4 Simple Tips Women Over 50 Can Use To Combat The Munchies

Women over 50 experience a number of hormonal changes that lead to changes in metabolism. These changes may lead to weight gain, especially in the belly as well as fatigue. Women over 50 may also begin to notice that they develop a food intolerance to certain types of foods, especially wheat and dairy. These factors can lead to strong food cravings.

If you feel as if you are constantly sabotaging your diet due to uncontrollable bouts of the munchies, then use these easy tricks to stop the cravings before they strike.

4 simple tips women over 50 can use to combat the munchies

1. Eat carbs after exercise. After the age of 50 muscle mass decreases; therefore it is important for every woman over the age of 50 to workout with both resistance exercises and aerobically. However, a common pitfall of dieting along with exercise is that exercise stimulates your appetite.

This happens because exercise depletes stored carbohydrates. When carb stores are low your body boosts carb cravings to replenish them, leaving you with a hard to control case of the munchies. To combat this, allow yourself a carbohydrate after a workout. This doesn't have to be junk food, whole grain bread or whole pieces of fruit work great.

2. Identify Hidden Food Intolerances. Food intolerance may increase with age. This is different than a food allergy. An allergy will lead to the sudden onset of symptoms, such as hives, itchy throat, and possibly breathing difficulties. Food intolerance symptoms develop more slowly and are harder to identify.

If you notice that you feel bloated, gassy, and tired during the day, you may be experiencing a food intolerance to something such as dairy or wheat. Food intolerance creates an inflammatory response inside your body and this can leave you feeling unsatisfied with your diet, which can lead you to crave junk food.

Try eliminating dairy products for one week and notice if your cravings diminish. If not, eliminate wheat the next week and check again.

3. Watch out for trans fats. You have probably heard that trans fats are not good for your health, but did you also know that they stimulate cravings? Trans fats have actually been nicknamed the "addictive" additive. Have you ever eaten one chip and then found yourself gorging on the entire bag? If so, you have seen firsthand the effects of trans fat.

Check your labels, or better yet avoid boxed or bagged products, which are notorious for their trans fat content.

4. Avoid long-term low carb diets. Choosing to eat a low carb diet can work for weight loss, but stay on this diet for more than a week and you will stimulate strong food cravings. This is because your body senses the loss of its valuable energy source, carbs. When this loss is sensed the amount of the fat-burning hormone leptin plummets.

Leptin's job is to keep you from starving and when its level drops, your body tries to force you to eat by stimulating an intolerable case of the munchies. If you want to stay on a low carb diet, be smart and take one day during the week to eat a high-carb meal. This not only allows you to feel better on the diet, it also gives you a scheduled break that keeps the munchies at bay.

If you struggle with losing weight after the age of 50, then you are not alone. There is no better time to lose weight then right now, and remember that every successful weight loss story begins at the same place - setting a goal.

Colon Hydrotherapy - What Is a Colonic?

"Colon hydrotherapy is a safe, effective method of removing waste from the large intestine, without the use of drugs. By introducing filtered and temperature regulated water into the colon, the waste is softened and loosened, resulting in evacuation through natural peristalsis." Dorothy Chandler, RN and President of I-ACT

Colon hydrotherapy is a safe, clean and relaxing method of removing toxins and waste from the colon or large intestine through the gentle infusion of water. The colon is a repository of all the accumulated waste in the body. Research has shown that an unhealthy colon is the cause of some of today's most serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease and obesity. An unhealthy person can be carrying around a few kilos of impacted toxic waste material which becomes a breeding ground for pathogens such as parasites and fungi, resulting in the rest of the body receiving a dirty blood supply.

"Every tissue is fed by the blood, which is supplied by the intestinal system. When the intestines are dirty, the blood is dirty and so are the organs and the tissues. It is the intestinal system that has to be cared for before any effective healing can take place." 
Dr. Bernard Jensen

Being toxic and struggling with health issues can make life on a daily basis very difficult, draining your energy reserves, making you tired, lethargic, irritable and fatigued, often leading to poor decision making, thus to more stress on the system and in one's life. The colonic experience does not just help to rid the body of toxins, but also to kick-start the system and bring clarity of mind, all of which are needed in today's fast-paced world. Clients report feeling younger, fitter and healthier and having a new zest for life, helping them to go forward to enjoy each day and deal with the many problems with which life presents them.

Why do we need to cleanse the colon?

Toxins are abundant in our food supply, cleaning products, water, air, prescriptions and over the counter drugs, personal care products, and especially in recreational drugs such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Once processed by the liver, a large percentage of these toxins must leave through the colon. Unfortunately, most people's colons are backed up with undigested processed fiberless foods and mucoid plaque. The average person has 3-4 kilos of fecal matter in their colon! How can we expect to feel our best while carrying around this toxic burden?

Every organ, gland and cell in the body is affected by the condition of the colon

According to James F.Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A.Balch, C.N.C. in their book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, "Toxins accumulated over the time in the colon circulate throughout the body via the bloodstream and leads to the absorption of toxins, resulting in intoxication (poisoning) of the whole body. Symptoms of this condition can include mental confusion, depression, irritability, fatigue, gastrointestinal irregularities and even allergic reactions such as hives, eczema, sneezing and coughing and lead to more serious disorders. Colon cleansing can rid the colon of debris, and help prevent and treat a variety of health problems."

The colon is one of the primary organs of elimination in the human body. When the colon is not clean, nutrient absorption is drastically reduced, and complete elimination of waste material may not occur. When the body does not release waste material, this toxic matter can build up in the system, and negatively impact other organs. Over time, the lymph, blood, and intestines become increasingly toxic and disease may form.

Does Aloe Vera Acne Treatment Actually Work In Dealing With Acne?

If you really want to wipe acne off your skin, then it is in your best interest to keep your options open. Although the popular products are the ones that you can easily buy at your neighborhood pharmacy, the sad fact is that some of these products are not good for your skin in the long run. This is the reason why using natural and healthy options like aloe vera can be your best option in treating your annoying acne breakout problem.

You first have to be aware that acne is caused by multiple factors. There are some individuals that get acne because of hormonal imbalance. This is usually the case if you are experiencing puberty or menopause or when you are menstruating. In some other cases, it could just be as a result of oil building up on your skin which blocks your sebaceous glands. The bacteria in these glands multiply rapidly and cause your skin to become inflamed - this shows itself in form of pimples on the surface of the skin.

Aloe Vera Acne Treatment To The Rescue!

I am sure you already know how an aloe vera plant looks like. It is similar in a way to a cactus plant and it grows in so many places in the world most especially warm and sunny climates. Don't be fooled by the ordinary looking appearance of the plant - the juice inside the leaves have lots of medicinal uses. This is the reason why this plant has been used for centuries now.

The juice in aloe vera has two properties that make it very useful in dealing with your acne problem and they are:

Antibacterial - since we already know that pimples usually results because of an increase in bacteria in the sebaceous glands, it means you need to use a solution that fights the bacteria. Now this is where the juice comes in - it contains gibberellins and polysaccharides which are very effective in dealing with bacteria.

When you use the aloe vera plant juice on your skin and you combine it with a diet that helps in lowering your body's natural production of clogging oils, you would succeed in dealing with the oil and bacterial issues that cause pimples.

Astringent - If you are like most folks that have issues with pimples, then you must have bought a skin cleansing astringent from your neighborhood pharmacy previously. The bad rap about these astringents is that they are all alcohol bases and this in most cases causes you skin to dry out which even leads to more skin problems.

As for using the juice actually helps in drying out the pimples and reducing the size of your pores without causing any skin troubles for you.

How To Use Aloe Vera To Fight Acne.

If you are really concerned about dealing with your pimples, then you need to make aloe vera use a part of your daily skin care routine. Just merely applying the juice on your skin a few times would not be enough to wipe away your acne breakouts.

Now that you are aware of this, you have got to buy an aloe vera plant, although you can go for the packaged aloe vera gel or aloe vera juice - it is best you go straight to the source itself (the plant).

