trimming every other day.

Who Should Go Permanent?

The best potential candidates for permanent pubic hair removal via electrolysis are individuals who have tried trimming and shaving as first options. For some shaving close can be time consuming, hazardous if not done correctly and frequent in application. As much as three times a week in some cases. In addition shaving close can cause discomfort from sharp hair stubble and ingrown hairs. Trimming on the other hand; may not get as close as shaving but trimming pubic hair usually requires even more frequency as often as every other day in most cases. Trimming also is known to cause discomfort as the clipped hairs prick against the skin as your underwear presses against them. Men and women find that shaving, trimming and waxing to be extremely temporary and they can find themselves in a never ending cycle of pubic hair re-growth.

The Difference Between Men & Women

To remove or not to remove; that is the primary question that must be considered. Whether you are a man or a woman the decision to permanently remove pubic hair with electrolysis is just as crucial. The primary difference between men and women is slight; only that men have more obvious obstacles and will have to be a little more careful. One of the most important factors the must be understood for both sexes is that once you have imitated the process you will have to maintain it for long term results. Treatments by a professional can be expensive $100 - $200 per session and can require several sessions. The good news is you may only have to do this procedure two or three time per year on average. So to remove or not to remove; it is a matter of personal choice and what works best for you.

What Must Be Considered

Consistency; long term permanent pubic hair removal will be a lifestyle decision similar to the hair on your head or beard on your face. You will have to budget the ample time and the necessary monetary considerations. So you must be prepared mentally for the following three processes:

1. Habitual Lifestyle Decision: pubic hair management will become a part your lifestyle and personal grooming requirements as a whole. Don't approach this without the proper mental mindset and understanding that this is a permanent decision. If you do not you will find yourself frustrated and will waste a lot of time and money in the process.

2. Electrolysis Method: known as laser treatment is FDA approved and has been since 1998. The process focuses high intensity amplified light on an oscillating wave directly through the skin. Hair follicles are generally darker than the skin and absorb the laser's energy and die down to the root. Good results can be achieved in only three to four sessions. Electrolysis works best on dark hair in combination with light skin because darker colors found in dark hair absorb most of the laser's energy. Blonde, colorless or light pubic hair is often harder to treat effectively as more of the laser's energy is absorbed by the skin and can cause additional blistering and irritation. In addition dark skin can also be problematic for laser pubic hair removal and treatment options should be recommended by a professional.

3. Monetary Budget: Cheaper do it yourself kits are available but why take the risk; it is best to consider professional treatments and professional consultation. In the beginning sessions may be front end loaded and require three to four visits to your local electrolysis. Depending on your region treatments can range from $90 - $250 per session but average around $150 so bring your check book with you. You should look to budget around $500 - $1000 to get through the first round of application. The good news is that the need for additional application should only be two to three times per year and cost less each time.

Once your investment in your permanent pubic hair removal is complete and your treatments are successful (normally after the first six months to one year) your pubic hair will never re-grow, and your tireless days of trimming, clipping, shaving and waxing will be a distant memory.

For more information on shaving pubic hair visit our resource of free high quality questions and answers. There you will find in depth answers covering many challenging subjects such as pubic hair removal laid out in a clear easy to follow style. Our experts are stylist, barbers, consultants and salon owners with decades of industry experience to guide you to the practical solutions you seek.

Walking Exercises To Keep You Fit And Healthy

Walking exercise might be the easiest way of starting to do some fitness training. It takes very little effort to get started, and you don't need anything special except some comfortable shoes. It's a safe way to exercise as well, if you are fairly healthy. Many just focus on diet alone and start to do some walking instead. I know people who have seen so good results in their weight loss goals just by taking walks every day, talking about how the pounds just are disappearing.

If you have been a couch potato for all your life or for some years, take it easy in the beginning. Don't set up a goal that says you are going to walk one hour a day, every day for the rest of the year. It's going to be too hard and you will give up before you know it. Set up a goal that you really can stick to. Let's say 25 minutes two times a week. Or even, 10 minutes every evening. Just start. Don't make to much fuzz about it, just go out there for a while every day. But set a goal, even if it's just a little one: "I'm going to walk five minutes every evening". It can be on your way to buy milk, walking the dog, whatever. But a goal is important, it's a great motivator, and a place to develop from, when you feel ready to set your goal a bit further. Try to be realistic and honest to yourself. In the end you will reach your goals faster that way. intensify the walks as you get in better shape and get more motivated. If you do whatever you set up to do, you will see results in a very short time, and feeling a healthier and more energized every day.

If your goal is weight loss, remember that you are going to build muscles as well, so don't be sad if you are not seeing the results you so much want. It differs a lot than loosing pounds by dieting. If you want accurate information, whether you are loosing weight or not, you should measure your body. Do it with your belly, hips and thighs regularly and you will get a more honest picture of what is happening with you.

After you have been doing this for a some time, take it to the next level. Maybe you are going to increase your walking exercises a bit, or maybe you are going to walk five minutes more every day. When you have done that for some weeks, you can reward yourself with buying some really cool walking shoes, so you can move on to the next level with more ease and inspiration.

Do it from your own circumstances, be realistic, but set goals for motivation. Sit down for a couple of minutes and write down your goals and levels for a walking programme. In that way you can have a mind set. A couple of other great motivators are to keep a log of your fitness walking, or to use a pedometer that can count steps. A log is good to know how much you are really walking and after some time, it will really annoy you if you have "0" for one of the days you where supposed to fitness walk.

When you get more advanced in your walking it might be interesting to advance in your walking exercises a bit. You might want to get a pair of MBT shoes that increases energy burning during your walks. Or maybe try some Nordic walking poles as well. The important thing is to keep walking though, and it won't be long until you have reached what you aimed for!

What it can do for your health? Please go to the site www.mbtshoes.efven.com/welcome.htm for a free email course on the subject, or just look around for information on Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes, a great device to fuel up your walking and getting in shape.

Beatrice Stephenson is a freelance journalist on health and recreation issues.

Health Center Grants From The US Government

These government grants are meant to cover all the necessary costs for setting up a Federally Qualified Health Center in any state of the country. These grants where created by law.

The act that contains specifics about these grants is the Public Health Service Act under the title of Consolidated Health Center Program. This section establishes five different kinds of health center programs each of one with different requirements and conditions. Following is the list of the different health center grants defined by the Public Health Service Act:

Community Health Center Program

This program helps create and maintain community health centers all across the country. These grants for specific regions or areas that need private parties (non profit or profit) to complement government health centers that cannot deal with all the demand on that particular place or that need to supplement on specific fields of expertise or disciplines not provided by the current government health centers.

Migrant Health Center Program

This program is meant to provide assistance for funding health centers for migrants; from normal assistance to specific needs of those who migrate from abroad or interstate. There are many health centers coordinated by migrant populations that group up to protect themselves and through these programs, the government contributes to fund those projects that have a significant importance.

Health Care For the Homeless Program

Those who are homeless experience significant more hazards and diseases and therefore need health care and use health services often. Since they are homeless, the lack of health insurance needs to be compensated with public or private non-profit medical assistance. Health Care who specialize in assisting the homeless can obtain funds through these health care for the homeless grants programs

Public Housing Primary Care Program

There are many public housing facilities out there to protect the homeless and provide them with a roof for different periods of time. These facilities need to provide primary care services too. Public housing primary care grants programs are meant to fund these facilities and provide them with the money needed to assist those making use of public housing. Only simple medicine practice and procedures are performed in these places but nevertheless, funding is always needed.

School-Based Health Center Program

Just like public housing, schools also need primary health services covered for accidents or common diseases that can affect students that are underprivileged, need immediate assistance or don't have insurance coverage. For these situations, schools that need assistance to fund the necessary facilities and hire the staff to do the job, can obtain financing through school based health center grant programs.

Requirements For Approval

Only private, charitable, tax-exempt, non profit organizations or public entities are eligible for these government grants. However, there are also private institutions providing funds for these same purposes. Therefore, there are funds available for almost anyone who is worried about providing health care for those who cannot afford private medical solutions.

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Will I Be Thin If I Eat Low Glycemic Foods?

Before we discuss whether or not they will help you lose weight lets discuss what low glycemic is. Low glycemic foods are foods that when eaten do not elevate your blood sugar levels. Eating foods that are high glycemic will significantly increase your blood sugar levels. When you eat high glycemic foods your insulin level increases and your body will start to promote fat storage.

When women want to know or ask what foods to eat so they can be skinny they are essentially looking for foods that aren't going to promote the storage of fat. To become low glycemic a food needs to have a mixture of nutrients, be lower in overall sugars and contain a fair amount of fiber with each serving.

