Thank You For Visiting Our Blog, FEEL BETTER AND LIVE LONGER!

The purpose of our blog is to share what we have learned about nutrition, weight loss, fitness, and health, in order to help you find ways to feel better and live longer. It is amazing how much our diet and lifestyle affect our health and well-being.

Did you know that you can reduce your risk and even prevent many diseases and health conditions simply by making some changes to your diet? Check back often for valuable tips and information.


HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF:

For the first time in my life I have found weight loss success. During my adult life I have tried dozens and dozens of so-called "diets" and none of them worked over the long-haul. Oh, I was able to lose weight with some of them, but once I went off of the "diet" I quickly gained back all of my weight (plus some).

I have finally learned that losing weight has to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. Crash diets and all the other crazy diets will not only cause you to fail, they are harmful to your health. To lose weight and keep it off you must NOT go on a "diet." What? Why? Because we all consider a "diet" a temporary thing. For example, how many times have you said, "Oh, I will go on this low-fat diet until I lose 20 pounds." Okay, what happens after you lose the 20 pounds? Or you simply give up? You go back to your old habits and gain that 20 pounds back.

The only way you will ever be successful at losing weight, with the added benefit of improving your health, is to make healthy changes that you can live with for the rest of your life. Period. Not for a week, a month or 3 months, but for life. For me, my initial goal was to lower my cholesterol level. I had to have a blood test for my insurance coverage and my cholesterol level had to be lower than the previous year's levels or I would have to pay a much higher premium. Well, that was a pretty good incentive for me make some positive changes.

I sat down and figured out what I needed to do. I knew I had to change the way I ate and I knew I had to exercise in some form or other every day. So, I made a list and I stuck to it. It was difficult at first. To make matters worse, I am a compulsive eater. However, as the days went by, it became much easier because my body stopped craving sweets and processed foods. For the first time in my life, I was never tempted to binge because I never felt deprived.

Use the list below and make whatever changes you need to make in order for it to work for you. FYI, my cholesterol level dropped 65 points after 7 weeks, and my triglycerides dropped 70 points!
Another benefit that I hadn't planned on was that after being an insomniac since my teen-age years, I now sleep like a baby every night!

MY LIST FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCESS:

1. Avoid "white" Foods & Processed Foods.
These foods have no nutritional value and are "empty" calories. Sweets, anything made with white flour,and anything that comes in a package with a long list of ingredients.
Always read the food labels. Stay away from those long lists of ingredients. The longer the list, the more chemicals and additives are present. These are extremely toxic to your body.


2. Drink Lots of
Water. Water keeps your body's organs hydrated and flushes out unhealthy toxins. It helps to fill you up and reduces your urge to over-eat.


3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast.
Instead of coffee and donuts, try fruit, yogurt, grains like oatmeal or whole grain toast, and lean protein. NEVER skip breakfast. By eating a large, healthy meal when you get up in the morning, your metabolism will "rev up" and you will not be hungry by mid-morning. If you skip breakfast, your
body will go into starvation mode and store calories in your body as FAT, yes FAT! So do yourself a big favor and eat breakfast.


4. Reduce Your Stress Level.
So many of us live with too much
stress. Stress lowers your immune system, making it easier to get sick. It also makes us lethargic, tired, and depressed. There are a lot of simple things you can do and a lot of ways to feel better about yourself and your life. Take a long, hot bath, read a book, listen to music, get a massage. Do something nice for yourself. Giving yourself something to look forward to is a tremendous mental incentive.


5. Move!
Oh my gosh! There are so many ways to incorporate movement into your day, even at work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up every hour and walk around your floor, your hallway or your desk. Park your car in the farthest space from where you need to be. Walk or bike to work. Skate, dance, golf, jump rope, clean house, play tag. The best exercise you can do is to walk. Try to take a walk every day! The more you move, the more your metabolism will be your friend. (I walk 3 miles every day whether it is raining, snowing or freezing.)


Arthritis Pain Relief


The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition, is a form of arthritis that causes the gradual breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the joints, resulting in bones rubbing against bones. This cause stiffness and pain when movement is attempted. Osteoarthritis most commonly affects weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips and is also common in the fingers.

There are several factors that contribute to developing arthritis:

1.         genetics
2.         gender
3.         the aging process
4.         being overweight and/or obese
5.         joint injury

Obviously, you cannot change your genetics, your gender, or reverse the aging process. However, you can make changes to your weight and lifestyle that will help you find arthritis pain relief.

DIET AND OSTEOARTHRITIS:

FOODS TO AVOID:  There are many pro-inflammatory foods that can increase arthritis symptoms due to inflammation, increasing your pain. These foods need to be avoided as much as possible from your diet.

*Junk foods, high-fat meats, processed meats like lunch meat and hot dogs, and fast foods increase inflammation in your body. This is partially due to the unhealthy fats used in processing these foods, especially trans fats and saturated fats.

*Saturated fats are also found in dairy products and eggs. While these foods are important source of minerals and vitamins, you don't need the extra saturated fat. Be sure to choose low fat milk and cheese and lean cuts of meat, which will not promote inflammation.

*Diets high in sugar increase inflammation and obesity. Eliminate high sugar foods such as sodas, pastries, pre-sweetened cereals and candy.

*Decrease your consumption of all animal products other than fish. It is also very important to eliminate alcohol, coffee, and excess salt.

*Some vegetables from the nightshade family of plants, like potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant, can increase the pain from inflammation.

FOODS TO INCLUDE: Being overweight carries a highly increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. Since being overweight contributes to joint injury, it makes sense that losing weight would decrease your pain level by reducing the pressure on your joints. A joint-friendly diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables.

*Fruit:
Those high in Vitamin C like strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, peaches, mango, and cantaloupe.

*Vegetables:
Those high in Vitamin A (beta-carotene) and Vitamin C. Carrots, squash, sweet potato, spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

*Anti-Inflammatory Foods:
Ginger, garlic, apples and apple cider vinegar. (Apple cider vinegar is said to ease pain on the joints. Take 2 TBSP. per day.)

*Oily Fish:
Rich omega-3 essential fatty acids and high in Vitamin E like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, tuna and trout.

*Nuts and Seeds:
Rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids and high in Vitamin E. Unsalted nuts like walnuts, brazil nuts and almonds, and seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

*Pulses and Grains
Lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), brown rice, and whole grains (breads, cereals, pastas,etc.).

*Drink at least 48 ounces of pure water every day.

EXERCISE AND OSTEOARTHRITIS:

EXERCISE: One of the best forms of treatment for arthritis pain relief is exercise. It strengthens the muscular support around the joints and improves joint mobility and function.

There are three types of exercise that are beneficial in the treatment of osteoarthritis:

*Stretching exercises - help reduce stiffness and increase joint movement and flexibility.

*Strengthening exercises - increase muscle strength. Strong muscles help support and protect the joints that are affected by arthritis.

*Aerobic exercises - improve cardiovascular fitness, control weight and improve the body's overall function.

Start with a warm-up and begin exercising slowly. Resting frequently will reduce the risk of injury. Before beginning any type of exercise program, consult your doctor to find out which exercises are appropriate for you and which exercises you should avoid.

While you cannot prevent osteoarthritis, you can find arthritis pain relief by eating a joint-preserving diet, maintain your ideal weight, and exercise regularly. Exercise also helps control weight and improves mental outlook by releasing feel-good chemicals in our brains.

6 comments:

  1. Such a relief knowing these tips. Thanks mate!

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