When you get the plant, simply cut one of the leaves and use a knife to extract the sap (juice) of the leaf and put in a plastic container. All you need to do is to apply the juice to the areas where the pimples are - this should be done one hour before you go to bed and you should leave it on overnight if you want better results.

This little change to your cleansing regimen can help clear acne breakouts from your skin in a very short period of time - so I advise that you begin using aloe vera acne treatment today.

Learning How To Lose Weight Fast And Keep It Off

Everyone wants to know how to lose weight fast, humans are impatient by their very nature. If you are truly interested in losing weight and keeping it off then you need to get one thing very clear right away, there is no room for gimmicks and that is the truth. There are some people who think that by taking a special powder or drinking only a particular juice they will realize their weight loss goals. The reality is your weight gain took time and is a complex challenge so you will need to take some time to get long term, sustainable results from your weight loss goals.

The first thing you need to do when trying to lose weight fast is go and visit your doctor for a full physical. This is something most of us overlook and could end up regretting it over the long term. There has been a substantial increase in the number of people claiming to be diabetic and if you are suffering from that condition it is critical to have a doctor monitor it or you could end up regretting it.

After you have spoken with your doctor and have been given the all clear the next step in your weight loss plan is to take out the processed foods from your diet. This is something that cannot be stressed enough. The processed foods that we eat may be convenient and taste good but they are packed with empty calories that will make us feel hungry all of the time and make us more prone to gain weight.

Once you have cut the processed food out of your diet the next thing you have to do is make sure you are getting enough calories in your diet to give your body what it needs most which is enough food to function properly. There are some people who starve their body hoping it will speed up the weight loss when it actually slows your metabolic rate and when you start to eat again you will binge eat making you even fatter.

What you should do is find a partner who you can exercise with on an ongoing basis. Studies have conclusively shown that when a person exercises and eats a healthy diet they are more likely to lose weight and keep it off than those who just diet. Given these facts it is vital that you take better care of your health and follow these tips. Weight loss is a realistic goal provided you approach it with the right mindset.

Paleo Diet Basics - What You Need to Know!

Everyone is looking for the best diet for them and a diet that will help them attain and maintain a healthy body weight. One diet that has been gaining a lot of attention in the last few years is the Paleo Diet. Simply put it is eating as our prehistoric ancestors would have done. In this article I will go over the Paleo Diet basics are, what the benefits you can expect from it, and why it might be right for your life!

After the '80s and the craze of fad diets (can you say grapefruit anyone?) several better diet options emerged that were slightly more well rounded, such as the low-carb diets, but these still weren't quite in line with what we really should be eating. Seriously, does anyone think that eating bacon every day, no matter how delicious, is the ticket to losing weight and living a healthy life?

The Paleo Diet takes some from the low carb camp and the raw food craze and tempers them with a more realistic view of what our bodies have evolved to eat and digest (and I'm not talking about hot dogs.) The Paleo Diet basics are that we should be eating:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Lean Meat
• Seafood
• Nuts and Seeds
• Healthy Fats

Essentially this means eating the things we find in nature and that if you were living off the land would find to eat today. The basic idea is that our bodies evolved eating these foods and that they are the ideal mix of proteins and starches that we should be eating now.

How Is This Different From Low Carb?

The general low-carb diets eschew eating any carbohydrates while the Paleo Diet basics include things like fresh fruits and vegetables. The Paleo Diet also doesn't include any dairy which is a big dietary problem for many people these days. Too many years of hormone laced milk has made even people who should tolerate dairy well, sensitive or even allergic to it.

The Paleo Diet really focuses on smaller portions of higher quality nutrients. One such difference is that it emphazises 100% grass fed meats instead of mass produced grain fed beef and hot-house chickens.

Some Benefits of This Diet Plan

A lot of people first look at the Paleo Diet as a way to lose weight. The absence of processed foods, grains, and sugars along with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables and high quality lean meats means that shedding unwanted body fat is easier. Many people find that adhering to the Paleo Diet makes it easier to resist cheating as the foods they are eating tend make them feel more full for a longer period of time.

Beyond the weight loss benefits, there are claims of improved cardiovascular health, decreased risk of diabetes, reduced allergies, sustained energy and blood sugar levels, clearer skin, an improved ability to sleep, and a general improvement in people's moods.

Should You Go On the Paleo Diet?

If you have been fighting to lose weight, and just aren't happy with the results that you are getting with traditional weight loss methods then you should definitely give the Paleo Diet a look. There are many great resources for recipes and that is really a big help in keeping you from getting in a rut with your cooking. Getting burned out on what you are eating is one of the big reasons people quit their diets and go back to eating junk food!

How to Increase Your Pull Up Strength

Why Most People Struggle With Pull Ups

Pull Ups are one the exercises everyone knows they should be doing, but more often than not it's also one most people skip over when they're first starting to get serious with exercise.

For beginner athletes they simply don't have the strength in their back and arm muscles to lift their entire bodyweight up to a pull up bar. Intermediate gym goers actually probably have it worse because if they've neglected Pull Ups this will often reveal huge gaps in their training program.

The best way to make sure there aren't any gaps in your training is to focus on the four key points below to begin making Pull Ups a successful part of your regular strength program.

Tip #1 - Know How Your Muscles Get Stronger

Pull Ups are a compound exercise. This means you're not only engaging your back muscles, as this is commonly listed as a pure back exercise. Instead, and one of the better reasons why you should be working with them, is you're stimulating several muscle groups at once.

Simply by using Pull Ups you can create solid strength in your Biceps, Lats, Shoulders and also the Traps. Each of those muscles get fired up all at once to allow you to complete a single rep.

Now you can simply struggle through Pull Ups and power up these sets of muscles. And that's what most people believe is the only way to spark their starting strength on to a whole new level.

However, there's a much easier way that's unfortunately too often neglected. It's all about knowing which phase of an exercise movement creates stronger muscles.

The three phases of every movement are the Concentric Phase, the Transition Phase, and finally the Eccentric Phase.

The Concentric Phase is where the muscle contracts. It's here that most people believe strength gets nurtured. It's actually promoted through the latter part of the movement, the Eccentric Phase.

Tip #2 - Using the Eccentric Phase to Elevate Strength

Making the muscles stronger actually occurs when the muscle is taken out of the contracted state. Most beginners will benefit in their Pull Up progress by slowly exiting the Concentric Phase.

So, to see the furthest strength gains as quick as possible you should be spending most of your time and attention in the negative of a movement, or the Eccentric Phase.

To get started you don't even need to be strong enough to complete a Pull Up rep.

All you have to really do is grab onto a Pull Up bar and jump up so your chest is touching the bar. Most people think it's about getting the chin up to the bar. But, the correct form for the exercise is about driving the chest upwards so it makes contact with the bar.

One you've jumped up to the bar slowly lower your body down. It's important to stay in the Eccentric Phase for as long as possible. The slow and controlled descent will teach the muscle tissue how to perform under these circumstances.

Strength gains really come down to teaching your muscles to succeed. So, when working within the negative you won't want to hit absolute failure. Instead, stop when you've still got about one rep left in you.

Regularly hitting muscle failure will actually set your progress back. So, remember that you're only after fatiguing the muscles, not setting them up to fail.

Tip #3 - Stepping Up Your Pull Up Strength

The best format used to increase muscle strength, whether it's for Pull Ups or some other muscle group that needs a bit of attention, is Pyramid Training.

This method puts the muscles under the right amount of effort and recovery. The process is pretty simple, but far from being easy. To get started all you have to do one rep. From here just pause for how long it took to complete the single rep.

Next, when is step two on the pyramid, add an extra rep to the previous one. So, you do two reps in a row. After this simply rest for how long it took to complete the two consecutive reps. After that you simply work your way up to being able to complete a certain target of reps in a row.

For the complete beginner, they'll probably want to strive for five Pull Ups in a row. Or for someone who can already do that many, but really wants to jack up their rep counts, a good transition starting point is to aim for 10 reps in a row.

You can decide on any number. It's pretty easy to personalize this method to fit your training goals.

