DO WE NEED VITAMINS?

It is important that our body gets enough nutrients to function effectively and efficiently. However in this modern time it has become more distinct that we tend to supercede our health with convenience and instant stuff. In this fast paced world where career and education demands most of our time, we learn to favor what is quick and easy to obtain food. We turn to fast foods and junk foods instead of the good old balance daily diet. The lack of balanced diet in addition to the daily stress of pollution depletes our body of nutrients. Is it any wonder why cancer and other chronic diseases became rampant during the turn of the century? It is our rights to replace these nutrients with healthy nutrition, and proper supplementation.

For some of us, it's difficult to get the proper amount of nutrients needed from food alone. Have you ever wondered how many people actually eat five to ten vegetables and fruits a day? Or who drinks seven to nine glasses of water each day? Even the healthiest of eaters cannot be assured that they are getting the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals. Mainly because it's hard to judge exactly how much nutrients you are getting from the food you are eating.

In a report printed in 1940 regarding the nutrient content of spinach, it laments the high depletion percentage of iron and other minerals found in the plant mostly due to soil depletion, mono-cropping, artificial fertilization, and lack of varieties. Since that period, nutrients in both fruits and vegetables persistently depleted, not to mention that certain forms of cooking in fact destroy the vitamins and minerals in the food. This is why taking a multivitamin supplement would be so advantageous.

Eating a balanced diet and then supplementing it with a quality multivitamin will be the most logical and sound decision to make. We'll be able to get the nutrients that our body needs from food and then back it up with the multivitamin for a powerful effect.

What kind of vitamins should we take?

There are four forms of multi vitamins available in the market today, that's capsule, tablet, soft gel, and liquid. Liquid multivitamins might be the best choice because it will be the easiest for our body to absorb because there's literally nothing for our digestive system to breakdown. Capsules and soft gels are also a good choice when it comes to the forms of multivitamins with regards to absorption rate. While tablets on the other hand, will be the hardest for our body to breakdown and absorb. Remember, that no two individuals will respond similarly from taking any type of vitamin or mineral supplement, because each individual have different metabolisms, eating habits, exercise regiment, or sleeping habits, and are under different amount of stress or even take their supplements differently. So, just choose the one which is suitable for you.

Are Vitamins expensive?

The answer is ‘NO” because there is nothing precious than keeping our body healthy.

I often heard it say that supplements are expensive, and many feel they cannot afford to buy them. I find it ironic though that those same people who cannot afford to take supplements can afford to buy soda, latte, cigarettes, alcohol, or coffee, why not save your money for your health? There are cheap supermarket multivitamins that are inexpensive however they cannot compare to a quality, more expensive ones. The best way is to decide how much you can afford to spend and then do a research on the net on the multivitamins that fall within your price range.

Multivitamins are probably the single most important supplement you can take. If you aren't taking one, you really should start doing so for the shake of your health.

STRATEGIC WEIGHT LOSS

One of the first things that you'll do when you decide to lose weight is to set a goal weight. For most, that goal will be their 'ideal weight', but for many, that 'ideal weight' may be exactly the wrong weight for them to be aiming for.

Being overweight or dieting for years have the physiological effect of moving the body's concept of the 'ideal weight' from what is truly considered ideal. The 'set point' is the weight at which your body naturally feels most comfortable.

If you've been overweight for a very long time, your body may respond to your initial weight loss by lowering its metabolism because it believes that you are starving to death. This slowing leads to discouraging plateaus that often knock people off their diets entirely, and lead to regaining all or part of the lost weight.

Instead of aiming for an 'ideal weight' that calls for you to lose weight steadily for months or even years, many experts recommend aiming for shorter-term attainable goals. Since the bulk of diet research shows that most dieters lose weight steadily for about 12 weeks, then hit a plateau, that's the number that they suggest you aim for. The strategy that many have found works best for them is one of alternating periods of weight loss and maintenance, each lasting 8-12 weeks.

Choose a realistic amount of weight that you can lose in 8-12 weeks. Figuring that the most reasonable and healthiest weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds per week, 30 pounds in three months is not unreasonable. Diet until you reach that goal, or for 12 weeks, whichever comes first, and then switch to a maintenance diet.

