Rapid Fat Loss Diets

Friday, August 21, 2009

Living on the Homeopathic HCG Diet

By Amelia Handley

Catherine R., a HCG Diet Direct client, needed to lose 40 pounds. She was overweight, unhappy and uncomfortable on a daily basis. She had attempted to lose weight in the past by exercising, but her job required a lot of hours, she was raising three kids on her own and she spent two hours every other day visiting her mother in a nearby nursing home. There just didn't seem to be enough time left in her day to make a difference in her weight through exercise.

When she heard about the homeopathic use of HCG to lose weight she was immediately interested. She liked that the program recommended avoiding rigorous exercise and had a history of high averages of weight loss.

The only thing she heard that she didn't like about the diet was the strict guidelines for meal plans and food preparation. With her busy life she was dependent upon fast and easy foods like drive thrus and boxed macaroni and cheese. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to adjust her life to accommodate the food requirements. But she kept looking into the program and ran across a bunch of statements from past dieters with the same fears that later came to realize it was absolutely possible to change your eating habits and fit it into a busy schedule. So she decided to give it a shot.

She received her HCG and cookbook in the mail and decided to start the next day. It was a tough day. She limited her food intake to raw fruits and vegetables and a bit of beef jerky. She never actually felt hungry, but she did feel deprived. So that night she whipped out the handy dandy cookbook that came with the program to see if there was something that could help her.

She took the shopping list in the cookbook and filled it at the nearest grocery store. Then she picked a recipe (happened to be the chili) and put it together. It took less than 30 minutes which surprised her. Then she had some and really enjoyed it. Afterwards she packaged it in single serving sizes as suggested by many of the online testimonials. And that was that. She stuck to that plan; she always had food in the refrigerator to pull out and eat. She cooked once or twice a week and made it last all week. She successfully lost 37 pounds on the program. And is successfully keeping it off during her maintenance phase. (She's actually lost a few more pounds during maintenance which she is very happy about!)

Catherine is a HCG Diet Direct success story. But she's not the only one. There are many. Maybe you'll be the next one. You never know! - 17273

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Learn To Fight Free Radicals and Create a New You

By Dr. Jerimiah Crossderd

Aside from the acai berry being an unsullied, mouth-watering, organically grown fruit- it is also rich with antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients as well as substances that slow the oxidation damage to our body.

When the body's cells consume oxygen, it creates free radicals (or by-products) that can cause a lot of problems to our body. Antioxidants play an important role in preventing, repairing, and removing the damage done by these toxic by-products. Having a daily supplement of antioxidants is the best way known to protect yourself from these harmful free radicals.

When free radicals are left unchecked, they can wreak all kinds of havoc to our bodies. Free radicals are responsible for the breakdown of our DNA as well as causing cancer. These by-products can invade our cells and cause them to break down or even worse stop functioning all together.

Free radicals have been the factors behind various types of neurological problems to hormonal damage. Acai fruit has been found when taken on a regular basis to contain enough antioxidants to fight off these dangerous by-products.

Studies have revealed for years that when antioxidants are taken as part of a regular diet, the body has the ability to repair, and maintain resistance to free radicals as well future attacks.

The acai berry was recently introduced to the mainstream audience by a Doctor by the name of Nicholas Perricone who wrote a book entitled the Perricone Promise. In this book he goes into detail about how the acai berry is what he calls the most perfect food on the planet known today.

When it comes to a food that will make you look and feel young, Dr. Perricone says that the acai berry has all of the ingredients needed to accomplish this. Also, when looking for a diet that will revitalize your health and slow the aging process Dr. Perricone says look no further than the acai fruit berry.

The acai fruit is known as a super food that contains every nutrient your body needs in fighting harmful free radicals. If your goal is to improve your overall health, as well as strengthen and maintain your body, then you should look further into the numerous benefits of the this amazing fruit.

