How to Lose Belly Fat – Avoid These Myths to Lose Belly Fat Effectively

July 3, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Tips Healthy 

Many people have the wrong ideas on how to lose belly fat. As a consequence, they get fatter instead of leaner. Then they get frustrated and sabotage their fitness plan. In this article, we’ll unravel the 3 myths you absolutely must avoid if you want to be slim and fit, as well as some effective tips on how to lose belly fat.

Myth: Starving yourself can help you lose belly fat.

Fact: Reducing your food intake drastically is not only detrimental to your health and well-being, but it’s also one way to gain belly fat. Sounds ironic, but it’s true.

Some people endure long periods of food deprivation, thinking that this can help them lose their belly fat. Then when they can’t take their hunger anymore, they binge. This is a surefire way to get that unwanted flab! Your body needs food to continuously be in a “burning” metabolic state. Not eating will only slow down your metabolism.

The best solution is to eat 5 to 6 times a day, but eat meals in smaller portions. This way, your body would be able to effectively obtain energy from the food you eat instead of storing them as body fat. Read more

Thirteen Tips For Sound Sleep

June 24, 2009 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Tips Healthy 

Sleep is essential to ensure our health and fitness. However, thousands if not millions of people struggle with sleeplessness every single day or, more appropriately, every night. Due to sleep deprivation, these people develop a number of illnesses that, in turn, adversely affect their work, business, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Insomniacs and other people with milder sleeping problems usually, almost by instinct, would consider using sleep medications. But before purchasing sleeping pills, people should first try making certain lifestyle adjustments. The suggested lifestyle changes shown below would perhaps save you the effort and cost of buying a sleep aid product:

1. Drink a cup of chamomile tea. Chamomile is an herb that people have been using for centuries. It is known to promote sleep and treat other ailments like upset stomach.

2. Avoid any strenuous exercise three hours before bed. Exercising and engaging in intense physical activities a couple of hours before going to sleep may increase the adrenaline levels in the body and cause sleep disruptions.

3. Eat potatoes, whether still warm or at room temperature, before going to bed. Potatoes are complex carbohydrates that are recommended to be consumed just before going to bed for natural, restful sleep. Read more

Melatonin: To Take or Not to Take

June 22, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Essentials 

Getting sufficient sleep is essential to achieve good health. The body needs sleep to rest both the mind and body and restore energy. Sleep is the time when the body repairs itself—through sleep, the cells and tissues that have been damaged repairs itself. In addition to these health benefits, the body boosts and builds up the immune system through sleep. The immune system may experience breakdown and result to the development of different ailments and extended recovery times. Medical studies show that sleep helps improve the functions of the immune system. However, there are many factors that may hinder individuals to have adequate sleep and therefore further hamper health developments. Medical studies show that depression, anxiety, and low levels of melatonin may cause sleep difficulties.

Medical studies show that throughout their lives, human beings produces a sleep hormone called melatonin, with the highest production produced during childhood. As people age, the production of melatonin declines, that is why additional melatonin supplementation as sleep aid is encouraged by many doctors to their elderly patients. This hormone works by regulating the body’s internal clock that may activate the occurrence of sleep. Additional studies show that melatonin supplementation may delay the aging process of human beings. This is possible because these supplements may boosts the immune system and contains more antioxidants than vitamin C or E or beta-carotene. Antioxidants in melatonin may destroy cell-damaging compounds called free radicals that can lead to heart disease, cataracts, and other age-related ailments. More research however is needed to find out it melatonin helps prevent these conditions.

However, like other supplementation, melatonin may also bring side effects. Common side effects of melatonin may include headaches, drowsiness, irritability, and reduced alertness. This supplement may also increase blood pressure in individuals who are taking blood-pressure lowering medicines that contain nifedipine. In addition to these ill-effects, melatonin supplementation may also decrease the levels of reproductive hormones among pregnant, breast-feeding, or women who want to conceive. Read more

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