Why switch to a maintenance diet at that point? In part, you're giving yourself a 'breather', a break from more restrictive eating. The other part, though, is that you're re-educating your body and letting it establish a new 'set point'. Once you've maintained your new weight for 8-12 weeks, set another weight loss goal, and move back into weight loss mode. By giving your body a break from 'starvation', you'll have overcome its resistance to losing more weight, and be back to dieting for 'the first two weeks' - the weeks that most people lose weight more rapidly.

You'll also be giving yourself a chance to 'practice' maintaining your new, healthier weight. Researchers have found that more than half of the dieters who take off significant amounts of weight do not maintain that weight loss once they go 'off' their diet. By practicing weight maintenance in stages, you'll be proving to yourself that you CAN do it, and removing a powerful negative psychological block.

This will work with any long-term weight loss diet, no matter the focus. You'll find it much easier to do if you choose a diet that has concrete 'phases', like the South Beach or the Atkins, since the weight loss and maintenance phases are clearly laid out for you to follow. Regardless of the diet you choose, though, by alternating between weight loss phases and maintenance phases, you'll teach yourself and your body how to maintain a healthy weight.

10 KINDS OF SIMPLE AND EASY EXERCISE

10 Ways to Exercise When You Don't Feel Like Exercising

Exercise is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body. One half hour of moderate physical activity a day is the key to better health. The best diet in the world can only go so far in helping you lose weight. To really see the effects of changing your eating habits (in lost pounds and inches, that is), you need to rev up your body with physical exercise.

So why does the word bring a collective groan to dieters around the world? Maybe it's our mistaken impression that exercise is a chore, and a boring, painful one at that. Here are ten ways to exercise that should get rid of that impression for good, and make exercise something you can look forward to:

1. Take a walk through a favorite place.

One half hour of moderately paced walking will burn 450 calories - and make you feel great. Make sure that you're wearing comfortable shoes, and pick a venue you enjoy. Try a walk around the lake, up and down the block or around the mall - your body doesn't know the difference.

2. Go out and play a game of tag with your kids.

Making exercise a family activity turns it into fun that you share with them. Besides being good for your body, you're instilling good habits in them, and creating happy memories that will stay with them for life.

3. Go swimming.

Swimming is great exercise - it's aerobic, low stress on your joints, and a lot of fun!

4. Join an exercise class.

You can turn exercise into a social activity by becoming part of a class. Besides making friends, you're more likely to exercise if you're paying for it.

5. Get an exercise buddy.

It's partly the same principle as joining a class - turn exercise into a social activity. In addition to that, making a commitment to a friend for a daily exercise date will make it far more likely that you'll stick to it.

6. Play ball! Seriously.

If your company has a sports team (softball, anyone?), join up. Or join a bowling league, volleyball team or other sports group that practices and plays regularly.

7. Get a trampoline.

Mini-trampolines are easy to set up, store in small spaces and provide a stress-free surface on which to bounce, dance and have a lot of fun.

8. Go for a bike ride.

Even leisurely bike-riding burns calories and exercises muscles that don't get used in regular walking. No need for an exercise 'routine' - just ride your bike to the store, or back and forth to work each day.

9. Take up a new active hobby.

Would you believe that gardening is exercise? Bending and stretching and digging and weeding - half an hour of energetic work in your garden burns more calories than a brisk walk.

10. Challenge yourself.

If you're the kind of person who thrives on competition, challenge yourself to meet a new goal each week. Walk one more block. Do six more sit-ups. Take the stairs each day instead of the elevator. Goal-setting to meet challenges is a great way to commit to exercise.

HOW TO AVOID THOSE HOLIDAY POUNDS

If you believe the old stories about how much weight people put on during the holidays, you’re right—partially. In a recent study conducted by The National Institute of Health, the researchers discovered that, in reality, most people tend to only put on just slightly under one pound. But a person who is already overweight will average a whopping five pounds extra after the last horns have been blown.

But it’s not all good news for even those who put on the minimum because the study also shows that we all tend to keep the pounds put on. In other words, over ten years, those not-so-much pounds, could lead someone to being overweight.

So, what can we do in order to keep those extra pounds off? After all, our homes are usually filled with holiday pies, cakes and other goodies, and they can be pretty tempting—even for the most faithful of dieters!

Here’s a few tips to get you through the holidays.

Just A Nibble!

Have you ever noticed that when you start eating a rich dessert it tastes so good, but by the last bite, you’ve had enough? One way to keep the pounds down is just to enjoy a few bites that delicious cheesecake or chocolate fudge brownie. No one says that you have to completely deprive yourself of holiday treats—just limit how much you eat!