So, if you are looking for a diet that will provide energetic health, a reduction in aging, and a free radical fighter then look no further than the acai fruit berry.

A group of scientist in Arkansas found that fruits that are dark purplish in color such as the acai berry fruit, could possibly hold the key to preventing obesity.

The scientist concluded through animal studies that the extract of the fruit is more effective than actually eating the fruit when it comes to weight loss.

According to Mr. Prior and his peers, the compound called anthocyanins that is found in dark colored fruit is shown to prevent obesity in mice that are fed a high calorie diet.

Anthocyanins are found in grape skins, blueberries, blackberries, acai berry, and other foods. The mice also had other healthful changes in disease-related substances found in the blood.

The mice were fed for two months a high calorie diet on top of drinking water and extracted anthocyanins from acai berry gained less weight and had a lower body fat level than the other mice.

Anthocyanins fed as the whole blueberry did not prevent and could have possibly increased obesity, the study found. However, feeding purified anthocyanins from blueberries or strawberries reduced obesity.

The article "Whole Berries versus Berry Anthocyanins: Interactions with Dietary Fat Levels in the C57BL/6J Mouse Model of Obesity" can be read in full in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Colorful pigments found in the skin of blueberries, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables may help prevent obesity, according to recent animal studies from the USDA Agricultural Research Service. - 17273

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Learn How to Build Pecs

By Frank Hommes

If you are new to weight lifting, you might feel like you're missing something when you're trying to learn how to build your pecs. You may do all of the same exercises you see other people doing , but still have trouble building your pecs up. The reason for this, is that it's not all about about the exercise itself, there are other matters to consider.

1. The first tip is to eat the correct types of food, because this is just as vital as doing the proper exercises. The reason for this, is that muscle can't be built without certain types of nutrients. Muscle is composed of protein and in order to build up the muscle properly, you should be eating food with a lot of protein. Eating foods rich in carbohydrates can also help, because they give the body extra energy during the workout.

Your overall health is an essential part to building your pecs, so it would be in your best interest to have a well balanced diet. Along with a lot of protein intake, you should be consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables. Your body will be able to properly build new muscle as long as it is healthy.

2. The second key is stretching. If you're trying to build your pecs, you should do stretches which get the upper chest prepared to do some hard work. You can do something as simple as copying the motion of a push-up while standing, to stretch out your pectoral muscles.

However, you should avoid overworking your pecs for the same reason you should stretch. An over amount of activity on your pecs can strain the muscles causing them harm as opposed to helping them get stronger. It could also result in overly pronounced pecs which isn't necessarily a good look.

3. The third tip is to perform the proper types of exercises if want to build up your pecs. An exercise such as push-up, can properly work the pecs and can be done right at your home. Also, if you have access to a weight lifting bench you can do bench presses in addition. - 17273

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Energy Drinks Are Unsafe For Teenagers

By Julieanne van Zyl

These days, the desire for a quick fix is causing more problems than it is solving, so its a good thing that healthy energy drinks are being manufactured. While it might look like we have quick answers to our problems, they are often short-term solutions, which do nothing to fix the situation permanently. Sadly, one of the "quick fixes" that we are becoming increasingly addicted to and which seems to be the favorite of many people is the energy drink. Whether it is Red Bull or Power Horse, energy drinks give us the instant energy boost that we might need at that point in time.

But because of the abundance of these drinks, it is constantly available to teenagers and kids who can purchase them for a few dollars each. Sadly, research has shown that kids who drink profuse amounts of energy drinks are at a risk of exhibiting rowdy behaviors and increased violence levels. According to the Journal of American College Health, "Miller and colleagues found that a compilation of behaviors known as "toxic jock syndrome" was correlated with high consumption of energy drinks.

Toxic jock syndrome includes symptoms such as substance abuse, unprotected sex and violence". With this research established in different related studies, it is only natural to see that teenagers and repeated energy drink consumption is not a good combination. So, if you have got a teenage son or daughter, try as much as possible to dissuade them from drinking these drinks too frequently and instead teach them to live healthy lives by adopting healthy lifestyles.