For example a piece of white bread is a high glycemic food because it consists of processed and refined flour. A piece of whole-grain bread would be a lower glycemic food because it contains a good amount of fiber and other nutrients that would slow down the absorption of your food.

Choose a balance of nutrients with your foods which would include fiber, protein and some fat to ensure a lower glycemic food. Since your entire meal is digested at the same time you also need to look at what else you eating at the meal to determine overall glycemic level.

When deciding on a meal you want a balance of a lean protein source, 1-2 servings of vegetable and/or fruit and 1 serving of a higher fiber whole-grain carbohydrate food choice. When eating balanced like this your total glycemic level will be lower, which means your blood sugar levels don't rise as high and your body promotes fat usage for energy instead of fat storage.

When you eat a lean protein source at your feeding opportunities you are also releasing a hormone called glucagon that is the opposite of insulin and counteracts the effect of insulin by promoting the release of fat to be used as energy instead of storing it.

I would say that there are a lot of foods that can help a women become skinny as long as you eat them at the right time and in the correct portions. The best way to be skinny is to eat a lean protein source at every feeding opportunity and a vegetable that is a good source of fiber. Stay away from the high sugar soft drinks or fast foods items that are high in fat.

If being skinny is your goal or you can't lose the weight to fit into that dress then you also have to make sure you incorporate exercise into your program. Nutritional changes by themselves may work to achieve fat loss, but your progress will be much faster when combined with exercise. Incorporating the eating principles above along with an exercise program will have you looking stunning in that amazing dress fast!

Jayson Hunter, RD, CSCS is the creator of the "Dramatic Dress Size Reduction Diet." As a registered dietitian Jayson knows the secrets to helping any woman drop dress sizes and inches fast, so they can look their best for any special occasion. Discover more by downloading his powerful special report "The Five Simple Steps for Losing Twenty Pounds Quickly and Safely" at http://www.dress-size-reduction-blog.com

14 Ekim 2007 Pazar

How To Treat Fatigue

Most older people experience, at some time, some degree of fatigue. But most problems with fatigue are not physical weakness; they are related to failure to exercise, depression, unhappiness, worry, or boredom. True weakness, as with inability to move an arm or leg, is a physical problem involving nerves, brain, or muscle, and needs immediate medical attention. Fatigue or tiredness is far more common than true weakness.

Another common cause for fatigue is overuse of one drug or another. For example, excess caffeine intake leading to poor sleep habits can cause daytime fatigue. Or tranquilizers can make you feel tired or drowsy. Once the normal sleep cycle has been disturbed, there is a tendency to grab an afternoon nap. Then the following night’s sleep is not good because the afternoon nap decreased the need for sleep at night. A vicious cycle has been set in motion.

You may be assuming from this discussion that most fatigue is not serious. That is correct. Even when arthritis is associated, most fatigue results from misunderstanding your body. Reestablishing a pattern of healthy activity, more moderate drug use, and good nocturnal sleep will do wonders.

But if you have an inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, the disease may be causing the fatigue. This is a more serious kind of fatigue, and improving your living patterns will not help much. In such cases the sedimentation rate is elevated and there may be a low-grade fever. A hematocrit test may show the anemia of chronic disease. There may be some weight loss. Treatment in these cases is directed at the disease causing the fatigue and may take some time.

When you mention fatigue, most people don’t even think of the problems just described. Instead they think of a problem with the thyroid or anemia. These are so unusual as causes of fatigue that you can almost forget about them. But if your fatigue persists, for more than six weeks despite home treatment, your doctor might want to check out these and other possibilities or may be able to reassure you that these problems are not present.

The chronic fatigue syndrome is an unusual and troubling problem that requires consultation with a doctor. This syndrome lasts a long time, lacks really good treatment, may follow a viral infection, and frequently includes an emotional component, sometimes aggravated by the fatigue.

Fatigue is not a symptom of old age. In fact, as you get older you need less sleep and tend to be more alert, particularly early in the day. So pay attention to this symptom.

Listen to the fatigue message from your body. Heed it, but don’t give in to it. Rest if you are tired, but alternate such periods with times of activity. Fatigue, because it can lead to physical de-conditioning, can become its own cause.

Decrease all possible drugs including caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, tranquilizers, and probably television. Ingredients in common cold or allergy medications can cause fatigue, as can Valium and codeine. Suspect all drugs.

Increase new activities. Friends, hobbies, travel, vacations, and even shopping tend to break the fatigue cycle. Increase your activity level by addition of smooth, graded, and easy exercises. Exercise helps you become involved in new and different things as well as giving physical help by increasing your stamina.

Expect improvement to be slow and expect to be discouraged at times. Persevere.

Raymond Lee Geok Seng is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is a writer specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He has spent countless of time and efforts conducting research and share his insightful and powerful secrets to benefit men and women all over the world. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts." Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.

Afflictions Of The Back That Cause Poor Posture

We can narrow down this from all afflictions of the back that cause poor posture to just those that you weren't born with. In the chiropractic arena, we generally understand that most spinal conditions (that you aren't born with) are due to some kind of trauma.

That trauma may be as easy to remember as a car accident or serious fall, or it could be something more sinister like having bad posture or a poorly set up computer workstation for far too long. The afflictions of the back that can cause poor posture are largely due to repetitive trauma or micro trauma.

These "mini-traumas" are nothing that you would notice if you were only performing the activity once or twice. However, since you perform the offending action thousands upon thousands of times, it can begin to add up. The trauma can lead to such things as degenerative joint disease (DJD), herniated disc, and osteoporosis-related problems like compression fractures.

Degenerative Joint Disease is also known as a "wear and tear" disease. This is usually the result of spinal joints not functioning as well as they should, cause them to simply wear out. DJD may also show up as the result of a more traumatic injury as your body attempts to heal or just bad posture. The visible signs of DJD can be seen on x-ray only after the process has been going on for at least several years.

A herniated disc is usually more painful. The jelly-like substance inside the spinal disc becomes inflamed and begins pushing its way out of the more fibrous outer ring. This can lead to pressure on spinal nerves and lot of associated pain.

Compression fractures related to osteoporosis are also very painful. Once the spine has been pushed out of its normal alignment, it leads to an increase in the amount of pressure and force being put on spinal joints as they resist gravity. Finally, something has to give and the bone begins to collapse on itself. This is called a compression fracture.

The bad news is that once you get one spinal fracture, the increasing stress and body weight will typically lead to more. Prevention is the key, then, to all of these conditions. Since you can't predict or always avoid the traumas of auto accidents or falls, you'll have to try and avoid the repetitive traumas in your daily life.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com

Back Exercises With Shoulder Pain

There are many types of back exercises, with shoulder pain you'll need to take some extra precautions. Because the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the entire body (it moves in the most directions), it is almost the most unstable.

While I love taking care of shoulder problems in my office, I'm particularly careful of checking to see if anything has torn before I really get going. You can have tears in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The cartilage of the shoulder joint is also a possibility.

If you suspect that you may have a shoulder injury, getting checked out thoroughly will help keep you from getting worse and developing painful conditions like "frozen shoulder syndrome."

While most of these shoulder problems are the result of some kind of trauma, I have had experiences where the "trauma" involved was bad posture. The patient's bad posture actually lead to tears in the shoulder muscles.

However, if you're considering doing back exercises with shoulder pain, you may not really be talking about the shoulder at all. Many people point to their upper back area when they are referring to their "shoulders."

This area is not as likely to tear and is really the main place people experience pain with bad posture in addition to the pain between the shoulder blades.

It is expected that this area will receive the greatest amount of strain with forward head posture. As such, this area will improve quickly when posture-improving exercises are introduced and a regular, consistent program has been started.

If you spend a lot of time at the computer or driving, make sure you're neck and back are as straight and in line as possible. If this provides little to no relief, you'd really better get started on strengthening your weakened back muscles before things get out of control.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com

Exercise For Shoulder Arthritis Pain

Exercise for shoulder arthritis pain is helpful, as long as you're sure nothing in the shoulder is torn. Arthritis is kind of general term, meaning "inflammation of the joint." There are many types of arthritis and the term is used to cover a lot of conditions.

Some people seem to think only of rheumatoid arthritis when they hear the term, but that's significantly more complicated than just inflammation. You're not going to exercise your way out of that type of arthritis. So that's not the type of arthritis we'll be discussing here.

Exercise for shoulder arthritis pain doesn't usually involve a lot of heavy weights, but you will want to strengthen the rotator cuff and help stabilize the shoulder joint. The shoulder has a lot of directions it can move, so increasing the muscle strength to improve stability is key.