Enjoy the Company, Not The Brownies!

Many people think of holiday parties in terms of the foods that they’ll get to eat (or have to avoid) instead of the real reason for the celebration—the company and conversation. If you keep yourself busy chatting with friends, you’ll be less likely to invade the snack table.

Go Full

You’ve likely heard the grocery store trick; don’t go shopping when you’re hungry because you’ll only end up buying more. Well, the same can work for holiday parties! Eat a lot of raw vegetables, and other healthy foods that will stick with you during the party and you’ll be less tempted to binge on the bad stuff.

Drink Water

If you were to add up the calories that you’ve probably consumed in sodas, fruit punches and alcoholic beverages at parties, you would likely be amazed. You can gulp down hundreds of calories without even realizing it if you’re not careful! Instead of one of these high-calorie drinks, make it a habit to drink water—which in itself will help flush out extra water weight.

Create An Eating Schedule

It wouldn’t be fun—or realistic—to try and get through an entire party without at least sampling some of the treats. But instead of heading instantly to the food table and loading your plate—and then suffering the rest of the party because you want more—try spacing out your snacks for the entire time of the party. Plan on taking a nibble of something about every thirty minutes. Not only will it help you eat less, it will be a fun game that you can play with yourself!

Most importantly, remember that the holidays are meant for enjoyment. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and if you make a mistake, take an extra long walk to work off those extra calories instead of beating yourself up over it!

STRAWBERRIES FOR HEALTH

Strawberries are delicious as well as nutritious fruit, strawberries, both fresh and frozen varieties, should be a part of every person’s daily diet. There are many health advantages of eating strawberries.The USDA now recommends that every American eat at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, but the fact is that most people end up falling far short of this important goal. Adding fresh strawberries to your diet, whether in salads, in shakes or on their own, is a great way to get the servings of fruit you need for a healthy body and a healthy immune system.

The Nutritional Value Of Strawberries

Strawberries are well known for the many nutrients they contain, including significant amounts of vitamin C. In addition, strawberries and other berries contain significant levels of nutrients and antioxidants. The same chemicals that give strawberries their bright red color are thought to be responsible for their strong antioxidant properties.Antioxidants in the diet are important, since antioxidants are able to reduce the damage done by free radicals. Free radicals are elements that can damage the cells of the body, and they are thought to play a role in the formation of many kinds of cancer. It is easy to see, therefore, why foods rich in antioxidant vitamins, like strawberries, are such an important part of a healthy diet.In addition to significant amounts of vitamin C, strawberries also provide an excellent source of vitamin K and manganese, as well as being a good source of folic acid, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, copper, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.

How to choose good The Strawberry

Strawberries are among the most versatile of all fresh fruits, but unfortunately they are quite perishable as well. For this reason, fresh strawberries should be purchased only a few days before they are to be eaten. When strawberries are in season locally this is seldom a problem. At other times of the year, however, it may be necessary to make due with canned or frozen strawberries.

When choosing fresh strawberries it is important to choose those berries which are plump firm and free of mold, and that have a deep red color. Unlike other fruits, strawberries do not continue to ripen after they are picked, so it is important to choose the ripest, reddest strawberries, as they will provide the best taste and the highest nutrient density. Many people find that medium sized strawberries are sweeter and more flavorful than larger ones. When buying strawberries that have been prepackaged, it is important to be sure that the berries have not been packed too tightly, as this could cause them to be crushed or otherwise damaged.It is of course important to handle strawberries properly, and to store them well after they have been purchased.

Strawberries, like all fruit, should be washed thoroughly prior to eating or storage. Any strawberries that show signs of mold should be removed at once, as they could contaminate the remaining strawberries. The strawberries should be placed in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator. Fresh strawberries will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

TOMATOES FOR A HEALTHY DIET

The Importance Of Tomatoes To A Healthy Diet

The health benefits of tomatoes are well known, and tomatoes are known to contain a great many important compounds that play an important role in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, cataracts and many other common health problems. Tomatoes are rich sources of many important nutrients, and more and more people are coming to realize just how important tomatoes are to a healthy diet.