As if getting excess energy drinks are not enough, research has shown that an astonishing 49% of all teenagers are into some kind of substance mistreatment . This basically denotes that about 1 in every 2 teenagers you find in high schools are into some kind of drugs. Not only are they into drugs, a superior majority are into alcohol abuse. A recent survey among youths illustrated that British girls were known to be the most aggressive females in the world. When you look at the proportion of alcohol consumption in the United Kingdom, you will understand why this is so.

The average British chap somehow gets involved in binge drinking at least once a week. Binge drinking is simply drinking lots of beer without delay-this could be between 5-20 bottles in one sitting. At the present teenagers have discovered a very potent combination that will get them just as high as drugs or marijuana. This is the mixture of energy drinks and alcohol. This deadly combination makes it a lot more risky for teenagers because of the health implications.

A survey carried out in ten schools located in North Carolina showed that students who took a combination of these drinks often needed medical attention and were virtually ignorant of the fact that they were drunk. This is not shocking as it is possible that the large amounts of caffeine in most energy drinks is accountable for high energy levels in spite of how much alcohol you drank. So, if you find your teenager son having a lot of these, maybe you had better be on the lookout.

They found that students who mixed the drinks got intoxicated twice as often, were more likely to be injured or want medical treatment while intoxicated, and were more likely to perpetrate or experience sexual assault than students who drank alcohol alone. The effect was not connected to the amount of alcohol consumed.

Some researchers have implied that because the caffeine in energy drinks tends to make people feel more energetic, people who mix the drinks with alcohol do not comprehend how intoxicated they are and are more likely to take foolish risks.

"You're every bit as drunk, you're just an awake drunk," said researcher Mary Claire O'Brien of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Therefore, a healthy energy drink is going to make a significant difference to a teenager's life. - 17273

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What Comprises a Detox Diet

By Jesse Regan

Many people are very much aware of the varying options that are present. If there is reported information that came out rather successful, it's sure to be a big hit, upon the discovery. This comes very much applicable especially when it comes to diet practices. It wouldn't be as a surprise then to know that those who have tried getting into diets have tried a couple " and even more.

Detox diets are among this successful discovery. From the definition of detoxification, it is practice of getting the waste and toxins out of the person's body. These detox diets usually are short-term ones, and were first introduced for the treatment drug and alcohol dependent people, usually during their rehabilitation period. It became viable option for many people especially after seeing direct results of those who undergone this diet.

So what are the available intakes when you are in a detox diet?

Water! Get in that regular 8 glasses of that H20 " if not more, preferably at lukewarm temperature

Veggies and Fruits Many might find the latter more appealing than the former, but these glow food's nutrients are equally needed by the body. Particularly for the vegetables, green leafy vegetables and red ones are said to be the best for detox diets, as cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, onions, and beets.

Nutty and Grains With the exception of peanut butter, nuts and grains can partner your every meal. Nuts, as cashew, walnuts, and almonds, can be mixed in those Cesar's salad, or rice can your viand. As you need to be comfortable with what you are eating, and if rice is not very appealing to you, there are easy substitutes for grains, as buckwheat, millet and amaranth.

Beans " they are among the most that require little time to digest. You can find split yellow, green peas, lentils, kidney beans, pinto beans and gabanzo for them.

Better care for your body is what these intakes are all about. But you have to chew them well when you are at it, as you'd really want to get in those nutrients absorbed by your system than putting them to waste " and literally just coming out as that.

So why detoxify and eat these food? Because there are toxins easily those are produced by the body, as ammonia during the breakdown of the body's protein, and accordingly, those that can easily be acquired in one's environment, as household cleaning products, additives placed in the food, air pollution, pesticides, and among the biggest contributors, drugs and cigarette smoke.