Since the shoulder joint is the most mobile joint (moves in the most directions) in the entire body, it is also the least stable. Strengthening the muscles that move the shoulder will take some of the pressure and strain off the shoulder joint.

Exercises for your rotator cuff can be done using resistance bands (or resistance tubing) and small hand weights to minimize the use of heavy weights and straining any of the surround tissues.

If you aggravate your shoulder, this will only increase the inflammation in the joint, leading to more "arthritis." The goal will be to improve stability and strength, which will significantly reduce the amount of strain on the joint itself. The wear and tear of your joints will be reduced, and that alone will feel a lot better.

Follow a program that includes posture improving exercises carefully and you shouldn't have any problems. If you experience sharp pain, stop immediately and consult with a qualified healthcare professional.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com

The 7 Rules For Gaining Fat - Fast!

So, you’ve decided to give up.

You’re fed up of all the diets that have promised you great results yet left you hungry, tired, irritable and weak.

You’re fed up of all the ‘wonder workouts’ that have promised you amazing strength, fitness and flexibility ‘in just minutes a day’ but that have left you feeling tired, sore, stiff and, truth be told, no firmer or less flabby than you were before.

But most of all, you’re fed up of all those fitness ‘experts’ out there who tell you how easy it is, how little time it takes and how amazing you’re going to look if you follow THEIR program (ONLY theirs, mind you, no-one else’s will even come near to what they’re offering).

So you’re quitting.

You’re giving up the diet and exercise ‘thing’ and have decided that you’ll just go with the flow and see what happens to your body when the experts aren’t poking their noses into your business and ramming their idea of healthy down your throat.

What a great idea!

No more ‘eat this’ or ‘don’t eat that’, no more ‘don’t forget your cardio’ or ‘weights is better’.

In fact, no more interference of any kind from the countless do-gooders who seem to think that it’s ok for them to advise, nag and bully you into following all kinds of fat loss and fitness advice… as long as it’s theirs.

Good on you!

But before you take the quitters route that most people take, doesn’t it make sense to quit in the right way?

Sure it does!

There’s a science to quitting too y’know and I’m just the person to share it with you : )

So here’s the deal. If you want to quit and quit fast, if you want to pack on pound after pound of soft, warm, figure-blurring bodyfat then you’ve got to have a strategy.

You’ve got to have a plan.

MY plan is easy, straightforward and six-year-old-simple to follow and consists of just seven rules that, if you follow them, will guarantee you the maximum fat gain in the shortest time frame.

It consists of just 7 rules

Rule one: Only eat processed foods

If you’re truly serious about packing on some serious fat-pounds, you’ll follow this rule faithfully.

Without a doubt, processed foods are the No.1 friend to fat due to their denatured, sugar-loaded and mostly synthetic nature.

With most of the vitamins and minerals removed from processed foods, the highly calorific and mostly indigestible remain, creating a massive storehouse of both calories and toxins for you to bury deep within your already overloaded fatty tissues.

Better still, the toxic nature of most processed foods mean that you’ll gain not only fat but a whole lot of subcutaneous water too as your body tries to ‘dilute’ the impact of all the extra toxins you’re holding onto, meaning that you’ll put on extra scale weight and look soft and squidgy into the bargain.

Great stuff!

Rule two: Cram in as many starchy carbs as you can

Starchy carbs eaten in isolation or, better yet, with sugary carbs are an absolutely fantastic way to accelerate the battle of the bulge and gain both fat and body weight at a more rapid pace.

Eating carbohydrates in isolation allows your hormones to engage in a free-running form of guerrilla warfare where insulin levels raise through the roof and, in doing so, command your body to store fat.

A word of warning though; whatever you do, don’t mix your starches with fats or proteins. This reduces both the amount and the effect of all that lovely insulin and will definitely scupper your chances at serious fat gain.

Rule Three: Get to bed as late as you can

If rapid fat gain is your greatest desire, then make sure that you get to bed as late as you possibly can, with the ideal scenario being that you stay up so late every night that you fall asleep on the sofa.

Doing This will ensure a steady supply of the stress hormone cortisol into your bloodstream to help you break down all that energy-consuming lean muscle tissue that’s slowing down your fat gain.

Just don’t ruin the effect by getting to bed by 10:30 or you’ll find that the cortisol levels drop far too low to cannibalise your muscle and you may even find that you lose all your precious fat!

Rule four: Steer clear of water

Drink too much water and you’ll not only do away with your body’s false food cravings (meaning that you won’t eat unnecessarily), but you’ll also create a freer flowing route for the digestion of the foods you’ve eaten.

Obviously, this is a bad thing as it means you won’t keep undigested foods in your stomach long enough for them to go putrid and add to the overall toxic load on your system.

Remember, anything that speeds up your metabolism is bad!

Instead, use coffee, tea and soda to 'mix up' your metabolism and increase toxicity.

Rule five: Don’t forget the alcohol!

Alcohol is just about as pure a sugar source as you can get and is absolutely jam-packed with calories that contribute nothing to the function of your body.

Better still, alcohol adds to your toxic load meaning that you’ll hold a large amount of water too!

Rule Six Use the microwave for all of your cooking

Microwave’s are great!

During the heating process they vibrate the molecules of your food so fast that they actually change their structure, meaning that when you eat nuked food, your body has no idea about how to cope with them, let alone extract nutrition from them.

This is fantastic for your fat gain quest because you’ll be adding to your toxic load AND creating a surplus of non-nutritional calories, meaning that you’ll get hungry again very soon after eating and have another opportunity to stock up on calories.

Rule Seven: Avoid all unnecessary movement

There’s no getting away from it, movement of any kind costs you valuable calorie-energy and robs you of the vital fat building stores that’ll be necessary for your quest.

Stay as still as you can to conserve as much energy as possible and commit to using as many labour-saving devices as you can find. Things like remote controls, stair lifts, escalators etc all serve a valuable role in the creation of your fat stores, so use them.

If you are forced to move, then whatever you do, don’t engage in any form of activity that might lead to an increase in strength or muscle mass as this’ll speed up your metabolism and rob you of calories. Instead, engage in steady-state, slow aerobic activities as these are energy efficient and have the added benefit of increasing cortisol and, in doing so, breaking down that calorie-robbing muscle tissue.

So that’s it!

Your seven rules that, if followed, will absolutely guarantee that you pack on fat faster than you’d ever believe possible and allow you to thumb your nose and poke your tongue out at every personal trainer or diet guru who ever promised you a rapid result from following their plans.

Follow just one or two of them for even a short time and you’ll see a rapid softening of the waistline and an appreciable gain in scale-weight. Follow them all and you’ll gain so much weight that you’ll be stunned by the reflection staring back at you within a month.

Give it a go!

Note: If you’re one of those wierdo’s who feel that you’d like to take the extreme approach of actually losing bodyfat then just reverse the rules above to see equally rapid fat loss… I don’t know why you’d want to though!

Dax Moy is a performance coach based in London England.

Voted one of the UK's top personal trainers, Dax writes for and has been featured in just about every major publication in Britain as well as appearing regularly as a guest expert for BBC, ITV, Channel , Channel 5 and CNN World news.

The author of 2007's best selling goal achievement program The MAGIC Hundred, Dax is much sought after for his cerebral approach to goal attainment and getting results for his clients.

For more information visit http://www.daxmoy-pts.co.uk or http://www.themagichundred.com

Practical Guidelines for Using the Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is a nutrition concept that can help you sort out the pros and cons of carbohydrates. It is a comparative guide to the rise in insulin levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates.

Low to moderate glycemic index carbs produce a small but steady rise in insulin levels (healthy) as opposed to high glycemic index carbs that produce a large and rapid rise in insulin levels (unhealthy).

Low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates provide slow release of energy that supplies continuous fuel for the body and brain and for the working muscles. Their slow rate of digestion and absorption puts less stress on the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Misconceptions about the Glycemic Index abound and people often have a hard time putting the principles into daily dietary practice.

A glycemic rating over 70 is high. Medium runs from 70- 56. Under 55 is considered low.

Many factors affect the glycemic index of a carbohydrate. In general, carbohydrates that are more processed and ground more finely with the bran separated out will have a higher glycemic index.

Guidelines for choosing lower glycemic index breads, cereals, crackers, chips and other carbohydrate packaged products:

Limit your intake of finely ground, soft, puffed and flaky products. Finely ground flour products – both 100% whole wheat and white flour such as soft whole wheat or white flour bread, crackers, breakfast cereals will have a high glycemic index. If you can mush it together and form a ball out of it– the glycemic index is high.