Tomatoes and vitamin C

For instance, tomatoes contain as much vitamin C as many citrus fruits, with a normal sized tomato providing up to 40 percent of the recommended daily intake of this important nutrient. In addition, tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin A, potassium and iron. And tomatoes are one of the most delicious, and most versatile of all foods. From fresh tomatoes in your salad to ketchup on your burger, tomatoes are everywhere, and this makes it quite easy to enjoy their many health benefits.

In a way, it is their rich color that makes tomatoes so valuable to a healthy diet. The substance responsible for the red coloration of tomatoes is known scientifically as lycopene. This important compound is thought to be a strong antioxidant, with the ability to neutralize the free radicals that can cause damage to cells. These free radicals are thought to play a role in cancer, and therefore tomatoes are thought to be important in the prevention of many kinds of cancer.

As a matter of fact, lycopene is thought to be twice as effective as many other kinds of antioxidants, and it has been shown to play a role in the prevention of such common cancers as prostate cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer. In addition, lycopene is thought to help to inhibit the aging process, allowing tomato eaters to remain active longer.

How to choose the best tomatoes

To get the greatest amount of benefits from tomatoes it is important to choose them carefully. The ripest and reddest tomatoes not only contain the highest amounts of lycopene, but they also are thought to contain the greatest amount of beta carotene, another vital nutrient.

Tomatoes are healthy when eaten raw, but they are also one of those rare foods whose nutritional value is actually enhanced by the cooking process. The valuable lycopene is contained in the cell wall of the tomato, and therefore cooking it in a bit of healthy oil will help to more fully release this important nutrient. In addition, cooking the tomato in a healthy oil like olive oil will help the body to better absorb the lycopene in the tomato.

While it is important to choose the richest, reddest tomatoes to enjoy their many health benefits, it is not necessary to always buy your tomatoes fresh. While fresh tomatoes are often better tasting, tomatoes are one of those fruits that ship very well, and they do not lose any of their vital nutritional value when they are shipped. Tomatoes also retain their nutritional value through the high heat processing they undergo, meaning that tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and stewed tomatoes are all valuable sources of antioxidants and other valuable nutrients.

DIET TIPS

Are you tired of diet tips handed out by someone with apparently unlimited income and time? For some of us, it may just not be practical to spend half of our Sunday preparing carefully portioned meals for the rest of the week, or financially feasible to buy all our meals prepackaged in just the right portions. And there are those of us who cringe at the thought of weighing food to achieve 'optimal portion sizes'. Here are ten real life diet tips for the rest of us.

1. Eating out? Restaurant portions tend to be enormous, and if it's on the plate, we tend to eat it. If it's possible, order from the kid’s menu, where portions are more reasonably sized.

2. Keep healthy snacks around and easily accessible. A bowl of fruit on the kitchen table, a container of celery or carrot sticks in the refrigerator, or a couple of pop-open cans of fruit salad in your desk at work will help you grab for something healthy when those first hunger pains begin. In other words, you'll be more likely to grab something low-calorie and good for you if it's easy to eat.

3. Substitute frozen vegetables for canned. Canned veggies tend to be high in sodium, which you don't need, and low in real nutrition, which you do. Buy economy size bags with zip closures to make it easy to pour out a single serving for a meal.

4. Buy a vegetable steamer. Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables. The food retains nearly all of its natural nutrients instead of leaching it out into the cooking water. Even better, it makes your veggies taste great - which means you'll be more likely to eat them instead of filling up on fatty foods that pack on weight.

5. Never eat standing up. One of the easiest ways to sabotage your diet is to 'eat without thinking'. Treat eating with the respect that it deserves. Fix yourself a plate. Sit down and eat properly. You'll be less likely to just pop food into your mouth without paying attention.

6. Spread your meals out. When you eat three meals a day, your body tends to store whatever it doesn't need right that moment. By adopting a 'grazing' habit, you'll keep your metabolism working throughout the day. Have a small breakfast, a piece of fruit with crackers or toast at mid-morning, a light lunch and an 'after school snack' mid-afternoon. Just remember that you're breaking up the same amount of food into smaller meals, not ADDING more food into your daily diet.

7. Grab a fruit juice or flavored water instead of soda. Soda is nothing but empty calories. No nutrients, lots of sugar. Instead, grab a bottle of 100% fruit juice, or water flavored with a spritz of fruit.

8. Drink water. Even the FDA recommends at least 8 full 8 ounce glasses of water a day to keep your body working right. When you're dieting, you should drink even more. It's not just that full feeling - water helps your body digest foods properly and cleans out your system.