With this, a lot of people are very well aware of the varying options that they can take. If the diet practice is reportedly successful, there might be something in it that can work for other people, as well. If choosing the appropriate weight loss diet would be equally benefiting to one's health, wouldn't it be great deal? After all, like in any diet practices, all you'll need would be that discipline no matter what type of healthy diet respites you have in mind. - 17273

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Juicer

By Aaron Benjamin

A typical juice extractor will need to offer the ability to work well so you can get the juices from fruits and vegetables and so they will be collected the right way. Obviously, it will be important to use all of the correct juice extractor parts. These parts are the blade, motor, baskets for foods, and a cover. Usually, a plunger can be used as one of these juice extractor parts. A great model to consider is the Breville Juice Fountain Plus.

The motor can be the most important part of the extractor in most instances. The motor is among the major juicing tools since it is used to rotate the blade and other juicer components. A typical motor will be able to work at about six thousand revolutions per minute. It will also be about a third of a horsepower as far as its power and will have to be capable of being powered by electricity. In many cases, these motors will be quiet when they are insulated nicely.

The blade that is put in the extractor will be important, also. The blade will need to be one that is easy to work with and can move in full revolutions at a quick period of time. One of the biggest factors here concerns the keenness of the blade. If the blade is sharpened correctly, it will swiftly slice through the fruits and veggies sent through the juicer with ease.

Baskets are quite frequently placed in juice extractors. The big basket for juices is considered one of the most important juicing tools in that it will work to contain the juices that begin flowing. A pulp basket is required so that it may contain most of the pulp and other chunks that might come out of the extractor.

A strainer is required for gathering any pieces that are not fully juiced. This is so that you never have to struggle with pulp slipping into the juice basket.

The plunger is the last of these juicing tools. A plunger will be needed for helping to help the ingredients fit properly into the juicer. The juicer will need to be switched off for this to be used properly and safely so that each of the materials for juicing will be able to be properly ground and juiced. A nice model that you can purchase is the Breville Juice Fountain Plus.

When in the market for a juice extractor, it will be vital to check into these juice extractor parts. These parts are the motor, a plunger, and the blade. Other parts are different baskets for juices and pulp and a strainer, which will be necessary to help with keeping the juices pure. With each of these juicing tools, it will be easier to gather the most delicious juices out of a juice extractor. - 17273

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Universal Muscle Building Techniques For All

By Ryse Edwards

People looking for muscle building techniques often wonder about which are the ideal muscle building techniques. However, the problem is that muscle building techniques are as varied as weight loss techniques and methods; hence different versions work for different people.

Because everyone's body is different, it is difficult to say there are specific techniques that will work for everyone. Instead of focusing on what others are doing, you have to find what is going to work best for you.

As soon as you put together the perfect training regimen, you then have to stay consistent. Working out once a week is not going to get you anywhere. You have to be dedicated and motivated to lift at least three to four times a week if you want to build muscle.

There are several different muscle building techniques for each muscle depending on what you are looking to achieve. The main three upper body muscles you will want to focus on include your shoulders, biceps and pectorals. However, there are many other muscles including your triceps and abdominal.

Many people that hit the gym will focus solely on their upper body because that is what people notice. However, it is vital you give attention your lower body as well. It is important your muscles build the strength needed to support your upper body evenly. This includes doing squats, calf raises, lunges, and many other leg exercises.

Regrettably, there is no method of building muscles which can be applied to everyone. Hence, rather than focusing on what other people are doing or looking at, you can actually research on the techniques which are the most effective for you. Once you find the methods that suit you the most, then you will actually see your body responding to the work outs. All you need to know is that there are a number of exercises and lifts which can be used for developing each individual muscle in your body. - 17273

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Bodybuilding Workouts & Tips To Achieve Six Pack Abs

By Ricardo d Argence

Although one could exercise their abdominal muscles for an extended period of time, if you have excess fatty tissue they will remain invisible. Because the fat stores mainly in your abdominal area, that is where it's the hardest to burn the fat.