Tip #4 - Two Other Pull Up Methods

There are two other training tactics that is used to help anyone get better at Pull Ups, and those are Greasing the Groove and using Resistance Bands.

What Greasing the Groove does is forces you do complete single Pull Up reps over several times during the day. You'll need a doorway pull up bar for this to work. And after that all you have to do is mount in a door you consistently walk by several time during the day.

The resistance band method teaches your muscles the full range of motion Pull Ups offer. All you have to do is hook them on your Pull Up bar and either use your knees or feet as your anchor point to take some of the weight load off your weaker muscles.

The resistance band method can be applied to the Pyramid training format, or as a standalone method.

14 Day Weight Loss Jumpstart For Women Over 50

After a woman reaches the age of 50 hormonal changes start to shift the way fat is deposited in her body. This leads to increased belly fat and can leave a woman at higher risk for health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. To get control of your weight after the age of 50 follow this 14 day weight loss jumpstart.

3 step strategy to jumpstart weight loss in women over the age of 50:

1. Start with a Booster Meal. If you have been reducing your calorie intake for a period of time it is likely that your body has decreased its supply of fat burning hormones. The key fat burning hormone in your body is Leptin and when you stick to a strict diet this hormone can decrease as much as 50% taking your fat-burning potential down with it.

To boost leptin levels you want to boost your calorie intake, and in particular your carbohydrate intake. This might sound a bit odd, but the reality is that your body needs to know that you are not heading toward starvation in order to activate secretion of fat-burning hormones. Therefore, one day of eating a high carb diet will reset your hormone level and reset your body's ability to burn fat..

Take today and eat a high carb meal and do not be afraid to eat your favorite foods, including pizza, pasta, ice cream, and baked goods.

2. Reverse Taper your carbohydrates for the rest of the week. The key to successfully jumpstarting your weight loss is to keep your fat burning hormones working for you. Reverse tapering your carb intake allows you to get the full fat burning that comes with a lower carb diet, without diminishing your fat burning hormones.

To do this you want to take the two days after your Booster Meal and eat a diet that contains no more than 50 grams of carbs. Then, beginning on day three you want to add approximately 10 to 20 carbohydrate grams per day until your second Booster Meal at the beginning of week two.

3. Exercise to boost fat burning. Exercise will make your 14 day jumpstart more effective, but only if you exercise in a way that complements your diet. The day after your Booster Meal will be your most physically demanding workout of the week. For this workout you want to use resistance exercises, which could include lifting weights, performing bodyweight exercises, or doing yoga.

After that first day your exercise focus will shift to aerobic exercise. Aim for 30 minutes of light to moderate aerobic exercise each day that remains in the week. Then repeat this schedule for week two.

This 14 day weight loss jumpstart that begins with a Booster Meal will reset your fat burning hormones and allow your body to burn fat at a higher level. By adding reverse tapering and the right exercise you will keep your fat burning high and lose weight more rapidly.

4 Tips Show Women Over 50 How To Get Rid Of A Flabby Belly

After the age of 50 a woman is likely to notice a flabby belly, even if this had never been a problem in the past. This is due to changes in the body's composition related to menopause that make it easier for the body to deposit fat in the midsection, as opposed to the hips and legs. While hormonal changes naturally come with age, you do not have to settle for a flabby belly.

Follow these 4 tips to prevent or get rid of belly flab:

1. Do a Daily Calorie Swap. When you were in your teens and twenties carbohydrate calories were quickly converted in your body to energy. However, over the age of 50 your body is less efficient at turning the carbs you eat into energy, and these carbs often end up being stored as belly fat.

Therefore, you want to "eat for your age," and swap a couple of hundred carbohydrate calories for protein calories each day. For example, try having shrimp for a snack, instead of chips. Or, put a chicken breast on top of a bed of lettuce, instead of in a bun. By eating more protein and less carbs you work with your body to prevent fat storage.

2. Time Your Carb Intake. Carbohydrates are important foods that should be included in your daily diet. However, if you eat them at the wrong times they will contribute to a flabby belly. One of the best times to eat carbohydrates are in the morning when your metabolism is naturally spiked.

Another good time to consume carbs is before or after a workout. This allows the carbs you eat to be used up as energy and not stored as belly fat.

3. Cut Processed Foods. This tip alone may be enough to reduce a flabby belly. Processed food is any type of food that has been "processed," to either improve its shelf life or make it more convenient. Therefore, you can feel pretty confident that if the food item comes in a box or a bag, then it is a processed food.

The problem with processed foods is that they contain trans fats. These man-made fats are not easily handled by the digestive system and can wreak havoc on your metabolism. This makes them a problem for women trying to reduce belly fat.

4. Use Your Muscles. If muscle is not used, it is lost. Every pound of muscle on your body has the ability to burn about 50 calories a day. Therefore, if you do not work your muscles and lose 5 pounds of muscle after the age of 50, you must eat 250 calories less each day to prevent weight gain. This is why it is important to exercise and use your muscles.

Walking is good exercise, but make sure you also tax your muscles each week. Try weightlifting, yoga, bodyweight exercises or follow along with an exercise DVD.

Use these tips to get rid of a flabby belly and remember that there is no better time to create change then right now. And, all change starts with setting a clearly defined goal.

Work Your Way to a Beautiful Body

Everybody wishes to have a body that gives them confidence. The definition of a beautiful body may vary from one person to another, but despite your definition, some basic steps can make you have the body of your choice.

1. Measure yourself

Before you decide where you want to go, you have to know what you need to start your journey. Measuring your weight and heights will give you your body mass index (BMI). This is an index used to classify you as underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Knowing where you belong will help you know what you need to do to hit your target.

2. Know the problem

Get to know which part of your body you really have a problem with. This will help you in choosing those methods that will help you reach your target. If you have too much fat in your body and you want to lose it fast, you can get a liposuction, which they will remove the fat. If it's your muscles you need to build then you can take the necessary steps.

3. Work out

Exercises contribute much to having strong bodies even as we advance in age. However exercising without a plan can cause more harm than good. Once you know what you want to achieve as part of your beautiful body, choose an exercise that will help build on it. It can be for your legs, arms, chest, pelvis or even the abdomen.

4. Healthy eating

For you to have a beautiful body there are some foods that you will have to do away with even if they are your favorite foods. Do away with junk food and other fatty foodstuffs. Replace this with fruits and vegetable salads. Do not skip meals in an attempt to lose weight. Instead, you can have small healthy meals frequently. Keep off alcohol and smoking.

5. Drink a plenty of water

Water has many functions in our bodies and one of it is to keep your skin succulent and attractive. It also helps to remove wastes from our body and keep us full for a long time, reducing someone's appetite.

6. Strengthen all your muscles

People tend to be biased in the muscles they want to strengthen, but they forget others. This mostly applies to women. Having a flat tummy and strong arms or thighs with weak pelvic muscles is not good. Have even strong pelvic and even vaginal muscles by either exercising or getting a hymenoplasty surgery.

Work towards your own definition of a great body with these few tips. It does not matter what other people say, as long as you are comfortable in how you look and feel. Remember having a healthy body leads to a longer life.

Aromatherapy and Stress Alleviation

Various therapies are in vogue these days for various ailments and diseases. Aromatherapy is a traditional medicinal practice that helps to improve the emotional and spiritual being of a person. The basis of this therapy is to make use of oils and some aromatic herbs for improving the emotional and physical health of a person. As per the science practitioners, this is considered to be more of a placebo based treatment. As a result of which the effectiveness of this therapy in actual treatment is comparatively low. Nevertheless strong evidences have supported the effectiveness of using this treatment in traditional healing. A good number of ailments are cured with the help of this therapy. You can also try using aromatherapy essential oils for reducing your stress.

Various Uses of aromatherapy

Several doctors and therapists opt for aromatherapy practice with clinical treatment. Dentists often keep aromatic candles in their offices for helping patients to get rid of anxiety and feel a peace of mind. Moreover psychiatrists and clinicians use essential oils for providing relief to nervous patients. In fact it was revealed in a study that Lavender fragrance helps to create a change in the behavioral pattern of infants. Restless infants calm down and are lulled into sleep by the scents of oils.

