Top Five Weightloss Myths/Misconception

I came across this interesting article from Yahoo Lifestyle and found it bit hilarious and interesting. So I'd like to share it here in my blog.

Among the numerous myths floating around us all the times, myths about weight loss keep on surfacing every now and them.

They are all around us: on the Web, friends keep delivering sermons on them or they can be found in the latest issue of a celebrity magazine. On this World Health Day, MensXP tries to rip apart five grave misconceptions related to weight loss.

Myth 1: Giving Up the Breakfast

Skipping breakfast would only undo your efforts of losing weight. A high-nutrient breakfast gives our body the much-needed calorie burning start. Just make sure that your breakfast is composed of healthy stuff like sprouts, juices, etc and it's not equivalent to the heavy meals you enjoy at weddings.

Myth2: Carbs are My Worst Enemy

All carbs aren't bad. Soda, a carbohydrate, is bad but broccoli, another carbohydrate, is good. All you need to figure out is which carbs are good for you instead of worrying about the overall carb intake. Rely on veggies, fruits, and high-fiber whole grains (but do not indulge in gluttony). If you can't resist a tempting carb, say an ice-cream, burn it off with exercise.

Myth3: I Shouldn't Eat After 6 in the Evening

There's no magic time to get done with food for the day. Just stop devouring food which is bad for your health. For instance, if you're watching a late night movie on television force yourself to not eat junk food like ice creams, chips, burgers etc, rather go for salads, fruits etc.

Myth4: All I have to do is to Cut Down Calories

Not entirely true. While total intake of calories does matter, the source from which you get them is also important. You get almost the same number of calories from a handful of almonds and 3 apples as you would get from a cheeseburger and coke. But you know that you have to choose the former.

Myth5: All I Need is that Magic Pill to Help Me Shed Pounds

We're sorry to inform you but there are no miracle pills, potions, creams, belts and shoes which can help you grow muscles or cut flab in no time (as they might claim). These supplements may help but then you have to supplement them with right dietary and fitness programmes to extract the benefit out of them. (MensXP.com)

Courtesy: Yahoo Lifestyle

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Blood test tells you how long you will live?

Courtesy: Yahoo Lifestyle.

Soon, it will cost just 435 pounds to keep tab on your ageing process. Scientists have developed a blood test, which can show the speed of ageing and give an estimate of how long a person is going to live.

The test results may be vital to life-insurance companies offering medical cover that depends on a person's lifetime risk of falling seriously ill or dying prematurely.

The controversial blood test is to go on sale to the general public in Britain later this year.

The test has been designed to measure vital structures on the tips of a person's chromosomes called telomeres, which scientists believe are one of the most important and accurate indicators of the speed at which a person is ageing.

According to scientists, the test will be able to tell whether a person's "biological age", as measured by the length of their telomeres is older or younger than their actual chronological age.

"We now that people who are born with shorter telomeres than normal also have a shorter lifespan. We know that shorter telomeres can cause a shorter lifespan," the Independent quoted Maria Blasco, of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid as saying.

"But we don't know whether longer telomeres are going to give you a longer lifespan. That's not really known in humans," she added.

Scientists are hopeful that the test could prove to be a breakthrough in satiating the curiosity of the people regarding their mortality, who can accordingly, plan their life.

However, scientists do not yet believe that the test predictions can be narrowed down to calculate the exact number of months and years a person has yet to live.

Additional Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/19life.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

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Working woman please take care of your hair..

Healthy and Lustrous Hair has been a dream for everyone, especially woman. Every woman wants to wear different hair style and look beautiful. But todays  way of living is becoming a barrier in achieving their  dream.

Now a days taking care of hair has become an important  task in our day to day life and we rarely find time to  take care of it in our busy speedy life style. What  everyone wants is a beautiful, shiny and a healthy  hair.Do we take proper hair care and are we taking  care in the right path? This question popups to almost  everyone of us.

In olden days, woman stayed at home, taking care of  their household things. They had an ample time in  taking care of their beauty. But woman now are  working, spending most of their times at their  workplace,being stressed and pressured. And when they  return back home, all they have time is to eat and  sleep. Do you think the food we have now a days is  nutritious enough?

Ok enough of stories and here i dive into the information of hair care tips especially for working  woman. So what you need to do?