There is no magic when it comes to getting ripped abs. You have to bring your body fat ratio down to 10% if you want to get the best results, and this can be a difficult task if you aren't sure of what you're doing.

Adhering to simple guidelines that allow effective burning of excess fat around your stomach is the correct way to achieve a six-pack. This will help to show your hidden abdominal muscles and let your six pack be seen.

The only way to get ripped six pack abs and to effectively lose the extra fat around your stomach is to maintain a healthy diet, over 90% of your results will begin to show from what you eat. Tight restrictions never work to remove body fat, so you need to maximize your metabolism, so you can eat and burn fat. That means eating smaller meals more often. The consistent digestion of these foods will actually stimulate your metabolism to increase.

It is possible to become addicted to processed foods. Unfortunately, the chemicals they contain actually slow down the fat-losing process. Eat real food and you'll see a real difference.

The health benefits of drinking plenty of water is amazing, it helps your body breakdown fat and helps to get it out of your system. To assist with digestion, nutrient absorption and the flushing of unwanted toxins from the body, one should drink 8 glasses each day.

High intensity cyclic training has many benefits over normal endurance style cardio workouts and it is much more effective in building muscle and losing weight. It increases your overall metabolic rate and helps you burn fat even when your workout is over. You should perform 20 minutes of high intensity interval training around 4-5 times a week.

Therefore the secret to obtaining ripped six pack abs fast, lies in following a system that has a good combination of Cardio Workouts, Weight Training, and dieting to lose fat, then you could see a six pack in very fast time.

So, what are you waiting for? Once you see your six pack abs you'll realize it was all worth it, trust me. - 17273

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Bodybuilding For Dummies, Beginners And Teenagers

By Ricardo d Argence

Constructing a safe and effective routine with a trained professional that produces results quickly is important when a teen as well as an adult starts a bodybuilding workout program.

Once involved in the sport of bodybuilding, many teen athletes will develop the dedication and discipline that is required to excel in any sport. Teenage bodybuilding also helps to improve confidence levels, self-esteem and work ethics.

Some of the health advantages that go hand in hand with youth bodybuilding include a boost to muscular strength and stamina, stronger bones, higher kinesthetic awareness, and a lower chance of obesity-related conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Long after these teenage athletes mature into adults the mental and physical benefits of bodybuilding will continue. Bodybuilding, like most athletics, gives teens something to focus on and helps develop self esteem.

It was a common thought for many years that here is a possibility that teenage bodybuilding can cause stunted growth. The chance that an injury will occur in teenage body building being greatly reduced when done properly, and under trained adult supervision, is an unproven theory.

Bodybuilding has pros and cons for teenagers. The main thing to remember is you can get hurt with any sport. If a teenager has the right training and the right trainer, bodybuilding can be very beneficial physically and mentally. To do teen bodybuilding right, make sure you educate the athlete to make the risks very minimal.

A lot of people have asked me: how is teen bodybuilding done right? do you think that teenage bodybuilders should get a professional to train them or is it safe to learn from other teens? Should teen bodybuilders read the latest bodybuilding magazines? Does the train come everyday or just on alternate days? Rely on supplements? When is the appropriate time to start? Concentrate on lifting heavy weights to increase endurance? There are strong ideas on both sides of the teen bodybuilding debate.

The answers to those questions can be found on my web site, or you can wait for the future articles. - 17273

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Ubiquitous Coriolus Mushroom vs. Cancer

By Dr. Markho Rafael

The mushroom Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tail Mushroom) is the most ubiquitous mushroom in the world. It grows on fallen trees and stumps from the sub-arctic to the tropics.

When one considers Coriolus competing against so many different fungi and bacteria in such diverse environments, its obvious that it must have a powerful immune system, with the potential for powerful medicinal compounds.