Alleviates stress and offer peace of mind

The main reason why Aromatherapy helps with stress is that anxiety is more about the emotional condition than physiological. If you think that you will not stress out and take measures to calm your mind, you can immediately change your current state of being stressed. Opting for aromatherapy for over a period of time can completely help you to avoid stress. The aromatherapy is based on the use of scented oils and their scents have a tranquilizing effect on the mind.

The process of using essential oils

You can combine this therapy with deep breathing. Furthermore you can soak in a bathtub filled with oils or light up perfumed candles to emanate a soothing aroma. If you want you can also use a mist spray diluted with a few drops of oils. Usually rose is a popular fragrance. However other flavors also work well. The professionals in the spa combine the use of oils with customized massage option. A good massage helps to release all pent-up tension from the muscles and knots the form around your shoulder and other back areas. The essential oils are also derived from plants having a curative benefit of their own. As a result when the oil seeps into your body, it has a healing effect on your worn out muscles. The scent also works wonders on your mind. Thus the combination of the triple effects helps to give you an effective approach to your physical and mental condition.

Choosing the best oils

Some of the best essential oils that help in reducing stress include Chamomile, Lavender, Pine, Thyme, Eucalyptus, Rose, Sandalwood, Sage, Rosemary, Lemon, Jasmine, Cyprus, Clary sage, and Peppermint. Get the best essential aromatherapy oils that do not cause any allergic reaction and completely alleviate your stress.

Combining Work And Exercise With The Treadmill Desk

Exercise and fitness have taken a backseat in the face of work. More jobs today are desk-based or involve remaining in a static position for long periods. This has led to back problems and weight issues with the former accounting for the second most common reason why workers take sick days off.

It's true that we can all dedicate some time for workouts. That would mean learning to manage time very efficiently. And, while it sounds quite easy to do, other responsibilities crop up which force us to skip much-needed exercise. But, there's a way to balance the need for exercise with work. It may not burn as many calories as a dedicated workout session but is far better than skipping it altogether.

Treadmill desks have become popular office equipments that allow users to work while using the treadmill. A desk is integrated into the treadmill to accommodate personal computers, laptops, telephones and other office equipment.

The workout users get is not level with a good cardio workout as the treadmill isn't ordinarily used to run on. Rather, users walk at a pace of one to two miles. Despite this slow pace, however, it's estimated that between 100 and 300 calories can be burned every hour. This can translate into weight loss of more than 20 kilos a year.

Conventional treadmills can be converted into treadmill desks with some know-how. Else, they can be purchased for a price of less than $100 to high-end equipment exceeding $4,000. Whichever type is purchase, users can be guaranteed better health with regular usage.

Properly designed treadmill desks make exercising easier by minimizing noise, injuries to the knees which can occur with poorly designed equipment, and have speed settings that vary from below a mile an hour to over five.

Inactivity and health

Physical inactivity has been linked to a number of health problems. Top of the list is obesity which aside from lowering confidence in people, contributes to Type II diabetes. Here, blood sugar and insulin levels can't be managed properly and can hinder living an ordinary lifestyle. Heart disease is another whose risks can be lowered by the simple act of walking everyday for 30 minutes.

According to experts, people who exercise regularly but spend long periods of time sitting can develop cancer faster than those who don't. Inactivity causes the body's metabolism to change, they say, which produces biomarkers linked to cancer. This is cause for worry since today's workers spend a large chunk of their days sitting down at their desks.

Many small periods of activity like getting up to deliver mail to a colleague rather than emailing it, walking around while speaking on the phone and texting, and going down to the cafeteria for a snack rather than having it brought to your station can reduce the odds of developing the health problems listed above.

Buying tips

If you work from home or have a choice in choosing your own treadmill desk at work, look for one that's able to deliver different speed settings. This is very important as there will be times when you'll want to go for a run or tone down the pace to a leisurely stroll. If you don't intend to purchase a whole new unit, look for a treadmill desk that fits over the arms of your existing treadmill.

5 Tips on How to Find the Best Day Spa Salon

You go to the Spa salon for relaxation and to get the stress and other worries out of your system. It is very important for you to know that you should choose an appropriate place that treats you in a right way and gives best services. A small survey will help in this matter.

The following are the 5 simple ways which can help you to find the best day spa:

• Search for the Salon:

First of all you need to search for the Spa and Beauty salons in your city through the internet or yellow pages. You can also ask your friends and family members where they prefer to have such treatments and why do they prefer that salon over other salons. This will help you to know what to expect from the salon.

• Staff at the Salon:

Once you have the various options of day spas available, you can visit these places and meet the staff members. A perfect salon includes a friendly and welcoming receptionist, expert and gentle massage therapists, and over all polite staff. All the therapists must have a license; you can request to check their license before you go for your day spa. A lot depends on how the staff behaves and treats you, as you don't want to go to place where they are in a rush or not attentive when you are talking to them.

• Ambiance of the Salon:

Another important thing to note while you pay a visit to a salon is to see the ambiance. From aroma of the salon to the lighting to the colors used in decoration and every other small thing should make you feel welcome and delight you. To ensure this you can ask for the tour of the salon and also check how clean they keep their equipment.

• Your budget:

The things that we discussed till now were related to the salon, now we will see what you need to check about yourself. The budget part is a very crucial part in deciding your day spa. You can compare various rates and choose the one that best fits within your budget. There are selected days at some salons where the special discounted rates are applicable to the services, check for such information and pick your day.

• Trial Service:

If you still have confusion and can't select the salon; you can go for a small service and judge by the results for those small services. This will definitely help you to pick the best day spa.

Combine these tips with your instincts and you will get the optimum result in choosing your best day spa. Then you can go ahead and relax yourself by experiencing the pleasure of getting the best.

Buying a Second Hand Concept 2 Rowing Machine

Buying a Rowing Machine can be quite emotional! If you've never seen or heard about the Concept 2 machine then you'll be none the wiser and will think that lesser equipment is actually alright and will stand the test of time. Once you've seen one of these and maybe spent some time working out on one, in a gym or 'borrowed' from a friend, you really won't want to buy any other make.

If your budget doesn't quite allow you to spend $900+ on a new one (and that's for a new older model!) then you're not alone.

What about trying the second hand market, but where do you look?

eBay & other online auctions

These auction sites are obviously a bit of a gamble, especially when you're thinking of parting with your savings. You need to make sure that the rower you're buying is in relatively good condition, some of the things to look out for with rowers and in particular the Concept brand:

• You really need to have a look at one before buying! This can be difficult with auction sites but try doing a local search and if need be wait until a suitable one becomes available, it might need a bit of patience!

• Make sure there is no damage to the support structure of the rower. One of the good things about the Concept 2 rower is that you can replace broken and worn parts but whilst its OK changing some rollers or even replacing the chain, replacing some main structure like the monorail & track is going to cost! Look out for cracks and other signs of damage on the main structure.

• Has the rower had regular maintenance? If it's been looked after, your immediate ownership costs should be less. Look at the condition of the chain, wear and tear on the flywheel, condition of the rollers etc.

• Where has the machine been used? Again look at the general condition of the rower. Pay close attention to the fan grill, is it full of dirt? Rowers that are stored in garages and not maintained correctly tend to be caked in dirt around the flywheel area.

• Give it a 'test drive'. Is the rowing action smooth and natural, make sure the chain isn't snatching as you row.

Local free ads

Another good place to look for second hand machines. The advice is the same as per sourcing through an auction site.

Try and spend some time with the rower before committing to purchase. If you are offered a drink by the current owner, why not accept? This would give you some 'personal time' with the machine, use this time to thoroughly check the rower for damage, make sure nothing looks out of place, it has no loose parts, generally are you happy with it?

Summary:

These are fantastic machines, a regular favourite in the big name gyms and the build, maintainability and support is second to none.

If your budget prevents you from buying a brand new one, don't opt for second best and look at inferior brands, you might just regret it. The second hand market for the Concept rowers is very good and providing you are patient and check out your rower carefully you should be able to get an excellent machine at a very keen price.