1. Understand your hair:

Just take a look at your hair. You can clearly  understand whats lacking isn't it. You can easily get  what your hair wants in clearly looking at your hair.Most of the woman tends to have dry hair and can see  split-ends over their hair mainly because of the  following reasons:

 a. Over Expose to Sun

 b. working at air-conditioned place for hours

 c. Food habits

 d. Some people do not even drink water

 e. Unhealthy ways of treating hair like using hair 

straightening irons in incorrect way.

 f. too much usage of blow driers

 g. Over shampooing and using any hair care 

lotions/shampoos which they find attractive in shops.

 h. If your showering in hard water.

2.Spend time

All you need to do is to have confidence and trust in your hair. Spend atleast 10 mins of your time daily  for your care . Most women tend to shower their hair daily so that  they feel fresh and oil free. Oily hair sometimes  feels irritated and they tend to smudge over the face  and makes our day at work frustrated. So it ok to wash  your hair as it removes excess oil and dirt and keeps  your hair fresh. But please note to avoid shampoo's  with too much chemicals especially the ones which  comes under SLS category.They make your hair more dry. 

Go for shampoo rich in moisturizers and proteins,  preferably with Sea Kelp and Almond.

You spend atleast 10 hours outside  (work+travel+parties+restaurants etc) and dont laze  away when you are back at home. Spend a little time  for your hair and skin :) It wont cost you more than  10 mins isn't it.

Apply coconut oil or Almond oil to your hair and  gently comb it. Remove tangles and keep it  conditioned. Coconut oil is the best and natural hair  care expert and it is also a natural conditioner. That  is why Indian woman tend to have black and shiny hair.  If possible plait your hair before you go to sleep.

3. Weekends Massage

At weekends massage your hair with heated coconut oil or olive oil. Olive oil is one of the best hair  conditioner and you can see it with your own eyes  after you've applied it.

Read the below link for more details.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4884793_use-olive-oil-hair.html

You can also prepare herbal hair mask using curd, egg white etc. Please avoid wearing henna hair mask frequently as it adds more dryness to your hair.

Please avoid mechanisms that make your hair dry as much as possible. Because dry hair tends to go thin and become brittle and at last they break off. And make your hair more moisturized. 

Just perform these changes and see the difference.

4. Healthy Diet

It is not enough to take care of your hair externally. It also requires to take care of your body health. Proper diet is also a key factor that promotes healthy hair. Consume more leafy vegetables and fruits. Drink lots of water and have fresh juices.  Try to maintain your body temperature normal.

5. Exercise Regularly

http://ezinearticles.com/?Exercise-Helps-Promote-Natural-Growth-Of-Hair&id=1020192

Just perform these changes and see the difference. I do not recommend any artificial products or cosmetics as I am a total believer in herbal way of treating things as the latter, at least helps to an extent. So people it is in your hands. All you need to have is patience and your time for your hair's health. And have a great and beautiful hair. :)

The following links may also helps you additionally to what i've written above:

Related Posts:

http://health2dy.blogspot.com/2008/06/prevent-hair-loss.html

http://health2dy.blogspot.com/2008/07/want-to-make-your-hair-always-lengthy.html

http://health2dy.blogspot.com/2008/06/eight-tips-for-naturally-beautiful-hair.html

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Tomato - Fat Zero , Weight watchers check out..

People say that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' but I would substitute  tomato for apple in this saying. A century ago the tomato was considered poisonous and acidic. Today we know that it actually has the most amazing health properties and is alkaline in nature. Did you know that tomato is actually a fruit and not a vegetable?

Due to its highly versatile preparation options - Tomato soup,puree,salsa,gravy,chopped in salads and as a juice,cooked in your vegges,used in pulaos, dals etc.- It can easily be included as part of your diet.

A weight watchers delight, the tomato has zero fat content. The fruit has a very powerful anti-oxidant called lycopene that cuts the risk of prostrate cancer. In fact the cooking process released more lycopene. Due to its powerful anti-oxidant content, the tomato is very good for cardio-vascular diseases.

The vitamin C content in tomato increases immunity levels and keep common colds abd coughs at bay. It also helps in cases of congestion of liver (protects liver from Cirrhosis) as well as dissolving gallstones.

The tomato is a treasure house of nutrients, including vitamin A for skin and eyes,potassium for muscle cramps and folic acid. Tomatoes are especially recommended for people with high Homocysteine levels because of all these nutrients

Related Links:

How to Prepare Tomato juice ? 

Health benefits of Tomatoes 

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Movie popcorn not good for health

Ready to make and eat stuff is what we gorge on these days. Our good old snack 'Popcorn' also fell in this line. You get ready-to-pop kernels with butter smeared sumptuously.