9. Can't afford a gym membership? Make a pact with friends to exercise together. Make a date at least three times a week to play volleyball, take a walk or spend half an hour doing something active.

10. Skip the potato chips. Fatty snacks fried in hydrogenated oil like potato chips contribute fat and calories and not much else. Instead, grab a handful of dried fruit or a cup of yogurt for the same amount of calories and a lot more nutritional benefit.

FIVE COMMON DIET TIPS

It Really Works

Losing weight is a national preoccupation. I challenge anyone to turn on the television or radio, surf online or open a magazine without finding an advertisement for a weight loss product or an endorsement for a new diet or eating plan. Everyone wants to be healthy and look their best, and for possibly the first time in the last half century, those two things happen to coincide.

The current ideal of beauty is far closer to what's attainable by a 'real' person than it has been in decades. Thanks to the recent popularity of actresses and singers who aren’t rail thin, coat hangers are out and healthy muscles and curves are in.

If you've been working toward that comfortable ideal body weight, chances are that you've read the same diet and weight loss tips time and time again. In some cases, it's because someone said it and it got repeated endlessly. In others, though, it's because the tip really works. Here are five of the most common diet tips that really work - and why.

Tip #1

Drink a full eight ounce glass of water 20 minutes before each meal. It's only partly because you trick your body into thinking that it's full. The real trick is in giving your body all the water that it needs. The usual recommendation is at least an 8 oz glasses of water a day. That's WATER - not soft drinks, not coffee. Just pure water. Your body needs water to maintain all its systems and to flush wastes away.

When you don't take in enough water, it starts trying to conserve it by retaining water in muscle and fat tissues. Water your body as faithfully as you would a plant, and you'll find that it starts ridding itself of excess water regularly as well. Is it just water weight? Well, yes. But that water weight is weight you don't have to carry around with you as long as you're taking in enough water for your body's needs.

Tip #2

Eat your fruits and veggies raw. Aside from the fact that raw fruits and vegetables pack more nutrition per calorie, in many cases you're actually getting LESS calories when you eat your produce raw. Especially if you generally opt for canned fruits or vegetables, there are added preservatives and flavorings that can increase calories substantially.

But there's another reason as well: your body works harder to digest raw fruits and vegetables, and that means that it uses more calories in getting all the nutrients out of it. Your body NEEDS the extra roughage present in fruit and vegetables that haven't been cooked and processed to keep it working right.

Tip #3

Eat a balanced diet. It's obviously more healthy, but will it help you lose weight? The answer is yes, and here's why. When your body lacks ANY nutrient in its daily intake, it tries to make up the difference by substituting other nutrients. The result can be false messages that you're hungry, when what your body really craves is enough of ONE particular nutrient. Eating a balanced diet provides all the nutrients your body needs in the proper proportions so that it isn't telling you it's starving.

Tip #4

Half an hour of moderate exercise five times a week. Your body uses the food it eats to produce energy for your daily activities. The more energy you use, the more of your food your body will use to fuel it. When you eat fewer calories than your body needs, it will turn to stored reserves to keep it going.

Adding one half hour of moderate exercise to your daily routine five times a week increases your body's consumption of energy. But there's more. Your body is using up calories even when you're not exercising just to maintain circulation and health in its tissues. It uses up more calories maintaining muscles than fat. As you exercise, your body is converting fat to muscle -- resulting in a higher metabolic rate as it increases its activity to keep your muscles in tone.

Tip #5

Snack between meals. Our bodies were never designed for the 3-times-a-day eating schedule we've adopted. They work round the clock, and need energy all the time. Rather than eating all your calories in three sittings, spread them out over 5 or 6. The trick is to eat smaller meals - not add more food. You'll keep your digestive system busy, and your body at full energy all day long.

A Healthy Diet Starts With Exercise

Many people wonder how they can maintain a healthy weight without starving themselves. It is important for every would be dieter to understand that a healthy diet starts with exercise. Without a solid exercise plan, it will be almost impossible to maintain a weight loss over the long term.

That is because virtually any diet can help you lose weight over the short term. Simply cutting back on calories while maintaining your normal schedule will certainly allow you to lose weight, at least in the short term.