Burning Fat Fast Without Help From a Diet or Exercise

Adding unwanted pounds to your body is easy but getting rid of them is a task which can be very difficult. There are a large number of obese in the United States and elsewhere in the world. These people look forward to burning away the additional fat from their body but generally refrain from going through a regimen which requires them to follow a diet and plenty of exercise. They choose for alternatives, which can help burn away the fat without the need for exercise or diet. Now these people can turn towards green bean coffee extracts, which can help them effectively. Therefore, there is no reason for you to believe that you will have to go through a great deal of trouble to get rid of the fat in your body.

Researchers have been looking forward to understanding whether extracts from green bean coffee are really helpful in losing weight from 2001. Fortunately, they have been able to determine that green bean coffee extracts are indeed capable of burning away fat without the requirement of getting into any sort of diet or exercise. If you are one of those who feel that you have too much fat within your body you can certainly look forward to taking supplements made from this extract.

In order to understand how you will be in a position to burn away the unwanted pounds you will have to study how this supplement can help you. You do not have to believe that this is another wonder drug that has recently been introduced into the market by one of the major dietary supplement manufacturers in the world. Green coffee beans are just unroasted coffee beans and contain higher levels of a chemical that is known as chlorogenic acid. This component is thought to have health benefits, which can assist with weight loss. It affects the way the body handles blood sugar and metabolism thereby aiding in weight loss. It is also useful for people with high blood pressure who may find it beneficial in reducing their high blood pressure levels.

Coffee beans quickly lose the chlorogenic acid which they contain immediately upon being roasted. Supplements that are made from green bean coffee beans are usually sealed and bottled quickly in order to retain the chlorogenic acid to activate the metabolism of fat within the liver which is important to reduce weight.

If you are worried that you will have to spend a large amount of money in order to shed the unwanted pounds you have you can certainly look towards supplements of green bean coffee, which will prove economical to your wallet and help you in losing fat without a difficulty.

What Sets Nutrisystem Apart From Other Diets?

This is the time of the year when people begin thinking about which diet they might use this year to help them to finally lose the weight. You probably can't read a magazine or watch a television program without seeing advertisements for all sorts of different diets. One of the diets that might stick in your mind is Nutrisystem =. It's a popular and current plan. I'm often asked what makes it special or popular.

Common comments are things like: "what's so special about Nutrisystem? Is there anything that makes it different from other diets? What are the pros and cons? What should I know about it before I decide which diet to try?" I'll try to address this in the following article.

What Makes Nutrisystem Special?: Everyone has their own opinion of course. But in my view what makes Nutrisystem a bit unique and different from other diets is a variety of factors, which I'm going to discuss right now. The biggest stand out though is that it is based on the glycemic index. This means that the meals are designed to be low in sugars and carbohydrates while being high in fiber and protein. This encourages your body to burn more fat since it doesn't have carbohydrates at its disposal. I think that this is vital because the whole point of being on a diet is that it is effective and that you actually lose weight.

Another thing that I believe makes this diet popular is that it requires very little work on the dieter's part. The food is mostly provided for you, although you are asked to add in fresh sides. All you really have to do is heat up or remove the wrapper from the meal. You are provided with a breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and dessert for each day. They have several different plans to choose from at difference price points. Speaking of the price points, they often range from about $8 to $10 per day for five daily meals. This is extremely competitive in my opinion. Most of the time, the shipping and counseling is included in this price. They also allow for you to customize your order and chose your own foods without having to pay anything extra.

Finally, I believe that one real strength of this diet is the food. They offer a lot of foods that you wouldn't typically associate with a diet like pizza, tacos, burgers, bagels, cakes, and ice cream. There is a lot of variety and you often get the eat comfort foods and desserts which can make dieting a lot more tolerable.

What Are The Pros And Cons?: I believe that the pros are the foods, the ease of use, and the convenience. As far as diets go, this is a fairly easy one to be on. I also feel that it's reasonably priced, considering the cost of groceries today. I also find that many people are happy with their results. It's also relatively easy to get a lot of free support and to have your questions answered.

If I were to list the cons, I'd say that it is a diet. Your portions are controlled and although there are a lot of choices as far as foods go, you can't just eat what you want any time that you want. There also is a costs involved, although I believe it's less than most diets. Additionally, the results are dependent upon your compliance, just like any other diet. I do feel that this is a relatively easy diet, but if you don't stick with it, your results may be affected by that. However, this is just common sense that most people expect.

How To Heal Skin With Sun Damage

Whether you spent too many days running around in the sun as a kid, or just managed to get one too many major sunburns in your life, you know that the damage that your skin sustains below the surface never actually goes away. But if you accidentally forgot to reapply the sunblock and are dealing with a little bitty burn, there are definitely ways to heal a sunburn fast.

Of course, you must remember that you can't fully undo sun damage. You can ease the pain and get your complexion looking healthy again, and you can take the steps necessary to prevent future sunburns, but damage below the skin's surface accumulates over time, which is how skin cancers such as melanoma form. The best thing to do is use a natural skin lotion sunblock with an SPF of 30 or above every single time you head outdoors, and perhaps go even higher with the UV protection if you know you'll be out in the sun for hours.

But right now, you're focused on the burn you're suffering this second. The first step is to remove yourself from the sun, by getting indoors or into the shade. If it's a painful burn, you can take an aspirin to ease the pain; otherwise, a cool, damp cloth applied on the area will be enough to remove the heat from the sunburn.

Next, use an aloe vera healing gel to soothe the inflamed area, and once the skin is no longer tender, you can use other herbal skin care products that contain aloe to rehydrate and calm burned flesh. Don't forget to drink plenty of cool fluids to rehydrate your body as well. If your skin still feels dry once the sunburn is mostly healed, use the best face lotion for women that you can get, and apply it regularly until your complexion is hydrated again.

If you've had bad sunburns in the past, the best thing you can do to prevent future skin issues is to protect yourself with sunblock, and cover yourself from head to toe in it. When you're not in the sun, keep your skin hydrated daily with a natural skin cream to make up for the dehydration that comes with sun-parched skin. Try to stay in the shade instead of in direct sunlight whenever possible though; remember that your burns from the past have stuck with you, and can cause problems for you later in life if you don't take care of yourself now.

Keep healing gel on-hand so any time you get a little too much sun, you can apply it for one of the ways to heal a sunburn fast. But it's always better if you don't get burned at all.

Best Treadmill For Home - Four Most Important Tips When Buying a Treadmill

If you wish to make the primary step to becoming a healthier, trimmer you, then getting a treadmill would be the better option. The treadmill offers you a reduced impact, safe workout which burns a maximum quantity of calories in the least amount of time. By avoiding injury with a treadmill workout, you'll manage to have a continuous home fitness program that keeps you in form and on the go. However, buying a treadmill is truly a tough task as a result of the presence of so many brands and models in the market. Most premium treadmills share several features which you can search for when shopping to find the best treadmill for running. Before you choose, discover what you need to find out about purchasing a treadmill.

Cushioning is a shock-absorbent layer below the belt created to lessen the impact of your feet on the device. An effective cushioning on a treadmill helps protect the ligaments, joints and the spine while working out. A bad cushioning might lead to an injury and discomfort. The majority of treadmills have a few type of cushioning, but the best treadmill for home would possess a stronger cushion layer especially made to minimize impact on your joints and ligaments. Ensure your treadmill offers an excellent cushioning system - particularly if you'll be running! In case you are attempting to determine if a cushioning system is excellent or poor, first figure out if it's a shock based, cushion based, or spring based system. If its shock based search for adjustability and reliability, if its cushion based ensure it has 8 points, and if its spring based make sure the springs provide an enough rebound rate.

