Archive for September, 2008
Make $$$ Publishing This Article: The Truth About Losing Fat On Your Stomach
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The Truth About Losing Fat On Your Stomach
- by Melanie Mendelson
(c)Melanie Mendelson - All Rights Reserved http://www.practical-weight-loss.com
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Do you know anybody who does not wish to get rid of the fat on one particular area of their body? I have not met anybody like that!
“If I could only get rid of my big belly”! “Oh, I wish my thighs were slimmer”! Does it sound familiar?
Even skinny people are often unhappy with the excess fat in some areas of their body. We’ve all seen those skinny men with huge bellies!
This common problem is accompanied by a widespread belief that you can lose the fat on a “problem area” by exercising that particular area. Some people do hundreds of crunches in attempts to flatten their stomachs, others buy the “miracle” ab gadgets and bulky “hip slimming” machines from TV.
Were you about to call the 800 number to buy the “latest and greatest” ab roller?
Hold on to your hard-earned money!
The belief that you can lose fat on a specific part of your body by exercising that area is a myth! Targeting the “spots” of your body for fat loss is called “spot reducing”, and it simply does not work.
Exercising certain areas of your body will strengthen the muscles there, but it will not remove the fat from them. Your newly developed muscles will be hidden under the layer of fat.
What about those heavily pitched creams, wraps and rubber belts that supposedly “melt the fat away”? Those are just plainly scams.
The creams and body wraps can temporarily give your skin smoother appearance, but they will do absolutely nothing for fat loss. All kinds of weight loss belts, pants and other clothing will make you sweat, thereby causing some loss of water weight which is mistaken by most people for fat loss. But they will not help you lose even one gram of the actual fat!
There is no way to tell your body where exactly it should lose its fat.
Each person’s body has its own unique shape and fat distribution pattern. The places where the fat goes first are, unfortunately, where it comes off last. So the only way to lose that fat is by losing weight in general.
The only healthy permanent way to lose weight is by making lifestyle changes to incorporate healthy eating and increased activity. When you do that, the fat will come off everywhere on your body, including those “trouble spots”. And yes, you will then have that body that you always dreamed of!
************************************************************ Melanie Mendelson
Author of “Practical Weight Loss” A Guaranteed Way To Lose Fat For Good CLICK HERE => http://www.practical-weight-loss.com ************************************************************
Adderall a Hollywood Weight Loss Dark Secret?
Well, that was certainly a shocker, but Hollywood has apparently been a beacon for misusing assured drugs meant for other things to lose weight - it’s a shock that that mecca of looks and size zeros would do that, I know, but apparently the latest drug that is being abused for the sake of increased energy and appetite suppression is Adderall, which in my opinion is a very dangerous drug to start with, much more so when it is not used for it’s intended purpose, which is for ADD and ADHD.
Adderall burst onto the scene several years ago now as a miracle drugs for kids with ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder, to help them focus and concentrate and help the kids that had hyperactivity and ADD to calm down and be able to concentrate in school. Adderall is actually an amphetamine. That’s right, it’s somewhat akin to methamphetamine, a street drug that is snorted and used as a speed and is extremely dangerous to the brain and kills brain cells not to mention ruins lives.
However, Adderall is claimed to be much safer when taken in the right dosages, for the prescribed reason (not as a dangerous appetite suppressant), which is ADD, and when it is not abused. But the abuse of Adderall seems to be fairly prevalent. Many doctors apparently notice that thin women will come in and desire Adderall specifically, and refuse other drugs for ADHD (the adult version of ADD), since they know that Adderall specifically is the drug that curbs their appetites well.
Apparently the Adderall phenomena is well known in the likes of Hollywood and the buzz begins around women who have lost lots of weight for no obvious reason that they may be taking Adderall to achieve that weight loss. Adderall additionally has qualities that can induce euphoria which adds to its addictive nature, and certainly doesn’t help the fact that it is abused and misused for weight loss instead of for ADD.
I remember when Tom Cruise had his famous rant (part of his subsequent downfall) with Matt Lauer about how Adderall and Ritalin are essentally street drugs that are legal considering they are prescribed. I feel poor considering I guess he was right and no one really listened.