When you put them on pan, your heart pops as you see the kernels pop up in beautiful patterns. At the cinemas, you finish off a big pack of it, followed by an ice cream, a cool or got beverage. But what you had finished off contains large amounts of sodium and saturated fat, and the butter flavor is not really butter.

Popcorn which formed an essential selling stuff was part of a South American menu some thousands of years ago. Pop kernels are stores of starch, sugar and water, the energy a plant needs to grow. The water in it turns into stream when heated and pops the corn.

The early populations that had to indulge in quite a lot of physical activity, burnt up the energy easily. But for people like, say present generation, whose physical activity is restricted, popcorn is very rich snack. Popcorn energy is simply stored body fat. Movie popcorn is still more harmful.

 The XL size super pack sold at cinemas and shopping malls smells heavenly, crunchy. Though it is softer than sugar-rich boiled sweets, store-bought pack of junk, it should be consumed with some limitations.

 This fluffy delight can be consumed if you skip the butter and stick to healthy, old fashioned, air-popped corn. You can air-pop raw kernels in a cooker, with a spot of vegetable oil. Add only natural salt. This air popped popcorn is a good alternative to other snacks such as potato chips, candy or cookies.

According to the experts, microwave pack, no doubt contains less fat, but the inner lining of the bag has cancer causing chemicals that leach into the pops and its savory aroma is linked to lung disease called popcorn-workers lung - which is under intense study.

 Corn as a Vegetable:

Actually corn is a natural vegetable. Raw corn kernels are rich in fibre which is good for the system. They are low in calories too. One cup of air popped corn has 30 calories. Contains no saturated fat, trans-fats or cholesterol. Besides fibre and protein, it has traces of manganese, folate, niacin, vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper, and selenium.

Which is better, home made air popped popcorn or the pack of popcorn you munch at the theatre or shopping malls. Now you decide your choice.

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Women and Silent Heart Attack

We generally feel that men are more prone to heart attacks. Think again to think so! Recently statistics show that  women are nearly as much at risk of heart diseases and fatal attacks as men.

There could be many reasons for this - complaints in women often go undiagnosed until it is too late for effective treatment.

Studies show that heart diseases kills six times as many women than breast cancer. Also the number of women affected by heart disease is growing with changing lifestyles. Women today cope with increasing pressures. Coronary Artery disease (CAD) is mostly seen in post-menopausal women. Diabetic women get affected even at younger age.

What is CAD? 

CAD is a condition where cholesterol deposits at the lining of the coronary arteries that supply to the heart. This narrows arteries and obstructs blood flow to the heart. The blocked artery thus causes a heart attack.

Interventional cardiologists opine that unknown to many people, heart disease is the number one killer of women and often acts differently than the way it affects men. Risk factors include diabetes, hypertension, hyper lipidemia,smoking,obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Family history also plays a role. During heart attacks women experience nausea, vomiting,indigestion, shortness of breadth or extreme fatigue- but surprisingly many times no chest pain.

Unfortunately these symptoms are easy to attribute to something other than the heart. Women are also more likely than men to have 'silent heart attacks' - an attack without any acute symptoms, that are diagnosed only later when subsequent cardiac symptoms are re-evaluated  and tests are performed.

Before menopause, the estrogen hormone plays a vital role in protecting and maintaining adequate levels of 'good' high-density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol, which inturn protects the body's overall cardio vascular health.

Estrogen also works to relax the smooth muscle of arteries helping to maintain normal blood pressure and prevent some forms of blood vessel damage.

There are many factors that can contribute in increasing risks of heart diseases in post-menopausal women - diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are the main culprits. Other factors include stressful lifestyle, women with a family of the disease, ones who do not indulge in any physical activity and those who use birth control pills indiscriminately. 

What should we do?

Dietary changes, weight loss, lipid lowering medications, quitting smoking, and under taking regular exercise are important lifestyle measures. Heart attacks in women often strike without any warning, so make sure we go for regular health checks.

Prevention is better way to deal with health conditions. 

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Make your nails stronger...

Many faces problems with brittle nails. Besides good nourishment, a little more care is what is needed.
When your nails are too brittle, soak the fingertips for 10 mins in warm pure almond oil or olive into the nails. Then massage the oil into the nails.

The best source of heathier nails is your diet. So include adequate protein and calcium in your diet, such as skimmed milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, egg, fish and sprouts. You can even dissolve a teapoon of gelatin in a little boiling water, then cool it and to fruit juice. You can do so for about ten days. So instead of applications, nourish yourself with balanced diet.

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