Regardless of your exercise routines, your treadmill's motor matters. The motor drives the treadbelt, or track, forward. Treadmill motors are actually rated by their horsepower (hp). Horsepower ratings could be determined by peak performance, intermediate duty or continuous duty. Watch out for makers that list Peak Power. Peak Power are actually higher numbers and seem remarkable, but all Peak Power shows is a motor's optimum power before failure, not it's preserved outcome (Continuous Power). Continuous Duty Horsepower is a more accurate measure of the motor power. This is the power at which the treadmill could continuously, gradually run for 24 hours without slowing down. You will want at least 1.5 C.H.P (continuous horsepower) for a home treadmill. Ideally, a 2 C.H.P is suited to home joggers and runners.

The next most important attribute is the belt. It is the part which comes in steady contact with the user's jogging or running shoes. The best treadmill for home will have two-ply belts for the most durability. The length of the belt must also be taken into consideration. If you just want to stroll on your treadmill search for a minimum belt surface length of 48 ins. However, if you are a runner, get a running or belt surface length of 60 inches as a minimum. A belt which does not have sufficient length will feel insecure and limiting when running or jogging because of lack of room. If there are more than one individuals of the treadmill, it is best to buy a larger treadmill to fit the individual of the biggest dimension, as larger treadmills can also cater for users of smaller size.

You want to secure your investment so a sound treadmill warranty is a must. You ought to choose a motorized treadmill with a life-time guarantee on the motor and structure, or a minimum of 10-15 years at the very minimum. The longer the period of the guarantee, the greater is the quality.

Treadmills are fantastic equipments designed for enhancing your fitness levels. Considering all the above items, you should be able to get the best treadmill for running which meets your requirements. Remember them and you'll have no trouble discovering the ideal one.

How Many Calories Are Consumed In A Typical Medifast Meal?

I often hear from folks who are wondering how many calories they might consume each day on the Medifast diet. To that end, many will wonder how many calories are in a Medifast meal. Common comments are things like: "how many calories can I expect to take in every time I eat one of the diet meals? Do the calories vary from meal to meal? Do some have more than others?" I will address these concerns below.

By And Large, The Medifast Meals Contain A Consistent Amount Of Calories: I find that many people assume that some of the meals (like the brownie or the soft serve ice cream) contains many more calories than some other lighter meals (like the chicken noodle soup.) I can see how this would be a reasonable assumption. After all, who wouldn't just assume that a brownie is going to be more harmful to your diet than a cup of soup? The truth is, these two items are very similar. The brownie comes in at only 110 calories while the chicken noodle soup comes in at 100. And believe it or not, this is true of most of the meals. Many of them have a calorie content that ranges from 90 to 110 calories. I will list some examples now just to show you how a wide variety of menu items are all consistently similar. The new macaroni and cheese contains 110 calories. So does the chocolate chip pancakes, the chili, the pudding, the peanut butter soft serve, the shakes, the snack bites, the pretzels, and the chocolate crunch bar. Examples of foods that have less calories are the eggs (at only 90) and the oatmeal (at only 100.)

An exception to the rule that I just discussed are the maintenance bars. They have more calories. Both of the current flavors (the caramel nut bar) and the oatmeal raisin contain 170 and 150 respectively.) That is why you are limited to only one of these each day. The same is not true with the lighter crunch bars. These crunch bars are not limited.

Adding It All Together: Keep in mind that you will be eating five of these prepackaged meals each day. So that's around approximately 500 - 550 calories. Knowing that you take in around 1,000 calories each day on this diet, where does the remainder come from? You'll provide that with your main lean and green meal. This is the meal that you make (or provide via restaurant or frozen foods) yourself. The point is, you are safe to choose any of the items on the menu (with the exception of more than one maintenance bar) and you should be taking in a consistent amount of calories without needing to worry about anything.

The 3 Best Muscle Building Tips

-Tip #1: Work out on a consistent basis.

This seems simple yet many people seem to have a hard time working out consistently. Someone might workout four times one week, three the next, and not at all the following week. This approach to working out will definitely not get you the results that you are looking for. It is far better to start small and workout three times a week and actually do it as opposed to working out five times a week burning out and eventually quitting. If you are a beginner than you can workout more when you feel comfortable and are ready. There is no need to go all out from the start and doing that is not necessary to get results.

Tip #2: Have a plan when you enter the gym.

It always surprises me to see just how many people workout and have no plan to follow. Just entering the gym and doing some bench press with some curls will not yield any lasting results. This is because it is impossible to tell if you are making progress in the gym if you aren't keeping track of anything. By having an exact blueprint you will be able to track your progress and therefore achieve great results with your workout program. I also like to bring a stopwatch to the gym. This helps to keep my workouts honest and on track. If my workout calls for a minute in between sets, then a stopwatch is really the only way I can track my rest periods.

Tip #3: Make steady and realistic changes to your nutrition.

There is no question that diet plays a key and fundamental role in determining how you look. If you are new to fitness and working out, then making a complete overhaul to your diet is certainly not the way to go. Start with something simple like drinking fewer sodas. For example if you typically drink two soft drinks everyday then try cutting it down to one a day. The key with nutrition is to make it easy so that you can sustain your eating habits for the rest of your life. You and I both know that you aren't going to go the rest of your life without eating ice cream. The important thing is to find ways of getting to enjoy certain foods like ice cream and not having to worry about them ruining your diet.

3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your LED Therapy Light

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a class in LED Light Therapy. What exactly is LED Light Therapy? It is a hand held device that uses specific wavelengths of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) to energize your cells, naturally combating the signs of aging and giving you more radiant, youthful looking skin.

I have to admit going in I was a skeptic! I was thinking (Great one more thing for me to spend my hard earned money on that will find its way to the drawer of misfit gadgets that promised me results and failed)...

However, after sitting through the very in depth presentation, watching the demonstrations and trying the light for myself, I am a believer! I ended up purchasing 2 lights for myself. I purchased a therapy light (I have an Achilles issue that would not go away) and the LED light for wrinkles. Just a quick note about the therapy light (as this isn't what my article is about). The therapy light is AWESOME! After just 2 days of treatments (2 times a day for 30 minutes) I have noticeably less pain in my Achilles and ran a 10K without pain for the first time in as long as I can remember.

Getting back to the LED light for wrinkles. Although I didn't expect to see any results for at least 6-12 weeks, I was pleasantly surprised at how good my skin felt after the very first use! With just a 20 minute session with the light my skin felt softer, smoother, and had a noticeable glow to it (that nice kind of flush you get after a good workout). I could tell that the blood was pumping and my circulation wasn't so sluggish.

I have been using this light on myself for over a week now and I am seeing a marked improvement on a daily basis. Some of the benefits I have been told to expect are as follows:

• Reduction in fine lines and wrinkles
• Increased collagen and elastin
• Reduction in appearance of pore size
• Firming and toning
• Restoration of skin's youthful radiance and appearance
• Soothing gentle warmth

I have, in just over a week actually seen some of these benefits happen before my own eyes! I have a much smoother texture to my skin. It does appear to be more radiant in appearance. The light does have a smoothing gentle warmth that I love, and I do believe the lines around my eyes (crows feet) are less noticeable than they were a week ago.

Considering the manufacturer states that it takes 6-12 weeks to notice improvement I would say we have a winner here!

Now for 3 tips that I think are very important to get the most out of your LED Light Therapy

1. Use the LED light Daily! You can't leave this in the drawer and expect to see results if you only use it once in a while! This device is designed to be used! It only takes minutes a day and there isn't a person out there who can tell me they don't take an hour or more to sit in front of the TV or stalk their friends and Ex's on Face Book! If you know what Kim Kardashian is up to you have more than enough time on your hands!
2. Use your LED Light on a clean dry face after you have applied an anti-aging serum. This is KEY! Using the light on a face with makeup and the day's pollutants will only drive those impurities deeper into the skin and may even cause a break out (Which you will then blame on the light, but are actually your own fault because you don't wash your face... Seriously)
3. Exfoliate! Yes, exfoliate 2-3 times a week (only) to really get the most out of the Light! However, don't you dare put the St. Ives almond scrub anywhere near your face (unless you want to create more wrinkles I could go on for hours about how bad that stuff is, but that my friends is a whole other Oprah)!