Original post by EatingToLive
‘Dieting 101′ - For Those Who Want to Start But Don’t Know Where to Begin
Okay, so you’ve read some of these articles, done your homework and now your finally ready to begin a diet and exercise program. But you still have this one same nagging question in the back of your mind… ‘Where in the heck do I start?’
Being lost in midst of all of these variables is not a hard thing at all. There is sooo much knowledge and guidelines out there that sometimes we don’t know how to put it all together. Well today you are in luck!
Before we get into this let me make one thing clear! You are doing the right thing! It is virtually impossible to know everything there is to know about diet and exercise. If everyone waited until they knew everything in order to get started no one would get started. What we first need to do is to construct a plan. Our plan will be simplified but will be enough to get you on the right track.
1. Set your goal(s).
If you don’t know what you want or what you are doing you will be less likely to get where you want to go. You also will not have the same determination as you could have. If you don’t have a picture of what you want in your mind you will be less motivated. Here are some sample questions you can ask yourself. How much weight do I want to lose? What exactly do I want to look like? Do I want a smaller waist? Do I want bigger arms? What measurements am I looking for? What sort of time frame am I looking at?
When you have done this it doesn’t hurt to write your answers down to some of these questions as a reference for later. We as human beings can forget easily! Also, if you have to, record some of your current statistics that relate to your questions like measurements or your weight for example. Then you will have something to compare to and your results can be measured more effectively. Motivation aside, some will even take photographs of themselves. They are also great for motivation as well. In the future I will include articles on motivation.
2. Start to construct your menu along with the quantities.
For some this is the hard part since they don’t know how much or how little food to take. I will help you and give you a few sample formulas. The most accurate guideline that I have found (and actually have used) over the years is to multiply your current bodyweight by 10. That’s how many calories you should be taking in for the day. Also remember that your true weight is when you get up without any clothes on. So if you weigh 165 pounds for example you would be able to take in 1650 calories a day. Try it!
The second way to do it is to take a piece of paper and record everything you eat for three days. Then after you do that get a calorie counter and total it up for each day. Add them together and then divide that number by 3. This will give you an average of the number of calories you usually would take in. Now you then subtract this number by 500 and that would be your caloric allowance for one day. Neat huh?
3. Begin thinking of your exercise program.
While weight training is not a necessity it is highly recommeded for permanent lasting results. But if inconvenience or a lack of interest is an issue then cardiovascular activity will do just fine! Though what we explored in my other article about weight training is definitely true, it possible by all means to meet your goals with aerobic exercise. As with your goals, ask yourself these questions…Do I like to exercise at home? How much time do I have or am willing to put into it? What types of exercise do I enjoy (eg. walking, stationary bike etc.)? What days am I available?
I will now share with you some quick guidelines concerning your cardio. Incase you didn’t know aerobic (meaning with air) exercise is the most beneficial for burning fat. Examples are swimming, jogging, brisk walking, running, stairclimber etc. The easiest to do by far is the exercise bike and walking. To be effective, aerobic exercise must last at least 20 minutes in duration. It doesn’t have to be strenuous at all. If you can’t hold a reasonable conversation while you train you are working too hard. Your heart rate does not have to be elevated that high. Also, the opposite of aerobic is anaerobic meaning your are using more muscle power. Therefore, if you are on the bike and your legs start to burn release the tension a little bit. Gradually as your muscles become more tired it still takes the same lung power to move the pedals while using lighter resistance. Either way you win!
To start off, 20-30 minutes of cardio three times a week should do wonders for you. As long as you are consistent you will see results. Remember that most of the time it is not the exercise that is at fault but the person doing them or not doing them! Again, exercise does not have to be hard but consistent. I have tried to make these guidelines as easy as possible for you because when it comes down to it, we tend not to do the things we don’t like or feel is too strenuous.
There! This plan should be enough to get you started well on your way to meeting your fitness goals. Once you have the foundation laid down in this manner you can use other information you acquire to build upon it. Good luck and take it all the way!
Randy Mclean has a diploma in Fitness and Nutrition from Education Direct, a YMCA individual conditioning certificate and is the author of Instinct - Master Your Mind And Your Body! For free tips and tricks visit www.weightlossguidance.com
Five Ways to Manage Difficult Elders
‘You are old, Father William’, the young man said,
‘And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head –
Do you think, at your age, it is right?’