Anything "puffed" such as puffed wheat, rice or corn cereals – even whole wheat ones – will usually have a high glycemic index. If something has been processed into small fine particles that can be crushed into crunchy crackers and cereals – the glycemic index is probably going to be high –even those made out of good whole grains. Most crackers, packaged cold cereals and chips have a glycemic index in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Instead, choose dense, grainy, chewy products. Foods with intact fiber will be more "dense" and chewy and less flaky and light. If the fiber is intact the product will have a lower glycemic index. Grainy, dense breads are more likely to have a lower glycemic index. Choose coarse breads with at least 50% intact kernels.

Sourdough breads, because of the acids produced by the fermentation of their yeast starter culture, have much slower rates of digestion and absorption.

You can also eat whole grains in their natural state. Whole intact grains that have been softened by soaking and cooking will have a low GI value. For example, cooked barley has a GI value of only 25. Cooked whole wheat has a GI value of 41. But choose old fashion whole grains and not the "instant" varieties – any thing that has been "instantized" is probably going to have a higher glycemic index.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Choose barely ripe fruits and vegetables for a lower glycemic index. Overly ripe fruits and vegetables have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic effect than just ripe foods.

Tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe tend to have higher values than temperate fruits such as apples and oranges. But all fruits are OK. Even the higher glycemic index fruits like pineapple will usually have a GI rating in the 60s. Just don't eat only watermelon (GI 72).

Almost all vegetables are low to moderate glycemic index and are great to eat. The poor carrot has been greatly maligned as having "too much sugar" but actually has an average glycemic index of only 47.

Potatoes:

Most potato varieties have a high glycemic index due to the presence of high amounts of amyl pectin that is quickly digested.

Tiny new white and red bliss potatoes have a lower GI value than normal varieties. Russet baked potatoes have the highest glycemic index (an average of 85) and mashed potatoes an average of 92.

The glycemic impact of potatoes can be lessened by eating smaller portions and varying your diet with alternatives such as sweet potato (GI- average 61 - the starch in sweet potatoes is amylose – more slowly digested and absorbed) or yams (GI average 37).

Rice vs. Pasta:

Pasta gets a bad rap. Pasta gets blamed for all sorts of maladies because it routinely gets categorized as a bad carbohydrate. "They" say to cut out the pasta and eat rice.

Well, it just so happens that pasta has a low to moderate glycemic index (30-55) that results in a slow, steady release of energy in your body.

Pasta made with semolina is made from cracked wheat and not finely ground flour so it has a moderate glycemic index. Furthermore, pasta is unique in its physical make up. The reason for its slow digestion and steady release of energy is "the physical entrapment of ungelatinized starch granules in a sponge-like network of protein molecules in the pasta dough." That is something you don't need to understand to get the good news that pasta can be good for your energy. Yippee!

But always serve pasta al dente. If you overcook pasta it gets soft and swollen and you have fully "gelatinized" those starch granules and turned pasta into an energy drainer.

Almost all kinds of pasta have a lower glycemic index than most varieties of rice - even brown rice (a glycemic index over 70 is typical because almost complete "gelatinization" of rice starch takes place during cooking). And pasta has more protein than rice or potatoes. Overall semolina pasta is a good energy food and can be part of a high-energy diet. Remember though – a serving is just 1/2 cup and keep variety in your diet by not eating pasta any more that once every four days.

Rice varieties such as Jasmine and short grain varieties (even short grain brown rice) that have a lot of amylopectin tend to have higher glycemic index GI (high 70s to 139). You will know these higher amylopectin rice varieties because they tend to stick together after cooking (an example of the "if you can mush it into a ball and it sticks test").

High amylose content rice varieties such as Basmati, Uncle Ben's converted rice and long grain brown rice have a low glycemic index. If the rice grains stay separate after cooking it is more likely to have a lower glycemic index (GI 50s and 60s)

Great alternatives to rice include pearled barley, buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, or noodles - all moderate to low GI.

Simple steps to lower the glycemic effect of your diet:

To get good glycemic control you don't have to eliminate all high glycemic index foods – just be sure and have at least one low glycemic carbohydrate at each meal.

Overly cooked foods are predigested have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic index. Avoid over cooking your foods.

Fats slow down the digestion of starches. The higher the fat content of a food the lower its glycemic index. This is why the glycemic index of potato chips is lower than that of a baked potato. To lower the glycemic effect of a high glycemic food such as a French baguette add a little fat such as olive oil, good quality organic butter or some nut butter.

When you do eat a high GI index carbohydrate include protein with it. The protein will slow down the rate of digestion and can cut the glycemic index effect by about one third.

The higher the acid content of a food the lower its glycemic index. Acids in foods slow down stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which the starch can be digested. Include some acidic foods in your meals like vinegar, lemon juice, limejuice, some salad dressings, and pickled vegetables. A side salad with your meal will help to keep blood glucose levels under control. Four teaspoons of vinegar in a salad dressing or about four teaspoons of lemon on your food or in your water reduces the glycemic effect by about one-third.

Include more legumes in your diet. Legumes are super nutritious, high fiber low glycemic index foods (GI ranging from 13 to 59). If you want to ensure stable long lasting blood sugar control legumes are your friends.

The glycemic index is only one of many markers you can use to choose nutritious foods. It is not the only marker to use. Often it is better to have a higher glycemic index food such as baked potato than a lower glycemic index food such as potato chips. Consider not only the glycemic index of a carbohydrate but also the nutrient value of the food when making your choice.

Even with these guidelines it can sometimes be hard to tell the glycemic effect of a carbohydrate. But when you are not carrying a reference book around with you these guidelines will help you take better care of your health and well-being.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Ann Copson

Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual natural rhythms at http://evenstaronline.com

13 Ekim 2007 Cumartesi

Post Nasal Drip Remedy

Post Nasal Drip, also referred to as PND, occurs when the sinuses produce excess mucus that accumulates in the throat or the nose. PND sufferers usually experience the need to swallow constantly, a tickling sensation in the back of the throat, congestion in the nasal and sinus passages, and a chronic sore throat. Bad breath and coughing are also symptoms associated with PND, along with crystals that form on the tonsils.

Because PND causes symptoms that can be annoying and difficult to deal with, it is important to take steps to make the symptoms less noticeable. The most important remedy for PND is blowing your nose frequently, in order to rid the sinuses of the excess mucus being produced. It can also prevent mucus from dripping from the nose; since the amount is significantly decreased each time you blow your nose.

Avoiding dairy products is also important for postnasal drip sufferers, since dairy has shown to increase mucus production in the body. The excessive amounts of sugar in milk and other dairy products actually feeds that bacteria, which then molds to the throat and back of the nose to create even more mucus. Instead try soymilk, or other beverages that are not packed full of lactose. Water is best for PND patients, since it keeps the mucus lining moist and allows the cilia to perform at its best. Flushing your mouth out with salt water can help to clear your throat and voice, and warm water will also help to keep your sinuses moist. Use about ½ teaspoon salt and eight ounces of warm water, and gargle the water for at least thirty seconds.

PND usually worsens during the winter months, but using a humidifier when you go to sleep can prevent this. Make sure you purchase one that can hold up to a couple gallons of water, so it can run all night and allow you to sleep peacefully and wake up without being stuffed up. The humidifier will help to keep the excess mucus being produced moist, so it won’t dry out and get thick enough to notice. You can even purchase a humidifier that uses a menthol inhalant, since this will help to clear out your nasal passages even more than a standard humidifier.

The most important remedy for PND is to rest, since stress is one of the major causes of many types of illnesses. By taking only a few minutes each day to focus on yourself or something that you like doing, you can forget about everything else going on in your life that may be causing you stress. By just taking out a few minutes, you can feel more relaxed and will notice an increase in your overall health.

To discover additional tips about post nasal drip remedies, check out www-Post-Nasal-Drip.com!

Practical Guidelines for Using the Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is a nutrition concept that can help you sort out the pros and cons of carbohydrates. It is a comparative guide to the rise in insulin levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates.

Low to moderate glycemic index carbs produce a small but steady rise in insulin levels (healthy) as opposed to high glycemic index carbs that produce a large and rapid rise in insulin levels (unhealthy).

Low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates provide slow release of energy that supplies continuous fuel for the body and brain and for the working muscles. Their slow rate of digestion and absorption puts less stress on the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Misconceptions about the Glycemic Index abound and people often have a hard time putting the principles into daily dietary practice.

A glycemic rating over 70 is high. Medium runs from 70- 56. Under 55 is considered low.

Many factors affect the glycemic index of a carbohydrate. In general, carbohydrates that are more processed and ground more finely with the bran separated out will have a higher glycemic index.