Bonus Tip! SUNSCREEN! Apply it, reapply it, and then apply it again! UV Rays are about 90% responsible for the aging of our skin and yet when I ask people if they use sunscreen more than 50% say no! Also, putting on a 70 SPF once in the AM doesn't do squat. You need to apply sunscreen 2-3 times a day (even if you are just driving in rush hour traffic or just walking to your car).

If you are now thinking about running out to get an LED light do keep the following in mind:

• Look for a light made in the USA (quality is better)
• Look for a light that plugs in! (LED need full power to operate correctly a battery powered light immediately drains that battery and will not have the same results
• Do check company return policy (a good company will have a 30 -60 day return policy)
• Have a look on the shopping channels! I have seen some good products on different channels and they usually have a better price)

There you have it, 3 tips and a bonus nugget to get you on your way to a more youthful and radiant appearance. Enjoy!

The Importance Of Professional Physicians Scales For In-Home Health Care

Professional physician scales have tremendous importance in the field of medical healthcare as well as in-home health care. Professional physician scales are generally used for measuring and documenting the body weight of an individual person. In upgraded scales, the body mass index of an individual can also be measured. Hospitals, doctor's chambers, gymnasium, health clubs, physical therapist's clinics, even in some of the drug stores- any place related to the healthcare field must contain different types.

Any new-born baby should be weighed daily to track with his growth, any bed ridden patient should be scaled for proper medication, any patient needs to be scaled to determine the proper dose of anesthesia during operation, an athlete needs to be weighed daily to check how much muscle has been developed or how much fat has been drained. Even in some of particular athletics field, the contestants are categorized according to their body weight and hence in those games the importance of physician scales is really huge. And there are thousands of other cases where weighing machines have their tremendous importance.

The accuracy of professional physician scales is really important in medical science. The nutrition chart and the diet for a newborn baby is solely determined by its body weight and hence the accurate daily measurement of the weight of a baby is utmost important. The doses of medicines prescribed to a patient largely vary according to the body weight of the patient and a wrong measurement of weight may result in a disastrous medical error.

The professional physician scales can be broadly classified into two categories: mechanical and digital. The mechanical physician scale has the analog display with the use of an indicator. Mechanical devices do not need any external power source to be operated and also these devices are quite reliable for long-term uses. With proper calibration, the accuracy of the mechanical physician scales is very high, but their precision level is somewhat lower. The mechanical devices are the traditional devices and have been used from the beginning of the history of medical science.

On the other hand, the digital scales are the newest devices and they are the result of the modern technologies. A digital scale has the digital display and displays an accurate result of the measured weight, sometimes to the hundredth of a pound. Obviously digital scales need necessary power from a built-in battery or from an external power source. The accuracy and precision of digital scales are quite high. However, since the digital scales are the electronic devices, there are chances of instrumental error and also these scales lose their efficiency after a long time of use.

In the healthcare field, there are lots of companies that manufacture hundreds of different models. The models vary in their shape, size, facilities, displays and the technologies used. The constant research is going on in the healthcare field to achieve the higher level of professional physician scales. With the growth of the technology, more accurate, more precise measurements can be done using the modern professional physician scales.

Gastric Band Weight Loss Operations on the NHS

Gastric Band NHS

As a form of weight reduction a surgical weight loss operation is becoming increasingly popular in the UK.

If carried out privately the operation can be very expensive, probably in the region of £6000.

Fortunately in this country we have the benefit of the National Health Service or the NHS and a great number of Gastric Band, Gastric Bypass and similar surgical weight reduction operations are carried out in the UK each year under the umbrella of the National Health Service.

To be considered for an operation such as these on the NHS the essential first step is to see your doctor, he will assess you, advise you and should you meet the necessary criteria may refer you for further and more detailed assessment.

This will almost certainly begin with a referral to a dietitian, who again can offer you further help and support. If your eventual aim is that of an operation this can be a long way down the line, the application process is a lengthy and arduous one, with waiting lists of a year or more very commonplace in many regions.

Although the application process for a gastric band operation on the NHS can be a little tiresome this can in some ways be considered advantageous. You would pick up a lot of informed and useful advise along the way and may even be persuaded that there are realistic and viable alternatives to weight loss surgery.

In addition to the gastric band there are a number of alternative weight loss operations available on the NHS in the UK. These are free at the point of use.

The Gastric Bypass is particularly effective although it is a much larger and more drastic operation than the gastric band. The gastric bypass is often recommended to patients who are considered extremely obese and it can be an effective treatment for certain forms of diabetes. It is however irreversible unlike the gastric band which can be removed at any time.

Other new forms of weight loss surgery are emerging all the time, one of the newer ones is the gastric balloon which is a non invasive and safe procedure requiring no actual incision as the gastric balloon is fed down the throat and then inflated once in the stomach to give a permanent feeling of fullness.

It is however only a short term solution as the balloon has to be removed for safety reasons after a period of about six months.

As always and with any form of weight loss surgery it is absolutely essential that you first consult your doctor and follow his advise meticulously. It may very well be that he will suggest alternatives to surgery which you may wish to explore before taking the far more drastic step of a surgical operation.

Which ever route you decide to take, whether it be a gastric band operation or some other form of weight loss surgery, or maybe you would first choose to explore conventional weight loss techniques, all anyone can do is wish you all the luck in the world.

Good luck.

Bowflex Home Gym

The Bowflex Home Gym has been toning bodies and making rippling muscles since 1986. With nearly 30 years in the exercise and fitness industry, Bowflex has been producing great machines that get results and have built a name people can trust. One of the most remarkable components to their system is that instead of doing weight training, their machines rely on resistance training to attain the beach body you have always knew was in reach but had never seen in the mirror looking back. Now is your chance, read on to learn more about the great options available from Bowflex.

There are two primary machines that are in production currently and a number of other legacy ones that are still in use. Each offers a unique workout unlike any other systems on the market and will serve you well. Both are packed with many features that will take your workout to the next level. There is nothing quite like a Bowflex home gym thanks to their proprietary designs based around resistance training. This is what makes their units stand out in the crowd, when you are in the presence of a Bowflex machine your instantly recognize them before ever having to ask or look for a brand emblem.

The first model we will examine is the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym. This machine uses the classic Power Rod technology that is synonymous with the image of Bowflex in the mind's eye of most people. This unit has a variety of 70 different positions to utilize that will get you into shape. It is really simple to change exercises and the amount of resistance by simply adding more rods to the pulley system. This machine comes standard with 210 pounds of resistance that can be upgraded to 410 pounds. It even has a lateral bar amongst all of its features that aid in insolating muscles within your body. When you purchase this workout station you will receive a 7 year warranty as well.

Innovation is the name of the game whenever you purchase a Bowflex Home Gym and the Revolution is the next model that will be discussed. This is the new wave from the company. No longer reliant on Power Rod technology, this unit incorporates the SpiraFlex mechanism that comes stock with 220 pounds of resistance and can also be upgraded. Unfortunately, it only reaches up to 300 pounds with is comparatively lower than its older brother. It also has the Freedom Arm component that allows for workouts that require a wide range of arm motion to accomplish the results you are in pursuit of for your own body. With aerobic rowing functionality and a 10 year warranty you can not go wrong.

Why leave the house for a gym full of Lunks when you can workout in the privacy of your own home and on your own schedule with the Bowflex Home Gym? They require no money up front thanks to financing options that are available as well. Visit Bowflex online to get more details and find out which machine is right for you.

Choosing a Diet - The Difference Between the Paleo and Atkins Diets

Knowing the difference between the Paleo diet and Atkins diet can help you figure out what is best for you. People have always been searching for that perfect diet, so it's no wonder that there has been recent talk around the question: What is the difference between the Paleo diet and Atkins diet?

Purpose

The Atkins and Paleo diets are two of the widely popular diets. Both diets have their key factors that make each other successful. They use the same concept of being a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. However, the main difference in the Paleo versus Atkins diet question is: What is the purpose of each one? The main goal of the Paleo diet is not just to lose weight, but it is more of a lifestyle choice. On the other hand, the Atkins diet is simply used to lose weight and it is not used for a lifelong commitment.

