Stop drinking diet sodas for weight loss

A study conducted by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that the more diet sodas (being promoted as having zero calories) a person drinks, the greater the chance that he or she will become overweight or obese. The chances are 65 percent and 41 percent respectively. This is based on a sample size of over 1,000 people.

This is because diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and chemical ingredients like phosphoric acid. These substances are foreign to our body. And so our body has to get rid of these harmful chemicals instead of doing what it is intended to do – burning fat.

To stay healthy, we need to take natural sources for weight loss.

For example, all natural Dijon mustard can have a profound effect on metabolism, even at rest, as well as improving overall digestion and nutrient utilization.

Apple cider vinegar aids in weight loss by detoxifying the liver, increasing metabolism and suppressing hunger levels while white and red wine vinegar have been shown to improve blood sugar levels, reduce insulin, and slow digestion.

Also, other natural herbs and spices such as ginger,garlic, lemon, cayenne, basil, parsley, and thyme have all been shown to have significant metabolism-boosting properties.

Benefits of doing exercise

Exercise produces physical fitness and healthy body. This includes muscular strength, endurance and flexibility.

Muscle Strength

Muscle strength refers to the amount of force a muscle can exert in a single effort. Strength training (also known as resistance training) can help improve muscular strength. Exercises like the bench press, leg press or bicep curl might be used to measure muscle strength; a strength training exercise that uses low weight and high reps can also help improve muscular endurance.

While strength training on its own typically does not lead to weight loss, its beneficial effects on body composition may make it easier to manage one's weight and ultimately reduce the risk of disease, by slowing the gain of fat—especially abdominal fat.

Another beneficial effect of strength training pertains to bone health and help fight osteoporosis. 

Endurance

Muscle Endurance

Muscle endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to perform a continuous effort without fatiguing. Cycling, step machines and sit up tests are often used to measure muscular endurance. 

Cardiovascular Endurance

Cardiovascular endurance refers to the ability of our heart and lungs to work together to fuel our body with oxygen. Aerobic exercises, like jogging, running, swimming, biking, kickboxing, jumping rope and stair climbing are examples of cardiovascular exercises that can keep our heart and blood vessels healthy. These exercises increase the ability of the respiratory and circulatory systems to deliver oxygen to working muscles. This can be achieved by exercising at 60-75% of maximal heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes. For these programs, some find simply walking already satisfactory. Others like swimming. Swimming often claimed to be the best exercise for it tends to use all muscle groups.

 

Flexibility

Flexibility refers to the ability of each joint to express its full range of motion.

Flexibility training or stretching exercise may help older adults preserve the range of motion they need to perform daily tasks and other physical activity.

Yoga and pilates can help improve overall flexibility.

How do you start your first exercise?

Exercise affects the metabolic rate so that for a few hours after doing exercise, you will still burn more calories and use up more of the body's stores of fat (even when resting) than if you had taken no exercise. Regular activity combined with a healthy diet is the most effective way to lose weight.

When you have decided that you need doing more exercises, the next step is to test how fit you are. For safety reason, it is better to equip with heart rate monitor to monitor your heart rate so your workout doesn't become too strenuous.

For those who are unfit, it is better to start the program with walking first. It should be continuous: begin walking slowly, then increase pace, then slow again. In fact, any exercise program for sedentary and overweight people must be started slowly, with enjoyment and commitment. A buildup in intensity and duration should be gradual and progressive.

For those who are obese or overweight, there are many different programs available to help with body weight loss.

To lose body fat, the program should involve large muscle groups, be enjoyable and continuous. The program should be designed to achieve exercise intensity, frequency and duration. 

For those interested in weight training for losing weight, it should cover each muscle group and should exhaust that muscle group after 6-10 repetitions. These can be using your own body weight against a resistance or proper weights. It is essential that a professional sports physiotherapist shows you how to do it and advises the actual weight to use.

Once get started, you may consider other exercises. The important feature is to select anything that you find enjoyable. In this way you are more inclined to stick to the routine over a period of time.

Exercise should take place at least three times per week and include a warm-up period, the exercise itself and then a cooling-down period.

 

30 Minutes for Your Health

Studies found that 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity everyday is beneficial to our health. These benefits include:

• Improving our heart-lung function and blood circulation.
• Reducing the risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes later in life.
• Building up body resistance and maintaining bone health.
• Controlling body weight. 
• Maintaining our psychological and social health.

And so it is better for your health sake to do more aerobic exercise like jogging, cycling, swimming or playing ball games if possible.

 

It is not necessary to do it in one single session but it can be divided the 30-minute physical activity time into three 10-minute sessions.

 

How can we find more opportunity to do physical activity in our daily life?

You may take these suggestions:

• Walking instead of travelling by vehicle whenever possible, climbing stairs instead of using elevators and escalators.
• Going for a walk or doing some stretching after lunch.
• Walking to and fro while on the phone.
• Spending less time on sedentary pastimes like watching TV or playing computer games. Even if do so, avoiding using the remote control when watching TV; also, trying to stand up and stretch during the commercial break.

Go Organic?

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Healthy eating is a good start towards a healthier life. And how foods are grown or raised can have an impact on our health.

However, Dr. Dena Bravata, a senior research affiliate at Stanford University, found that organic foods are no better than conventional foods. Some organic foods have only slightly elevated nutrient value. This is a great contrary to our belief.

Actually, the discrepancy is due to the fact that many organic crops now are not tested before they are certified and real organic farmers fill only a small minority share of the organic food market. Organic are not really organic.

Organic crops are grown in safe soil, have no modifications and must remain separate from conventional products. And farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. And so these are good for children and pregnant women as they are most vulnerable to pesticide exposure.

Pesticide exposure can cause children have developmental delays, behavioral disorders, and motor dysfunction. This is because of their less-developed immune systems and because their bodies and brains are still developing. In case of pregnant women, its bad effects would pass on to the baby.

Moreover, the use of antibiotics in conventional meat production helps create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. This means that when adults get sick from these strains, they will be less responsive to antibiotic treatment. Also, if we do not not feed these animal byproducts to other animals, it would reduce the risk of mad cow disease (BSE).

The following fruits and vegetables have the highest pesticide levels. Because of their high pesticide levels when conventionally grown, it is best to buy these organic:

• Grapes
• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Strawberries

On the other hand, the following fruits and vegetables were found to have the lowest levels of pesticides. Most of these have thicker skin or peel, which naturally protects them better from pests, and which also means their production does not require the use of as many pesticides.

• Asparagus
• Onion
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Water melon
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Corn (sweet)
• Peas (sweet)
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Broccoli