The Problem With Dieting

The problem with this approach, of course, is that it is difficult to maintain. Eventually you will grow tired of the same old restricted calorie diet, and when you stop eating that diet, the weight will quickly return. Worse yet, many yoyo dieters end up gaining more weight than they lost, making it than much more difficult to lose weight the next time. In addition, this type of up and down weight gain and loss has been found to be even more dangerous than being overweight.

The key thing to remember therefore is that a healthy diet starts with exercise. Exercise should be the cornerstone of any diet program, and without a solid exercise plan in place it will be virtually impossible to maintain any weight loss you do achieve through diet alone.

Fortunately, it is not necessary to exercise like a fiend to achieve a healthy weight loss. Studies have shown that you can gain significant health benefits simply by exercising a few times a week, for as little as 20 minutes each day. That means that simply taking a walk around your neighborhood three or four times a year can be remarkably effective.

Take It Easy

Of course more strenuous exercise is always an option, but it is important not to push yourself too soon. If you introduce strenuous exercise into your exercise plan too quickly you could risk an injury, and that could set your diet and exercise plan back further.

For those times when it is too hot, too cold or too rainy to enjoy a walk or a run in the great outdoors, there are a number of excellent pieces of exercise equipment on the market. There are a number of excellent pieces, including the good old exercise bike and treadmill to the newest elliptical trainers and similar equipment.

The most important thing to look for when purchasing exercise equipment is a piece of equipment that you will use. When shopping for such equipment, be sure to remember that a healthy diet starts with exercise, and buy your equipment accordingly. A piece of exercise equipment that is too difficult or too cumbersome to use will quickly become a clothes hanger, and you will not gain the benefits of regular exercise.

Whether you get your exercise through your exercise equipment, the old fashioned way of taking a walk or going for a run, or a combination of both approaches, the most important thing is that you get started and get started as soon as possible. The sooner you start your exercise program the sooner you will be able to reap the many rewards of such a program.

INTRODUCTION TO 'DIET'

As an introduction to my blog, I will show you what Jerold Johnson suggested in the NextArticle.com as follows:

Does YOUR Diet Do All The Right “Things”?

Where Diets Go Wrong…

When we discover that we are heavier than we want to be, we have a natural inclination to eat less food. We may skip lunch or eat only a tiny amount of our dinner in the hope that if we eat less our body will burn off some of its fat. But that is not necessarily true. Eating less actually makes it more difficult to lose weight.

Keep in mind that the human body has endured for thousands of years, and that at the earliest times there were no diets. The only low-calorie event in people’s lives was starvation. Those who could cope with a temporary lack of food were the ones who survived. Our bodies, therefore, have developed this built-in mechanism to help us survive in the face of low food intake.

When researchers compare overweight and thin people, they find that they ate roughly the same number of calories. What makes overweight people different is the amount of fat that they eat. Thin people tend to eat less fat and more complex carbohydrates.

Losing weight is not something one can do overnight. A carefully planned weight loss program requires common sense and certain guidelines. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around and lots of desperate people are easily duped and ripped off.

Every day one can open a magazine or newspaper and see advertisements touting some new product, pill or patch that will take excess weight off quickly.

Everyone seems to be looking for that “magic” weight loss pill. Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, spending billions of dollars every year on diet programs and products. Often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost.

A survey was done recently to try and determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so.

So rampant has the so-called diet industry become with new products and false claims that the FDA has now stepped in and started clamping down.

Being seriously overweight, and particularly obesity, can develop into a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it is now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.

The myth is that people get heavy by eating too many calories. Calories are a consideration it’s true, but overall they are not the cause of obesity in America today. Americans actually take in fewer calories each day than they did at the beginning of the century. If calories alone were the reason we become overweight, we should all be thin. But, we are not. Collectively, we are heavier than ever.

Partly, it is because we are more sedentary now. But equally, as important is the fact that the fat content of the American diet has changed dramatically.

People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.

Select an exercise routine that you are comfortable with and remember that walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening your bones, controlling your weight and toning your muscles.

As always, review the best dieting and exercise program that would suit your body’s needs with your physician first! ;-)

About the author:
Jerold Johnson is the author of the brand NEW book that spoofs Atkins and the dieting industry! “Dr. Bobby FATkins” provides a heaping helping of laughter and encourage for you! He also writes the free weekly Dr-FATkins Healthy News eZine that provides tips, tricks and resources to living a healthier life and successful living. Sneak a peek at http://www.Dr-FATkins.com