The Busy Fitness Pro

Posts Tagged ‘Health Problem’

Obesity is a major health problem affecting people from all over the world. In recent years, more and more obese and overweight individuals are turning to diet pills for their weight loss needs. One of the most popular, and also most controversial, weight loss medications available in the market is ephedra.
Ephedra diet pills are actually nutritional supplements that can be acquired over-the-counter. These supplements contain extracts of the plant Ephedra sinica, or what is more commonly known as ma huang. This plant has been used for over 5,000 years in China. Traditional Chinese medicine containing ephedra have been used to treat different diseases, including hay fever and asthma. The use of ephedra-containing medications in weight loss has only been discovered recently. The active components of the ephedra plant are pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, which are responsible for the effects of the drug on the body.
Ephedra diet pills are sympathomimetics. These pills act as thermogenic stimulants. Ephedra pills stimulate the brain, releasing specific chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which help inhibit the individual’s appetite. On the other hand, the thermogenic property of the medication results in an increase in the individual’s metabolism, causing body heat to be increased and fat to be burned by the body. These properties of the drug are responsible for bringing about significant weight loss in those who use the drug. Aside from causing weight loss, these properties are also believed to help augment the performance of activities. For this reason, ephedra diet pills have also become very popular with athletes.
Ephedra diet pills are extremely effective for the short-term management of obesity. When used in a supervised atmosphere, it can result in weight loss of almost 1 kg more than placebo every month. Ephedra weight loss pills have been shown to produce even greater effects when combined with caffeine. Studies have shown that when taken for 6 months or less, ephedra diet pills combined with caffeine are able to produce statistically significant weight loss. However, the said combination has also been associated with an increased risk for a number of side effects, such as vomiting, nausea and mood changes.
The major reason why ephedra diet pills have become so controversial in recent years is because of the many possible side effects of the drug. These adverse effects range from mild reactions, such as headache, irritability, insomnia and skin changes, to severe life-threatening reactions, such as irregular heartbeat, hyperthermia and stroke. The severe reactions are actually very rare; in a review of more than 50 randomized controlled trials of ephedra diet pills, not one serious adverse reaction was reported.
Another reason why ephedra diet pills have become so controversial is because there is a lack in standardization of the medications. Since these diet pills are considered as weight loss supplements, some reports have criticized the quality control measures used by companies producing these supplements.
If you are planning to take ephedra weight loss pills, it is important to consult your physician to make sure that the drug is right for you.

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Our health is the most valuable intangible asset we possess. Staying healthy throughout life is key to a more fulfilling, productive and happy existence.

Heart disease tops most lists as the number one health problem in the world. Thus, maintaining your heart health is crucial for your longevity and success and for the health of our society as a whole.

One way of keeping your heart healthy is providing it with enough aerobic training, or with so called cardio workouts, to keep it fit and in good shape. Cardio fitness trains your heart by giving it an extra load of work in supplying your body with oxygen.

Cardio fitness may include any type of physical exercises which trains your cardiovascular system, such as walking, jogging or swimming. When you work out your heart begins to beat faster, your pulse quickens and you start breathing deeper. Repeated exercise gives the heart extra training to stay healthy.

There are three key things responsible for the success and effectiveness of any cardio fitness routine. Those are: duration, intensity and frequency. So, before beginning a cardio exercise routine you should determine your workout goals and schedule. Remember, you should consult with your physician or medical advisor before beginning any training program or fitness regiment.

Let us start with the duration. Usually, one cardio fitness session may last 20 to 40 minutes. The duration greatly depends on your physical condition, your training goals and on the type and intensity of exercises you are doing.

If you are a beginner and only start with a light cardio session then your workouts may last no longer than 10 minutes. Determining the time of these sessions you should take into the consideration your present physical shape.

Avoid overloading your body and overstraining your heart during your exercise routines. Overstraining your heart will do you no good and may cause significant harm to your health and permanent damage to your heart and body. You may experience some discomfort in your muscles and joints as a normal process while your body acclimates to the new cardio fitness activities. However, if you feel any pain then postpone your next exercise session until after you have healed or consulted your doctor to ensure you have not pulled a ligament, tendon, or muscle.

Next, How Intense Are you?. For determining the intensity of your cardio fitness you should know your Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR). You determine it by subtracting your age from 220. For the beginners the HR during the exercises should not exceed 55% of the Max HR.

However, if you are in a good shape and have some experience in working out the intensity of your cardio fitness may come up to 65-85 percents of your Max HR.