Guidelines for choosing lower glycemic index breads, cereals, crackers, chips and other carbohydrate packaged products:

Limit your intake of finely ground, soft, puffed and flaky products. Finely ground flour products – both 100% whole wheat and white flour such as soft whole wheat or white flour bread, crackers, breakfast cereals will have a high glycemic index. If you can mush it together and form a ball out of it– the glycemic index is high.

Anything "puffed" such as puffed wheat, rice or corn cereals – even whole wheat ones – will usually have a high glycemic index. If something has been processed into small fine particles that can be crushed into crunchy crackers and cereals – the glycemic index is probably going to be high –even those made out of good whole grains. Most crackers, packaged cold cereals and chips have a glycemic index in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Instead, choose dense, grainy, chewy products. Foods with intact fiber will be more "dense" and chewy and less flaky and light. If the fiber is intact the product will have a lower glycemic index. Grainy, dense breads are more likely to have a lower glycemic index. Choose coarse breads with at least 50% intact kernels.

Sourdough breads, because of the acids produced by the fermentation of their yeast starter culture, have much slower rates of digestion and absorption.

You can also eat whole grains in their natural state. Whole intact grains that have been softened by soaking and cooking will have a low GI value. For example, cooked barley has a GI value of only 25. Cooked whole wheat has a GI value of 41. But choose old fashion whole grains and not the "instant" varieties – any thing that has been "instantized" is probably going to have a higher glycemic index.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Choose barely ripe fruits and vegetables for a lower glycemic index. Overly ripe fruits and vegetables have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic effect than just ripe foods.

Tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe tend to have higher values than temperate fruits such as apples and oranges. But all fruits are OK. Even the higher glycemic index fruits like pineapple will usually have a GI rating in the 60s. Just don't eat only watermelon (GI 72).

Almost all vegetables are low to moderate glycemic index and are great to eat. The poor carrot has been greatly maligned as having "too much sugar" but actually has an average glycemic index of only 47.

Potatoes:

Most potato varieties have a high glycemic index due to the presence of high amounts of amyl pectin that is quickly digested.

Tiny new white and red bliss potatoes have a lower GI value than normal varieties. Russet baked potatoes have the highest glycemic index (an average of 85) and mashed potatoes an average of 92.

The glycemic impact of potatoes can be lessened by eating smaller portions and varying your diet with alternatives such as sweet potato (GI- average 61 - the starch in sweet potatoes is amylose – more slowly digested and absorbed) or yams (GI average 37).

Rice vs. Pasta:

Pasta gets a bad rap. Pasta gets blamed for all sorts of maladies because it routinely gets categorized as a bad carbohydrate. "They" say to cut out the pasta and eat rice.

Well, it just so happens that pasta has a low to moderate glycemic index (30-55) that results in a slow, steady release of energy in your body.

Pasta made with semolina is made from cracked wheat and not finely ground flour so it has a moderate glycemic index. Furthermore, pasta is unique in its physical make up. The reason for its slow digestion and steady release of energy is "the physical entrapment of ungelatinized starch granules in a sponge-like network of protein molecules in the pasta dough." That is something you don't need to understand to get the good news that pasta can be good for your energy. Yippee!

But always serve pasta al dente. If you overcook pasta it gets soft and swollen and you have fully "gelatinized" those starch granules and turned pasta into an energy drainer.

Almost all kinds of pasta have a lower glycemic index than most varieties of rice - even brown rice (a glycemic index over 70 is typical because almost complete "gelatinization" of rice starch takes place during cooking). And pasta has more protein than rice or potatoes. Overall semolina pasta is a good energy food and can be part of a high-energy diet. Remember though – a serving is just 1/2 cup and keep variety in your diet by not eating pasta any more that once every four days.

Rice varieties such as Jasmine and short grain varieties (even short grain brown rice) that have a lot of amylopectin tend to have higher glycemic index GI (high 70s to 139). You will know these higher amylopectin rice varieties because they tend to stick together after cooking (an example of the "if you can mush it into a ball and it sticks test").

High amylose content rice varieties such as Basmati, Uncle Ben's converted rice and long grain brown rice have a low glycemic index. If the rice grains stay separate after cooking it is more likely to have a lower glycemic index (GI 50s and 60s)

Great alternatives to rice include pearled barley, buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, or noodles - all moderate to low GI.

Simple steps to lower the glycemic effect of your diet:

To get good glycemic control you don't have to eliminate all high glycemic index foods – just be sure and have at least one low glycemic carbohydrate at each meal.

Overly cooked foods are predigested have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic index. Avoid over cooking your foods.

Fats slow down the digestion of starches. The higher the fat content of a food the lower its glycemic index. This is why the glycemic index of potato chips is lower than that of a baked potato. To lower the glycemic effect of a high glycemic food such as a French baguette add a little fat such as olive oil, good quality organic butter or some nut butter.

When you do eat a high GI index carbohydrate include protein with it. The protein will slow down the rate of digestion and can cut the glycemic index effect by about one third.

The higher the acid content of a food the lower its glycemic index. Acids in foods slow down stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which the starch can be digested. Include some acidic foods in your meals like vinegar, lemon juice, limejuice, some salad dressings, and pickled vegetables. A side salad with your meal will help to keep blood glucose levels under control. Four teaspoons of vinegar in a salad dressing or about four teaspoons of lemon on your food or in your water reduces the glycemic effect by about one-third.

Include more legumes in your diet. Legumes are super nutritious, high fiber low glycemic index foods (GI ranging from 13 to 59). If you want to ensure stable long lasting blood sugar control legumes are your friends.

The glycemic index is only one of many markers you can use to choose nutritious foods. It is not the only marker to use. Often it is better to have a higher glycemic index food such as baked potato than a lower glycemic index food such as potato chips. Consider not only the glycemic index of a carbohydrate but also the nutrient value of the food when making your choice.

Even with these guidelines it can sometimes be hard to tell the glycemic effect of a carbohydrate. But when you are not carrying a reference book around with you these guidelines will help you take better care of your health and well-being.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Ann Copson

Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual natural rhythms at http://evenstaronline.com

Practical Guidelines for Using the Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is a nutrition concept that can help you sort out the pros and cons of carbohydrates. It is a comparative guide to the rise in insulin levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates.

Low to moderate glycemic index carbs produce a small but steady rise in insulin levels (healthy) as opposed to high glycemic index carbs that produce a large and rapid rise in insulin levels (unhealthy).

Low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates provide slow release of energy that supplies continuous fuel for the body and brain and for the working muscles. Their slow rate of digestion and absorption puts less stress on the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Misconceptions about the Glycemic Index abound and people often have a hard time putting the principles into daily dietary practice.

A glycemic rating over 70 is high. Medium runs from 70- 56. Under 55 is considered low.

Many factors affect the glycemic index of a carbohydrate. In general, carbohydrates that are more processed and ground more finely with the bran separated out will have a higher glycemic index.

Guidelines for choosing lower glycemic index breads, cereals, crackers, chips and other carbohydrate packaged products:

Limit your intake of finely ground, soft, puffed and flaky products. Finely ground flour products – both 100% whole wheat and white flour such as soft whole wheat or white flour bread, crackers, breakfast cereals will have a high glycemic index. If you can mush it together and form a ball out of it– the glycemic index is high.

Anything "puffed" such as puffed wheat, rice or corn cereals – even whole wheat ones – will usually have a high glycemic index. If something has been processed into small fine particles that can be crushed into crunchy crackers and cereals – the glycemic index is probably going to be high –even those made out of good whole grains. Most crackers, packaged cold cereals and chips have a glycemic index in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Instead, choose dense, grainy, chewy products. Foods with intact fiber will be more "dense" and chewy and less flaky and light. If the fiber is intact the product will have a lower glycemic index. Grainy, dense breads are more likely to have a lower glycemic index. Choose coarse breads with at least 50% intact kernels.

Sourdough breads, because of the acids produced by the fermentation of their yeast starter culture, have much slower rates of digestion and absorption.

You can also eat whole grains in their natural state. Whole intact grains that have been softened by soaking and cooking will have a low GI value. For example, cooked barley has a GI value of only 25. Cooked whole wheat has a GI value of 41. But choose old fashion whole grains and not the "instant" varieties – any thing that has been "instantized" is probably going to have a higher glycemic index.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Choose barely ripe fruits and vegetables for a lower glycemic index. Overly ripe fruits and vegetables have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic effect than just ripe foods.

Tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe tend to have higher values than temperate fruits such as apples and oranges. But all fruits are OK. Even the higher glycemic index fruits like pineapple will usually have a GI rating in the 60s. Just don't eat only watermelon (GI 72).

Almost all vegetables are low to moderate glycemic index and are great to eat. The poor carrot has been greatly maligned as having "too much sugar" but actually has an average glycemic index of only 47.