Lewis Carroll (1865)
My grandmother was the original matriarch. When she barked “frog,” the only acceptable response was “how high?” She was hard to deal with in her last days, surprising no one.
Not being the brightest penny in the family bag, I reacted emotionally to her complaints, judgments, and demands. Rather than leave immediately, I stood my ground, trying to defend my relatives and myself from her relentless attacks. As a result, we were not speaking when she died.
Had I understood what I was facing, had I tried to put myself in her shoes, our story could have had a better ending. In hopes that your story will have a more satisfying ending, I offer a few of the tricks for dealing with difficult elders I’ve learned since then.
1) Make a plan BEFORE a crisis
The best way to deal with difficult parents is to avoid as many problems as possible by planning how you will handle them before they arise.
Pick a time when ALL family members can meet in person or on a conference call to discuss what you will do when a family member needs help. Take the focus off elderly
Family members by fully including them in the planning and making certain they have a role to play.
Be sure to take notes! Share them with all family members to verify your family agreements. In difficult situations, you might want to ask family members to sign and return a copy of any agreement.
Here are a few of the issues you may want to address:
Physical Location
How will you help a family member when they live in another town?
Can you be an effective long-distance caregiver, and, if so, how?
If not, who will move, and when should that move happen?
Roles
Who will be responsible for what?
Will you share expenses equally, or will you balance money versus time contributions?
What will happen when there are disagreements?
How will you handle changes in individual circumstances?
How will you react to threats to health and safety?
Differentiate preferences and requirements. If it’s more than a preference that family members not live together, get it out on the table before a crisis erupts.
Document Planning
Where will you store important documents such as
Wills,
Power of attorney,
Insurance policies, and
Deeds of trust.
Who will have access to these documents? And under what circumstances?
2) Stretch your patience muscle
Remember your excitement when you crossed the threshold of adulthood? When you first got a driver’s license? When you got your first job? When you found your first apartment and could decorate it all on your own? Then think about how you would feel if you had to give up adult privileges, one by one. What you’re feeling now may closely approximate the feelings of your difficult parent. But your elder’s feelings cannot be imagined away.
Your difficult parent may fear
?Becoming invisible;
?Seeing themselves as useless or stupid;
?Losing their friends;
?Losing physical abilities;
?Becoming dependent.
By imagining yourself in their place, you may react more sympathetically and suitably.
3) Forget “Parenting Your Parent”
One of the least helpful ideas in our current culture is the notion that as your parents age, you become their parent. Stuff and Nonsense! You are NOT your parent’s parent, nor will you ever be. Your role may be friend, confidant, caregiver, and supporter, but when you take the role of parent, you diminish your elder by reducing them to the position of child. No wonder they react negatively. Wouldn’t you?
4) Use behavior modification techniques
Behavior modification has gotten a bad rap of late, probably due to the many ways in which its principles have been misused. However, used properly, behavior modification techniques can remove unpleasant behaviors and return sanity to your family.
If you don’t know the basics of behavior modification, here is a site that can bring you up to speed quickly:
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/behsys/behmod.html
A few tips to help you begin
Before you begin, you must clearly define what outcome you want to achieve. For example, you find that you are spending an increasing amount of time waiting for your elder to get ready for an outing. If you want your elder to be on time, make that the specified outcome.
Identify your elder’s positive reinforcers. Clearly they do not respond to your annoyance (or are you even allowing your irritation to show?), but they do enjoy outings.
Tie the outcome to the reinforcer in a clear statement, for example, “If you are ready at 10:15, we will go shopping.”
Shape the behavior you want. If your elder is habitually 30 minutes late, it is unlikely that they will suddenly be on time. So, decide in advance to shape their behavior. For example, you may choose to wait 20 minutes. If they are not ready, leave without them. Once that behavior has been established, wait only 10 minutes, then only five. By using this tactic, you will arrive at the outcome you desire with a minimum of pain.
Punishment. Punishers can work - if they are severe and immediate. However, they increase the likelihood that you’ll get results you didn’t anticipate or want! Locking someone in a room or closet is punishment. Don’t go there!