Traditional Chinese physicians frequently prescribe Coriolus for hepatoma and some types of jaundice. [160] Modern medicine is best acquainted with it through Krestin, an Asian cancer drug based on the Coriolus extracted compound PSK. [188]

Two Japanese studies in the 1990's encompassing a total of 486 patients showed an increased survival rate from gastric cancer when PSK was added to conventional chemotherapy treatment. [161, 162, 163] It's also been found that PSK reduces cancer metastasis and recurrence. [161, 162, 164]

Two polysaccharides from Coriolus known as CVP and SPCV have shown an inhibitory effect on leukemia. CVP was reported to reduce leukemia cell proliferation with no harm to healthy lymphocytes. [165, 166, 167, 168]

Coriolus versicolor extract appears to combat cancer in two ways:

1) By directly inhibiting cancer cell growth and proliferation.

2) By enhancing Natural Killer (NK) cell activity. [169, 170, 171] Natural killer cells are a critical part of the human immune system's fight against cancer.

Efficacy against different types of cancers varies. PSK is used in Asia for cervical cancer as an adjunct to radiation therapy. It has been linked to increased survival rate from that type of cancer. [134] It was also shown to decrease tumor growth in hormone responsive prostate cancer by a study at New York Medical College in 2001. [172]

Other forms of cancer that PSK has been tested against with promising results include breast, lung and colon cancer. [25, 173] It appears ineffective against Sarcoma 180. [174]

PSK has also been proven as a potent antibiotic, in particular against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. [175, 176, 177, 178, 179]

Tests in vitro (test tubes / Petri dishes - not live subjects) have even shown a compound (PSP) from Coriolus versicolor extract to inhibit the replication [180] and infection of HIV. [181]

In a study conducted in 1995, PSK demonstrated effectiveness at normalizing the immune function of people with chronic rheumatoid arthritis. [182]

In the book Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, Paul Stamets mentions being aware of several individuals with Hepatitis C reporting relief of symptoms from using medicinal mushroom tea. He specifically relates a case of a man with swollen liver and spleen starting on a daily regimen of tea made from Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tail Mushroom) and Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi). After two weeks, the swelling went down and liver enzymes normalized. His HCV value went from 1.3 million to 140,000. [183]

Coriolus versicolor is also a rich source of antioxidants and has been reported to help the spleen recover from radiation therapy induced injury. [189]

Finally, in the book Mycelium Running, Paul Stamets lists two additional areas of promising research on Coriolus versicolor: Kidney health and uterine cancer. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any medicinal mushroom or herb without prior approval by medical doctor.

Credit: Thank you to Paul Stamets for source material. - 17273

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Anti Gout Diet Tips

By Rashel Dan

If you want to prevent gout for life, start with your diet. This is not such an impossible task. Diet does play a large role in controlling and preventing gout, so depending on your daily intake, you can either increase or reduce your risk of gout.

A gout may be acquired since birth, from family history or caused by obesity and other health factors. It is also more prevalent among men and those who are 40 to 60 years of age. If you can relate to any of these then you may want to focus on preventive measures.

First of all, an anti gout diet consists of low-purine foods.

Purines are highly associated with foods high in fats and proteins. Vegetable oils, greasy burgers and fatty fish are all high in purines, so you should avoid fried foods and naturally fatty produce. Basically, high purine content is found in almost all kinds of food: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, oysters, scallops, creams, eggs, peas and beans. But there are ways to have a low-purine diet and are illustrated below:

Eat more fruits and vegetables as part of your anti gout diet.

Many fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. Potassium regulates electrolytes in the body and has the ability to get rid of uric acid crystals from the blood. Potassium-rich fruits are bananas, avocados, apricots and cantaloupe. High-potassium vegetables include spinach, potatoes, asparagus, beets and pumpkin.

Start an anti gout diet now.

For breakfast, take low-fat protein foods. For example, drink low-fat milk and utilize only egg whites when cooking. Add onions and garlic for taste and use low-fat butter or margarine. High-protein foods that are low in fat have been found to be safe. Quench your thirst with vegetable juice or concentrated blackberry juice.