Potatoes:

Most potato varieties have a high glycemic index due to the presence of high amounts of amyl pectin that is quickly digested.

Tiny new white and red bliss potatoes have a lower GI value than normal varieties. Russet baked potatoes have the highest glycemic index (an average of 85) and mashed potatoes an average of 92.

The glycemic impact of potatoes can be lessened by eating smaller portions and varying your diet with alternatives such as sweet potato (GI- average 61 - the starch in sweet potatoes is amylose – more slowly digested and absorbed) or yams (GI average 37).

Rice vs. Pasta:

Pasta gets a bad rap. Pasta gets blamed for all sorts of maladies because it routinely gets categorized as a bad carbohydrate. "They" say to cut out the pasta and eat rice.

Well, it just so happens that pasta has a low to moderate glycemic index (30-55) that results in a slow, steady release of energy in your body.

Pasta made with semolina is made from cracked wheat and not finely ground flour so it has a moderate glycemic index. Furthermore, pasta is unique in its physical make up. The reason for its slow digestion and steady release of energy is "the physical entrapment of ungelatinized starch granules in a sponge-like network of protein molecules in the pasta dough." That is something you don't need to understand to get the good news that pasta can be good for your energy. Yippee!

But always serve pasta al dente. If you overcook pasta it gets soft and swollen and you have fully "gelatinized" those starch granules and turned pasta into an energy drainer.

Almost all kinds of pasta have a lower glycemic index than most varieties of rice - even brown rice (a glycemic index over 70 is typical because almost complete "gelatinization" of rice starch takes place during cooking). And pasta has more protein than rice or potatoes. Overall semolina pasta is a good energy food and can be part of a high-energy diet. Remember though – a serving is just 1/2 cup and keep variety in your diet by not eating pasta any more that once every four days.

Rice varieties such as Jasmine and short grain varieties (even short grain brown rice) that have a lot of amylopectin tend to have higher glycemic index GI (high 70s to 139). You will know these higher amylopectin rice varieties because they tend to stick together after cooking (an example of the "if you can mush it into a ball and it sticks test").

High amylose content rice varieties such as Basmati, Uncle Ben's converted rice and long grain brown rice have a low glycemic index. If the rice grains stay separate after cooking it is more likely to have a lower glycemic index (GI 50s and 60s)

Great alternatives to rice include pearled barley, buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, or noodles - all moderate to low GI.

Simple steps to lower the glycemic effect of your diet:

To get good glycemic control you don't have to eliminate all high glycemic index foods – just be sure and have at least one low glycemic carbohydrate at each meal.

Overly cooked foods are predigested have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic index. Avoid over cooking your foods.

Fats slow down the digestion of starches. The higher the fat content of a food the lower its glycemic index. This is why the glycemic index of potato chips is lower than that of a baked potato. To lower the glycemic effect of a high glycemic food such as a French baguette add a little fat such as olive oil, good quality organic butter or some nut butter.

When you do eat a high GI index carbohydrate include protein with it. The protein will slow down the rate of digestion and can cut the glycemic index effect by about one third.

The higher the acid content of a food the lower its glycemic index. Acids in foods slow down stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which the starch can be digested. Include some acidic foods in your meals like vinegar, lemon juice, limejuice, some salad dressings, and pickled vegetables. A side salad with your meal will help to keep blood glucose levels under control. Four teaspoons of vinegar in a salad dressing or about four teaspoons of lemon on your food or in your water reduces the glycemic effect by about one-third.

Include more legumes in your diet. Legumes are super nutritious, high fiber low glycemic index foods (GI ranging from 13 to 59). If you want to ensure stable long lasting blood sugar control legumes are your friends.

The glycemic index is only one of many markers you can use to choose nutritious foods. It is not the only marker to use. Often it is better to have a higher glycemic index food such as baked potato than a lower glycemic index food such as potato chips. Consider not only the glycemic index of a carbohydrate but also the nutrient value of the food when making your choice.

Even with these guidelines it can sometimes be hard to tell the glycemic effect of a carbohydrate. But when you are not carrying a reference book around with you these guidelines will help you take better care of your health and well-being.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Ann Copson

Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual natural rhythms at http://evenstaronline.com

12 Ekim 2007 Cuma

Practical Guidelines for Using the Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is a nutrition concept that can help you sort out the pros and cons of carbohydrates. It is a comparative guide to the rise in insulin levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates.

Low to moderate glycemic index carbs produce a small but steady rise in insulin levels (healthy) as opposed to high glycemic index carbs that produce a large and rapid rise in insulin levels (unhealthy).

Low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates provide slow release of energy that supplies continuous fuel for the body and brain and for the working muscles. Their slow rate of digestion and absorption puts less stress on the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Misconceptions about the Glycemic Index abound and people often have a hard time putting the principles into daily dietary practice.

A glycemic rating over 70 is high. Medium runs from 70- 56. Under 55 is considered low.

Many factors affect the glycemic index of a carbohydrate. In general, carbohydrates that are more processed and ground more finely with the bran separated out will have a higher glycemic index.

Guidelines for choosing lower glycemic index breads, cereals, crackers, chips and other carbohydrate packaged products:

Limit your intake of finely ground, soft, puffed and flaky products. Finely ground flour products – both 100% whole wheat and white flour such as soft whole wheat or white flour bread, crackers, breakfast cereals will have a high glycemic index. If you can mush it together and form a ball out of it– the glycemic index is high.

Anything "puffed" such as puffed wheat, rice or corn cereals – even whole wheat ones – will usually have a high glycemic index. If something has been processed into small fine particles that can be crushed into crunchy crackers and cereals – the glycemic index is probably going to be high –even those made out of good whole grains. Most crackers, packaged cold cereals and chips have a glycemic index in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Instead, choose dense, grainy, chewy products. Foods with intact fiber will be more "dense" and chewy and less flaky and light. If the fiber is intact the product will have a lower glycemic index. Grainy, dense breads are more likely to have a lower glycemic index. Choose coarse breads with at least 50% intact kernels.

Sourdough breads, because of the acids produced by the fermentation of their yeast starter culture, have much slower rates of digestion and absorption.

You can also eat whole grains in their natural state. Whole intact grains that have been softened by soaking and cooking will have a low GI value. For example, cooked barley has a GI value of only 25. Cooked whole wheat has a GI value of 41. But choose old fashion whole grains and not the "instant" varieties – any thing that has been "instantized" is probably going to have a higher glycemic index.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Choose barely ripe fruits and vegetables for a lower glycemic index. Overly ripe fruits and vegetables have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic effect than just ripe foods.

Tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe tend to have higher values than temperate fruits such as apples and oranges. But all fruits are OK. Even the higher glycemic index fruits like pineapple will usually have a GI rating in the 60s. Just don't eat only watermelon (GI 72).

Almost all vegetables are low to moderate glycemic index and are great to eat. The poor carrot has been greatly maligned as having "too much sugar" but actually has an average glycemic index of only 47.

Potatoes:

Most potato varieties have a high glycemic index due to the presence of high amounts of amyl pectin that is quickly digested.

Tiny new white and red bliss potatoes have a lower GI value than normal varieties. Russet baked potatoes have the highest glycemic index (an average of 85) and mashed potatoes an average of 92.

The glycemic impact of potatoes can be lessened by eating smaller portions and varying your diet with alternatives such as sweet potato (GI- average 61 - the starch in sweet potatoes is amylose – more slowly digested and absorbed) or yams (GI average 37).

Rice vs. Pasta:

Pasta gets a bad rap. Pasta gets blamed for all sorts of maladies because it routinely gets categorized as a bad carbohydrate. "They" say to cut out the pasta and eat rice.

Well, it just so happens that pasta has a low to moderate glycemic index (30-55) that results in a slow, steady release of energy in your body.

Pasta made with semolina is made from cracked wheat and not finely ground flour so it has a moderate glycemic index. Furthermore, pasta is unique in its physical make up. The reason for its slow digestion and steady release of energy is "the physical entrapment of ungelatinized starch granules in a sponge-like network of protein molecules in the pasta dough." That is something you don't need to understand to get the good news that pasta can be good for your energy. Yippee!

But always serve pasta al dente. If you overcook pasta it gets soft and swollen and you have fully "gelatinized" those starch granules and turned pasta into an energy drainer.

Almost all kinds of pasta have a lower glycemic index than most varieties of rice - even brown rice (a glycemic index over 70 is typical because almost complete "gelatinization" of rice starch takes place during cooking). And pasta has more protein than rice or potatoes. Overall semolina pasta is a good energy food and can be part of a high-energy diet. Remember though – a serving is just 1/2 cup and keep variety in your diet by not eating pasta any more that once every four days.