Guidelines

Secondly, the Atkins diet is broken down into four phases - one being the induction leading to four being lifetime maintenance. It goes from the most restrictive to lesser and lesser restrictions. The New Atkins approach also allows dieters to customize their diet plan to fit their personal weight and fitness goals. The initial phase, timeframe and the time to start fitness activity are among ten ways that dieters can customize the new Atkins diet.

The Paleo diet is not broken down into phases. There is only a modification for people who are athletes that want to lose weight. Everyone basically follows the same guidelines of eating foods that were founded in the Paleolithic Age.

Types of food allowed

Thirdly, the food allowed in each diet is another factor that contributes to the difference between the Paleo and Atkins diet. The Paleo diet involves eating healthier foods and taking out foods that were not used back in the day of the hunter-gatherer civilization 25 to 50 thousand years ago. These eating habits prohibit using vegetable oils, legumes (beans, peas and peanuts), artificial sweeteners, most dairy products and grains.

On the other hand, the Atkins plan advocates eating certain foods during different phases of the diet. Vegetable oils and artificial sweeteners are allowed. Dieters can eat legumes and grains in the third and fourth phases. It also encourages eating vegetables from the first phase, but fruits are not brought into the equation until the second phase.

When you are deciding on the pros and cons in the Paleo versus Atkins diet debate, you need to figure out what your main goal is. If you simply just want to lose weight, the Atkins diet may be the best for you. They focus on eating lots of fats and protein, which is not considered a healthy choice. The Paleo diet focuses on a healthier lifestyle that will also help you lose weight.

What to Look for and How to Find the Best Massage Table for Your Practice

Looking for an appropriate table as a student or as a replacement for your current table? There are a few things you will want to consider before deciding on which table to buy.

Here are some useful tips to utilize when choosing the best massage table for your needs and the comfort of your clients.

1. Strength & Stability.

If you are inclined to buy a cheap table just for the price; step back and ask yourself if the quality is up to your requirements? You need to be confident that the table will support your clients weight-no matter their size-without swaying, breaking, or crumbling under the their bodyweight.

Check the static weight and working weight to be confident they will fit your needs. Note that if you are doing a more strenuous type of body-work, such as deep tissue massage, you will be putting your table under a greater operating load.

2. Kinds of Bodywork

Certain kinds of body-work need certain features for your table. If you perform Reiki or energy work, look for a table with high end clothing that allow you to slip your legs underneath the desk at either end. If you do shiatsu as well as other forms of massage, look for a table with a shiatsu release cable so that you can reduced the mat to the floor.

3. Size and Dimensions

Width and measurements are about ergonomics as well as your clients' relaxation. The table should be narrow enough to allow the therapist to reach across without limiting your ability to apply your specific techniques. The table should also be wide enough to ensure that your customers experience is completely safe on the table. The therapist should be able to lower and/or raise the table to the correct height for the application of proper massage therapy techniques.

4. Comfort

The table's cushioning should be dense enough and durable enough for your massage therapy customers to lie on the table and be relaxed for the entire massage session. Also note that there are some forms of kinds massage therapy techniques that require a firmer, less supple surface for the application of the \ technique.

5. Weight

If you will need to transport your table, you will want to consider the weight of the table. Is it light enough to transport the table the entire distance you will need to take it? If you transport your table often, you will definitely need a lightweight massage table. Remember the weight of the table will be different to 6" tall and 200 lbs. male therapist than in will be to a 5"2" 120 lbs. female massage therapist.

Another option is to use a massage desk cart, where you can place the table on the cart and roll it, versus carrying it on your shoulder.

How To Drop A Dress Size In 2 Weeks After Menopause

Women over 50 have moved into the menopausal stage of life and this makes for changes in the way the body handles fat loss and storage. After menopause, shifts in hormone levels make it easier for the woman's body to distribute fat around the waistline. Besides changing the way clothing fits, this also contributes to an increased risk of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. By following this 2 week strategy you will be able to reset your fat burning hormones and boost your fat burning potential enough to drop a dress size.

2 Week Strategy to drop a dress size:

1. Eat low carb, with a twist. Low carb diets are effective for quick weight loss, but if followed for too long they can wreak havoc on your metabolism and bottom out your body's ability to burn fat. This is because low carb diets send warning flags to your body that you are not taking in sufficient amounts of its primary energy source, carbohydrates.

When this warning flag is raised your body drastically slows the production of fat burning hormones to prevent you from starving to death. To avoid this drop in hormones, you must take actions that convince the body that it is not starving and adding one high-calorie/high-carb meal per week will do the trick.

2. Taper carbohydrates during the week. You will benefit from a lower carb diet during the week with one higher carb meal added in; but, you can keep your body in an even better fat burning state by tapering your carbs up as you move toward your high carb meal.

To do this follow your high carb meal with two very low carb days. This should be under 50 grams of carbohydrates. This will help your body prevent fat storage and will boost fat burning. After those two days taper your carb intake upward about 10 to 20 carbs each day until you reach your high carb day.

3. Combine aerobic and resistance exercises. Loss of muscle mass is one of the reasons a woman's fat burning potential drops after menopause. To combat this loss it is important to exercise against resistance, which means using dumbbells, doing exercises against your body weight, or doing a physically demanding form of yoga.

To maximize the resistance training for both muscle growth and fat burning you want to perform resistance training the day after your high carb meal. At this time your muscles are filled with stored energy and your metabolism is peaked allowing your body to utilize the carbs you ate for energy.

For the remaining days of the week you can switch to an aerobic form of exercise of your choice including walking, jogging, dancing, biking or swimming.

Follow this plan for 2 weeks and you will notice your body burns fat more efficiently and you should be able to slip into that smaller dress size with ease.

Types of Cleansing

Cleansing can be a great way to reset your body and clear out the "junk" that tends to accumulate. Medical experts debate just how effective and necessary cleansing is, but most people with cleansing report positive results. Sometimes results are dramatic and include a person's appearance, digestion, weight, and ability to function.

There are several types of cleansing. Your goals should determine the type of cleanse you choose. Cleansing should be temporary and you should consult your doctor prior to any type of extreme dietary change. If you think cleansing might improve your health or be an effective way to transition into a new phase of life, consider one of the following:

Complete Cleansing

This is the most extreme form of cleansing. A person doing a complete cleanse drinks only water and eats nothing during the cleanse. This can be a dangerous practice if done for a long period of time, but most people can handle a day or two with this cleanse, as long as they are otherwise healthy. A complete cleanse gives your digestive system time to rest. It slows your metabolism, so any weight loss you experiment will likely be temporary.

Juice Cleansing

This has become a very popular form of cleansing because it allows your body to get the calories it needs without consuming solid food. It can help with weight loss and many juice cleansers report a variety of other positive results. There are stories about juice cleansing balancing blood sugar, battling obesity, and easing cardiovascular issues. If you are concerned about consuming enough fat and protein during a longer juice cleanse, consider adding protein powders and using coconut in fruit smoothies in addition to regular juice.

Light Cleansing

This type of cleansing is often billed as the healthiest across the board. Light cleansing allows you to eat, but it restricts calories and certain types of foods. For instance, someone doing a light cleanse might avoid processed foods, red meat, and dairy. Many believe this type of cleanse is ideal for long-term eating and do not officially consider it a cleanse. However, if your eating habits are not up to par health-wise, this is a great cleanse to kickoff a healthier eating plan.

Specific Cleanses

There is a variety of cleansing plans available to help you reach specific goals. Remember, some of these are not healthy and should not be used on a long-term basis. The Master Cleanse, which required cleansers to consume only lemon water and cayenne pepper for long periods of time rose to popularity several years ago. Some reported positive results, but others struggled to function with so little nutrition.

Cleansing to lose weight often backfires because of the effect not eating has on your metabolism, but the practice provides a number of other positive health benefits. Using it as your primary weight loss tool is likely going to hurt your cause. Instead, try a cleanse one to four times a year to reboot your system. If you are uncomfortable with a complete cleanse, a juice cleanse is a great option. Cleansing can remind you to eat consciously and treat your body with greater respect.