Finally, What’s the frequency?. For attaining the best training results to improve your heart health, you should do cardio workouts on a regular basis. Three or four sessions a week is the optimal training frequency. You may also do your cardio daily while changing the type of activity you choose for your workouts. Remember that you must keep at it. No excericise program will be easy to keep up with, and you must make an concentrated effort to stick with the program.

Keeping in mind the three keys of cardio training you will help you heart stay healthy and attain excellent results through your workouts. Your can improve both the quality and prolong your life by keeping your heart healthy with regular exercise.

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If you’re like me, this isn’t the first time you’ve tried a hand at weight loss. A certain point is reached and then the numbers on the scale slowly creep back up. We all know that yo-yo dieting is not a healthy weight loss plan. This time we want to lose the weight and keep it off. There are a few ways to help us “seal the deal” once and for all.

1. A written contract. There’s nothing as ironclad as a contract. Decide on your weight loss goals and record them in the form of an agreement. Post this on the refrigerator and the bathroom mirror. Put a copy in your wallet or purse. Keeping an eye on your goal will keep you from giving up.

2. Bring a friend along. Do you know someone willing to workout with you? This workout buddy isn’t someone who necessarily needs to lose weight, but someone in your same position would understand how important exercising is for you. Both of you can challenge each other to increase your strength and stamina. A workout buddy lessens the chance that you will miss a workout because you just don’t feel like going.

3. Reward yourself. When a monthly weight loss goal is met, reward yourself. The goal can be pounds or inches lost. These treats should not be food related. Choose rewards that pamper your body and your soul. A few ideas are: a day at the spa, hair salon, a manicure, or a pedicure. Splurge on a figure flattering outfit or a new pair of shoes. For the guys, a day at the ball game, or fishing, or a new outfit would do just fine.

4. Plan ahead, a healthy weight loss diet is the perfect solution to your health problem. It has been said that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Losing weight is not a spectator sport and it is not for the faint of heart. Preparation is the key to success. As far as meals go, fix lunches the night before and place them in the refrigerator. If you run late the next morning, all you need to do is grab your lunch box and go. Shop with a grocery list and stick to it. (Here’s where a menu planning service would definitely help.) Rid your home of all high calorie foods that should be eaten in moderation. If the junk foods are not available in the first place, you will not find them when a late night craving hits.

5. Enlist the help of your family. This could be the most annoying part of the process. The job of your family is to keep you out of trouble. They are your conscience, so to speak. They will ask if you did your daily workout and drank your water. They will remind you to skip the take-out and instead choose a home cooked meal. Your family doesn’t have to act like the diet police, but they should gently encourage and motivate you whenever possible.

Weight loss management is an uphill climb. Having the right tools in place will assure your success this time around. And, remember, you don’t have to do it alone.

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I do not have a weight problem and I enjoy eating healthy foods, however, obesity is a health problem that affects someone in my family. For some time now, this family member has had trouble with his knees due to weight and aging. While on a recent RV trip in the southern US and Mexico his weight reached 305 pounds. After returning home he went to the doctor about his painful knee condition that made walking difficult. After the examination concluded, his doctor explained that he was not a candidate for knee surgery at this time. The doctor continued by saying that he could not proceed with the operation until he lost 80 – 100 pounds.
Shocked by this evaluation the family member was left to figure out how, after years of failed weight management plans, to lose the weight or lose the ability to walk. This was obviously a very stressful period in his life. Sometimes people retreat into old habits under stress and do not seek solutions. Fortunately, this was not the case.
To overcome such a hurdle, drastic measures had to be taken. Traditional exercise would not be a solution since moving was painful and further damage to his knees would result. It was not until meeting up with an old friend that a solution was found. While in his condominium, he saw someone he hadn’t seen for a while and was surprised by her appearance because she had lost 130 pounds on a medically supervised weight loss plan.
With amazing results like that he had to learn more. The structure of the plan follows very basic health rules but of course these are designed by a specialist and suited to a patients needs. Every patient is different and requires a unique solution for safe weight loss.
Some of these daily habits to help safe weight loss are as follows: increased water intake to help flush the body and maintain steady metabolism, and limited protein intake to reduce the storing of fats, correct portioning of foods to avoid overeating which help the body metabolism remain constant, and no alcohol consumption. These habits will aid the body in resetting itself and promote the best metabolic rate for weight loss. In addition to these habits, the family member also receives weekly follow-ups with his doctor and is administered shots to maintain health body processes.
The results of this program have been the loss of 46 pounds over an 8-week period. These figures are not promoted in a way to sell a product but to indicate that products alone cannot solve obesity. Will power and effective medical supervision is the best way to overcome obesity. Safe weight loss can be maintained over a long period of time while crash diets and thin pills do not provide a healthy long-term solution.

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