Rice varieties such as Jasmine and short grain varieties (even short grain brown rice) that have a lot of amylopectin tend to have higher glycemic index GI (high 70s to 139). You will know these higher amylopectin rice varieties because they tend to stick together after cooking (an example of the "if you can mush it into a ball and it sticks test").

High amylose content rice varieties such as Basmati, Uncle Ben's converted rice and long grain brown rice have a low glycemic index. If the rice grains stay separate after cooking it is more likely to have a lower glycemic index (GI 50s and 60s)

Great alternatives to rice include pearled barley, buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, or noodles - all moderate to low GI.

Simple steps to lower the glycemic effect of your diet:

To get good glycemic control you don't have to eliminate all high glycemic index foods – just be sure and have at least one low glycemic carbohydrate at each meal.

Overly cooked foods are predigested have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic index. Avoid over cooking your foods.

Fats slow down the digestion of starches. The higher the fat content of a food the lower its glycemic index. This is why the glycemic index of potato chips is lower than that of a baked potato. To lower the glycemic effect of a high glycemic food such as a French baguette add a little fat such as olive oil, good quality organic butter or some nut butter.

When you do eat a high GI index carbohydrate include protein with it. The protein will slow down the rate of digestion and can cut the glycemic index effect by about one third.

The higher the acid content of a food the lower its glycemic index. Acids in foods slow down stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which the starch can be digested. Include some acidic foods in your meals like vinegar, lemon juice, limejuice, some salad dressings, and pickled vegetables. A side salad with your meal will help to keep blood glucose levels under control. Four teaspoons of vinegar in a salad dressing or about four teaspoons of lemon on your food or in your water reduces the glycemic effect by about one-third.

Include more legumes in your diet. Legumes are super nutritious, high fiber low glycemic index foods (GI ranging from 13 to 59). If you want to ensure stable long lasting blood sugar control legumes are your friends.

The glycemic index is only one of many markers you can use to choose nutritious foods. It is not the only marker to use. Often it is better to have a higher glycemic index food such as baked potato than a lower glycemic index food such as potato chips. Consider not only the glycemic index of a carbohydrate but also the nutrient value of the food when making your choice.

Even with these guidelines it can sometimes be hard to tell the glycemic effect of a carbohydrate. But when you are not carrying a reference book around with you these guidelines will help you take better care of your health and well-being.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Ann Copson

Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual natural rhythms at http://evenstaronline.com

MBT Sport Shoes, Have You Heard About Those Strange Looking Sneakers?

The MBT sport shoe have become might popular lately, not lest among the celebrities, that use them for toning and shaping their bodies. But the MBT shoes are also used for back problems and for rehabilitation of muscle injuries. Many big studies have been done on the shoe and it really seem like the medical benefits of MBT's are proven. It's used as a recovering device among physicians, often used for rehab by sports men and women suffering from ligament injuries. When walking with the Masai sport shoe, you use muscles that you don't use when walking in regular shoes, so because of that, your body will get more firm if you use them on a daily basis.

Developed by the engineer Karl Muller, who had been ill in back pain injuries for decades, the MBT sport shoe imitates how the body uses its muscles when moving on soft and uneven surfaces, like sand or moss.

Walking on those soft surfaces you would use the whole foot from heel to toe, and this makes you take a natural pose, and the back muscles gets activated, to support the body. You will strengthen the back thigh muscles, and many more muscles, and at the same time take pressure off the knees. When trying them on at first, it does feel a bit wiggly, until you get used to them. Before walking long walks with them, get used to them bit by bit, because you can get quite a muscle ace if you don't take it quite easy in the beginning.

People talk about the MBT sport shoe as “the world’s smallest gym” and I tend to agree. You are using your body in a way you are not normally doing when walking with a pair of MBT’s, and muscles you actually didn’t really realized exist gets in motion.

Want to know more about MBT shoes and walking exercises? Pleas Go To www.mbtshoes.efven.com and find out more.

Beatrice Stephenson is a freelance writer on health and sports issues.

How To Treat Fatigue

Most older people experience, at some time, some degree of fatigue. But most problems with fatigue are not physical weakness; they are related to failure to exercise, depression, unhappiness, worry, or boredom. True weakness, as with inability to move an arm or leg, is a physical problem involving nerves, brain, or muscle, and needs immediate medical attention. Fatigue or tiredness is far more common than true weakness.

Another common cause for fatigue is overuse of one drug or another. For example, excess caffeine intake leading to poor sleep habits can cause daytime fatigue. Or tranquilizers can make you feel tired or drowsy. Once the normal sleep cycle has been disturbed, there is a tendency to grab an afternoon nap. Then the following night’s sleep is not good because the afternoon nap decreased the need for sleep at night. A vicious cycle has been set in motion.

You may be assuming from this discussion that most fatigue is not serious. That is correct. Even when arthritis is associated, most fatigue results from misunderstanding your body. Reestablishing a pattern of healthy activity, more moderate drug use, and good nocturnal sleep will do wonders.

But if you have an inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, the disease may be causing the fatigue. This is a more serious kind of fatigue, and improving your living patterns will not help much. In such cases the sedimentation rate is elevated and there may be a low-grade fever. A hematocrit test may show the anemia of chronic disease. There may be some weight loss. Treatment in these cases is directed at the disease causing the fatigue and may take some time.

When you mention fatigue, most people don’t even think of the problems just described. Instead they think of a problem with the thyroid or anemia. These are so unusual as causes of fatigue that you can almost forget about them. But if your fatigue persists, for more than six weeks despite home treatment, your doctor might want to check out these and other possibilities or may be able to reassure you that these problems are not present.

The chronic fatigue syndrome is an unusual and troubling problem that requires consultation with a doctor. This syndrome lasts a long time, lacks really good treatment, may follow a viral infection, and frequently includes an emotional component, sometimes aggravated by the fatigue.

Fatigue is not a symptom of old age. In fact, as you get older you need less sleep and tend to be more alert, particularly early in the day. So pay attention to this symptom.

Listen to the fatigue message from your body. Heed it, but don’t give in to it. Rest if you are tired, but alternate such periods with times of activity. Fatigue, because it can lead to physical de-conditioning, can become its own cause.

Decrease all possible drugs including caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, tranquilizers, and probably television. Ingredients in common cold or allergy medications can cause fatigue, as can Valium and codeine. Suspect all drugs.

Increase new activities. Friends, hobbies, travel, vacations, and even shopping tend to break the fatigue cycle. Increase your activity level by addition of smooth, graded, and easy exercises. Exercise helps you become involved in new and different things as well as giving physical help by increasing your stamina.

Expect improvement to be slow and expect to be discouraged at times. Persevere.

Raymond Lee Geok Seng is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is a writer specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He has spent countless of time and efforts conducting research and share his insightful and powerful secrets to benefit men and women all over the world. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts." Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.

Afflictions Of The Back That Cause Poor Posture

We can narrow down this from all afflictions of the back that cause poor posture to just those that you weren't born with. In the chiropractic arena, we generally understand that most spinal conditions (that you aren't born with) are due to some kind of trauma.

That trauma may be as easy to remember as a car accident or serious fall, or it could be something more sinister like having bad posture or a poorly set up computer workstation for far too long. The afflictions of the back that can cause poor posture are largely due to repetitive trauma or micro trauma.

These "mini-traumas" are nothing that you would notice if you were only performing the activity once or twice. However, since you perform the offending action thousands upon thousands of times, it can begin to add up. The trauma can lead to such things as degenerative joint disease (DJD), herniated disc, and osteoporosis-related problems like compression fractures.

Degenerative Joint Disease is also known as a "wear and tear" disease. This is usually the result of spinal joints not functioning as well as they should, cause them to simply wear out. DJD may also show up as the result of a more traumatic injury as your body attempts to heal or just bad posture. The visible signs of DJD can be seen on x-ray only after the process has been going on for at least several years.

A herniated disc is usually more painful. The jelly-like substance inside the spinal disc becomes inflamed and begins pushing its way out of the more fibrous outer ring. This can lead to pressure on spinal nerves and lot of associated pain.

Compression fractures related to osteoporosis are also very painful. Once the spine has been pushed out of its normal alignment, it leads to an increase in the amount of pressure and force being put on spinal joints as they resist gravity. Finally, something has to give and the bone begins to collapse on itself. This is called a compression fracture.