Extinction. Use extinction techniques rather than punishers to get rid of unwanted behaviors. Extinction is simple. Offer no reaction to bad behavior. Don’t talk about it. Don’t react to it. Leave the room, leave the house if you must. But remove the opportunity for reinforcement of such behaviors.
Be aware that it will take time for extinction techniques to carry out your goal. Also realize that the frequency of the undesirable behavior may actually increase while extinction is occurring. Be patient and resolved. You’ll get there if you don’t weaken.
5) Identify your own contribution to difficult parents and difficult families
Perhaps the most difficult (and perhaps the most useful) technique is to identify your own contribution to the problem, and stop it!
?Are you taking the course of least resistance and putting up with undesirable behavior because it’s too difficult to change it.
?Do you avoid conflict at all costs?
?Could you be afraid to give up your position as “favorite” or “good?”
?Do you feel emotionally superior when you deny your own needs to attend to those of others?
Any of these may lead to more difficulties in the future, so give them up. Decide what you can do within reason, and do that. If you need help, ask for it. You can deal with the problems of difficult parents and difficult families if you are willing.
copyright 2003 by Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. - Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, an internet company that helps seniors and caregivers find trustworthy residential care. She is the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them. She is also the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. Visit the author’s web site at http://www.thebestisyet.net.
Mapping the neuron-behavior link in Rett Syndrome
A link amidst assured behaviors and the lack of the protein linked to Rett Syndrome a devastating autism spectrum disorder demonstrates the importance of MeCP2 (the protein) and reveals never-before recognized functions linked to aggression and obesity, said scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the current issue of the journal Neuron……..
Original post by Heather Craven
A diagnosis marker for digestive system cancer
Growing evidence suggests that accumulation of multiple alterations such as activation of proto-oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes is responsible for the development and progression of digestive system cancer. Genetic instability of oncogenes such as microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is probably linked to mutations in genes responsible for tumor-genesis, and they play vital roles in tumor clinical pathology. The studies of MSI and LOH of digestive system cancer have been focused on genetic instability of P53, P16 and FHIT, but few studies were seen in gene nm23H1……..
Original post by Heather Craven
Kings Court Command Endorses Mr. Diabetes? Wake Up and Walk? Tour
Las Vegas, NV April 7, 2004 — Kings Court Command Endorses Mr. Diabetes? Wake Up and Walk? Tour
Accord covers charitable contributions to Defeat Diabetes Foundation
Kings Court Command Corporation CEO Zachary A. Kriston (left) and Defeat Diabetes Foundation Executive Director Andrew P. Mandell (right), after signing Memorandum.
On March 18, 2004, Las Vegas-based Kings Court Command Corporation (KCCC) and the Defeat Diabetes Foundation (DDF) concluded an agreement by which Kings Court Command Corporation officially endorsed and agreed to support the endeavors of the Foundation. Signatories to the Accord were KCCC CEO Zachary Kriston and DDF Executive Director Andrew P. Mandell, popularly known as Mr. Diabetes?, the “Professional DiabeticTM,” a diabetic himself, who is walking across the nation in support of Diabetes awareness. KCCC is the first Las Vegas-based business to formally support DDF and the Mr. Diabetes? WAKE UP AND WALK? TOUR.
According to the Endorsement Memorandum,
“Kings Court Command Corporation has agreed to support the Defeat Diabetes Foundation in their mission by having their Foundation as the exclusive representative for diabetes charity contributions, which are to be realized from the charitable proceeds of Kings Castle Resort Hotel, a future hotel subsidiary of Kings Court Command Corporation.”
“The Defeat Diabetes Foundation, Inc., has agreed to be the exclusive diabetes charity and will represent such as the channel for all diabetes contributions realized from the charitable proceeds of Kings Castle resort Hotel.”
“As with all charities to be in receipt of charitable contributions, a full legal agreement will be initiated within the realization of the Kings Castle Resort Hotel development process.”
Kings Court Command Corporation is headquartered in Las Vegas at 3530 E. Flamingo Rd. Ste #105.
For further details, contact CEO Zachary Kriston at (702) 507-1693 or email kingscourt@commandcomm.net
(C) 2004 Vegas Buzz - Vegas News Service - www.Vegasbuzzz.com