Include lemon juice at lunch for cleansing. Lemon juice is filled with vitamin C and antioxidants to help flush your body from unwanted uric acids. Couple the drink with a hearty salad and meal using tofu to replace red meat or chicken, finely chopped fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

For dinner, grill or bake lean meat in a foil to retain moisture. Pair with potatoes and steamed spinach. After dinners make sure to have a bowl of cherries, berries or grapes on the side.

Other tips for your anti gout diet:

Be careful about your weight. Gout has been linked with health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Slowly restrict calories by introducing more of the gout preventing foods mentioned earlier. Avoid crash diets as these can actually trigger gout flare-ups. A good anti gout diet is always a balanced diet.

Drink lots of water - around 8-10 glasses per day. Water dilutes uric acid (a cause of gout) and rids them from the body. Cloudy urine means you have high acid content in your body and this is not a healthy sign. Clear urine suggests that you are properly hydrated and well on your way to good health. - 17273

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How To Pump Up Your Metabolism With Cardio Exercise

By Ricardo d Argence

Cardio exercise it as necessary for overall health and fitness as anaerobic exercise (lifting weights) is. When you do cardio, you get your heart rate going and increase blood circulation throughout your body.

Basically cardiovascular exercise is something for the entire body in that you should work up a sweat, breathe a bit harder and get your heart rate jumping all at the same time, at least ideally.

One of the best benefits of cardiovascular exercise is that it exercises the most important muscle in your body, your heart. By getting your pulse rate up and keeping it there at a sustained rate for a period of time, you increase your overall fitness level and therefore your overall health.

Before you begin any type of fitness plan, you should see your family physician. Getting an overall physical will let you know if there are any health reasons why you cannot participate in a vigorous workout routine.

Perhaps one of the biggest and most widely touted benefits of cardio routines is the fact that it burns off unneeded calories and helps you to lose excess weight. You will get the added benefit of toning your entire body as well.

The benefits of a cardio routine do not stop there! Not only will you burn extra calories during your workout but also you will continue to burn more calories when at rest. Recent studies suggest that this added burn can continue for up to 18 hours after you complete your routine.

While you are toning and getting fit your body will naturally begin to burn more calories and at a faster rate. The main reason for this is that as your fitness level rises you gain muscle and lose fat; it is a proven fact that muscle burns more calories even while you are sitting on the couch.

Are you feeling a little down in the dumps? Cardiovascular exercise can help with that too. Cardio gets the heart pumping and stimulates the production and release of endorphins, the feel good hormones. Everyone has endorphins; they are the body�s natural painkillers and can alleviate many symptoms of depression.

If you have done little more than walk to the dinner table for some time do not suddenly go full bore. All you will accomplish are injuries that must have time to heal, thereby putting your fitness routine on the back burner and setting you back.

Before you start, make a visit to your doctor and make sure you're okay for vigorous physical activity. If your doctor gives you a clean bill of health, go ahead -- but again, DON'T go full steam ahead. Instead, start slowly by walking just 10 minutes at a moderate pace every day. If you can't do 10 minutes, five is fine. The idea here is to get started and keep going.

You will begin to notice something funny happening after about two weeks on your routine. Suddenly you will sleep better, have tons more energy, want fewer and fewer �bad� foods and just overall feel much better. The best change you will notice is a better mood and renewed positive outlook on life.

As you continue, you're going to have to give yourself greater and greater challenges to make sure you keep your fitness level up. In other words, you should ALWAYS be breaking a sweat when you do cardio and you should always be breathing hard by the time you finish your workout. Opt for at least 20 minutes a day every day, at least five days a week.

After getting started on a good cardio routine, you are naturally going to want to change a few other things. Eating right, sleeping enough, hydration and many other good health changes will only increase the benefits of your cardiovascular workouts. You will never want to turn back once you have a solid start on cardio. - 17273

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