The bad news is that once you get one spinal fracture, the increasing stress and body weight will typically lead to more. Prevention is the key, then, to all of these conditions. Since you can't predict or always avoid the traumas of auto accidents or falls, you'll have to try and avoid the repetitive traumas in your daily life.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com

The Only Way Of Getting Rid Of A Candida Albicans Symptom Is To Do A Candida Cleanse

Those who are suffering from a candida albicans symptom, really knows how much discomfort it can be. The symptoms can vary a lot. Intestinal yeast as well as skin yeast is on of the most common, but pain during urination is occurring with many people too, along with intense vaginal and skin yeast infections. To have digestion problems and gas usually comes with an infection, a symptom that can be very uncomfortable and exhausting. Some really scary symptoms I myself suffered from was light-headed and tiredness, a symptom that is quite unspecific. I went several times to the doctor’s because of These things, and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. I thought I had everything from eye problems to a cancer. It was not nice to feel like a someone who imagined it all, but as soon I started the cleanse I knew that this was what had caused the dizziness. I haven’t suffered from it after that.

Once you start to cure your infection, with a diet program and medicine, the symptoms can show up even more intensely for some days in the beginning, and you can be very tired. This normally disappears after a few days, but since it’s very energy consuming, it can be a good idea to not have too much to do during the beginning of your cure. Remember that in the end, you will feel much healthier and will regain your energy.

Candida grows from the bowel as a normal part of the bacterial flora, but when overgrowth starts, it affects the whole immune system and can really effect your life fundamentally, with thrush fungal infections and more. Many women get outbreaks of thrush during menstruation because it feeds itself in progesterone.

You can really suffer from it, with the dizziness or recurring yeast infections that are a affecting your life a lot. The symptoms can be treated with different over the counter medication, but that means that the bowel candida itself is not cured, and the discomfort are going to appear again after a while.

When you know it’s candida you have, start with a treatment that will cure the actual cause of it. A sugar and fungus free diet is the most effective way to kill the infection permanently. There are some really effective ways of curing infections, and you truly can be free of all those irritating and energy consuming symptoms and get you a better, more energetic life, you really don’t have to stay ill! It’s important to take supplemental herbs for a complete cleanse. Garlic is very good to take since it really rinses the yeast out your body, and a colon cleanse is important as well but first and foremost, don’t give up! Once you have gone through the cure and realise how much easier your life is, the cleanse and diet will really be worth while.

Do you want to know how to stop candida permanently? Get a free candida 3-day online email course: Go to the Candida Yeast infection Site

http://www.candidayeast.efven.com

Beatrice Stephenson is a freelance writer on family health and recreation.

How Do You Know Which Exercises To Do For Shoulder Pain?

When determining that you want to do exercises for shoulder pain, you first need to determine which part of your shoulder needs to be exercised (that is, which part is causing the pain) and whether or not something more serious has happened like a tear of the muscle, ligament, tendon or even cartilage. Your injury needs to be checked out by a qualified person before you start any exercise program.

There are certainly plenty of shoulder parts that can tear, and each of the tissue types associated with the shoulder area can seem very similar without the benefit of an MRI to really take a look. Recently, a patient came in with shoulder pain and the only trauma he had experienced was having bad posture.

With no history of any real trauma and dealing with someone who performed little if any regular physical activity, it seemed unlikely that he would have torn anything in his shoulder. After he had an MRI, it was determined that he had literally torn parts of his rotator cuff because his bad posture and rounded shoulders had been out of place for so long that gravity had finally taken its toll on his weakened muscles.

Assuming that you've checked everything out (by a doctor, not you and your friend deciding) and nothing is torn, you'll need to decide which muscle has been affected and what you're going to do about it. Then its time to begin exercises for shoulder pain.

From a postural standpoint, its the back of the shoulders that are going to be an issue. So raising dumbbells over your head or doing military presses will likely have little effect in taking care of any shoulder issue. In fact, if you continue to work out the front of your shoulder while continuing to neglect the back your shoulder exercise program will only make your shoulder pain worse.

Attacking your posterior deltoid and muscles of the rotator cuff should be your focus (from a posture standpoint). You can use small dumbbells (start light) or even look into some resistance tubing. There are varying strengths available to give a wide range of people an effective workout.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com

Recognizing Your Bad Posture

Recognize your bad posture and correction is sure to follow. Too often I find that most people don't even know they have bad posture. We're not talking about a little bit of bad posture either. Maybe when pain starts or they see a particularly startling photo of themselves, they'll see things in a different way. Until then, bad posture is just someone else's problem.

Bad posture starts early in life and can have some bad things associated with it. Maybe your mom was always yelling at you about it, or maybe you were very tall and you were looking to hide this fact, or perhaps as a young woman your chest started to develop and you found that slouching brought less attention to them.

Regardless of how it all began, most bad posture can still be corrected. There's just a lot of information to sort through out there and you have to start looking somewhere. This is why I'm thrilled (and you should be too) that you at least recognize that not only is this something you need to deal with, but you're actually seeking out information to do something about it.

Continue to hide your spine or worrying about isn't going to change how your posture looks. A posture support or a posture belt may alleviate symptoms initially, but they won't change your bad posture and correction is just not something they were designed to do.

Start off with just recognizing where you're having the posture problem. Sitting? Standing? Standing up tall is surely something you can try and remember. "When I stand up, I will remember to have good posture." This works okay as long as you're not required to stand for very long periods of time.

Sitting is another matter altogether. You can sit in very comfortable, but bad for your posture chairs. You can sit in very good for your posture, but not very comfortable chairs that you're not ready for yet. You can become more ready to sit in these types of chairs once your muscles get stronger.

Take these first steps and you'll end up at the same conclusion most people do... you're going to have to strengthen those posture muscles if you hope to have any chance of long term benefits of changing your posture for good.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com

You've Tried Everything, But You Still Sweat Excessively!

You’ve tried everything! But you're still sweating excessively.

Soaking through your shirt.

Scared to shake hands.

Sliding outta yer sandals.

I've been there. And now I'm not.

You've tried everything. But still excessive underarm and/or palm/foot/face/body sweating is hindering your daily life.

I bet you haven't really tried everything. There are loads of potential remedies for sweaty armpits on this page! Some you've maybe tried, others you probably haven't. You can work them individually, or use two (or even three) of them together to stop sweating.

The first and easiest to start with is your bathing rituals. The products you use in the shower, and how you shower, have an effect on your sweating.

Second, there are some special antiperspirants on the market*. Some are available in stores and others only over the internet. They each work better than the usual suspects (Speed Stick, etc) and may work wonders on your excessive sweating underarms.

A third way of how to prevent armpit sweat is with a drionics machine. These are controversial. Some people love ‘em and others won’t touch ‘em with a ten-foot pole. Read both sides of the argument here. There are also special armpit sweat pads you can buy to put in your shirt. These are available all over the internet. Most are made of a special material designed to soak up sweat.

We know people who have used armpit sweat pads with special antiperspirants to cure underarm sweating. We’ll tell you which kind we like the best (here). Note that armpit sweat pads are not so much a means to cure excessive underarm perspiration, but more like a cover up.

Lastly, before going to your doctor, try going to an acupuncturist. You may be skeptical, but we’ve seen it work! Read about it in detail. Everyone is different. Remember the goal here is for YOU to figure out how to prevent armpit sweat. That means YOU have to find the method that works for YOU.

It may be armpit sweat pads, it may be special antiperspirants, you may like drionics or you may get into acupuncture. You may benefit from some combination of these things.

Visit http://www.bye-bye-excessive-armpit-sweat.com/ for the best information on how to stop excessive sweating.

Back Exercises With Shoulder Pain

There are many types of back exercises, with shoulder pain you'll need to take some extra precautions. Because the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the entire body (it moves in the most directions), it is almost the most unstable.

While I love taking care of shoulder problems in my office, I'm particularly careful of checking to see if anything has torn before I really get going. You can have tears in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The cartilage of the shoulder joint is also a possibility.

If you suspect that you may have a shoulder injury, getting checked out thoroughly will help keep you from getting worse and developing painful conditions like "frozen shoulder syndrome."

While most of these shoulder problems are the result of some kind of trauma, I have had experiences where the "trauma" involved was bad posture. The patient's bad posture actually lead to tears in the shoulder muscles.

However, if you're considering doing back exercises with shoulder pain, you may not really be talking about the shoulder at all. Many people point to their upper back area when they are referring to their "shoulders."

This area is not as likely to tear and is really the main place people experience pain with bad posture in addition to the pain between the shoulder blades.

It is expected that this area will receive the greatest amount of strain with forward head posture. As such, this area will improve quickly when posture-improving exercises are introduced and a regular, consistent program has been started.

If you spend a lot of time at the computer or driving, make sure you're neck and back are as straight and in line as possible. If this provides little to no relief, you'd really better get started on strengthening your weakened back muscles before things get out of control.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com