The last few years have seen a worrying trend in overweight and obesity prevalence. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that over 35% of the adult population is overweight with BMI (Body Mass Index) ranging between 25 and 29.9.

These numbers are replicated throughout the world. As a result, the drive to attain a slim body has become a craze to avoid the dangers associated with excess weight including heart attacks. Perhaps more so, individuals are motivated to find their perfect body to avoid the embarrassment of looking overweight.

Although shedding calories may not be as easy as gaining them, there are various ways to shape your beach body, fast. Below we outline a few tips to keep in mind for effective weight loss.

What You Eat

The mention of dieting for many people means skiving food and trying to lose weight overnight. This is a misconception and dieting in fact means taking the right foods in the right quantities.

50-55% of your diet should contain carbohydrates combined with a good measure of proteins (25-30%) to help build up your muscles and enhance the recovery of any torn tissues. Sugars and fats should be reduced in your diet because they end up as the main contributors to excess fat. Fibers are also essential to help in digestion and clean the body of unprocessed foods.

How You Eat

One of the worst culprits in your efforts to get a perfectly toned body is poor eating habits. Taking large meals at once is detrimental and instead, spread the meals to about 5-6 times a day. In addition, eat only when hungry and not just as routine and while at it avoid snacks in between meals.

Food behavior also calls for intelligence and decisions such as taking fruit juice instead of a fruit itself need to be made rationally. Fruit juice will contain extra additives such as sugar thus adding to your weight problems. Over time, train your body to become accustomed to fruits and vegetables instead of fast foods.

One great practice to help you realize greater awareness in you body and overall consumption habits is fasting. More than just a fad, juice fasting has proven to be a great way to lose weight and better sense thyself. As the stomach shrinks during a fast, our bodies a much more aware of the feeling of being full. This awareness can be sustained for long-term eating habits.

Water

Water is essential in our body and helps in lubrication and digestive purposes. Water not only helps to tone your skin but reduces ageing while also flushing toxins, which could be affecting digestion and your general body wellbeing. Instead of taking sugary fizzy drinks such as soda when thirsty, train yourself to take water.

The body requires copious amounts of water and you should start the day with water. When hungry, try drinking some water. Your hunger might be mistaken for thirst, which is zero calorie solution.

There are many other tips on how to shape your beach body fast, which can complement these. For example, habits such as smoking and alcohol intake should be ceased forthwith. There is of course the importance of getting proper exercise. However, one must know that exercise is only 30% of the equation when looking to loose weight. When you put your mind to it, losing weight is not rocket science at all.

Source: www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/facts.html

Losing weight is a major challenge for most people. The intimidation of a weight loss plan is often exacerbated by confusing statistics and information. Many people are hitting the gym under pressure only to exhaust themselves within no time and fall back to their plump selves. As they say, the forbidden fruit is always sweet and hence, the foods you crave most cause this trauma. If you eat right, you can cut on excess fat and be on your way to retaining your slim and trim figure. In this Health n' Wellness post, we dive into some of the best fat burning foods include to include in your weight loss diet plan.

Almonds and Nuts with Skin Intact

Although nuts contain high levels of fat, in moderation they can help to fend off food craving and make you feel full. As such, you do not end up gorging yourself with other types of food. These nuts also help to build muscle, which is what people crave for when trying to lose weight. A person trying to lose weight can kill for a toned body but a diet of nuts everyday will help you achieve this feat easily.

Whey Proteins

This is a mixture of globular proteins found in milk. The product contains nutrients such as Glycomacropeptide, immunoglobins, and lactoferrin, which help in breaking down fat. In addition, you get amino acids such as tryptophan, which are essential in breaking down fat while at the same time building body muscle. This double-pronged function ensures that as you burn fat, muscles are toned. Moreover, proteins are essential in repairing torn muscle and tissue thus helping regain an ideal body.

Whole Grains

Such whole grains for weight loss include oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and other non-white grains. These fat burning foods are perfect because the body uses a lot of calories while burning them down. They are rich in fiber and hence your body has to expend more energy in metabolism, which effectively ensures you continue losing extra fat.

Beans and Legumes

These have been hailed for a long time due to their low calorie content and high fiber content. In essence, beans and legumes help to regulate digestion through presence of fiber and as the body struggles to burn more fibers, you lose more calories. They are the ideal replacement for meat because they still have proteins present in meat.

Lean Meats

This is a type of food high in proteins. Over the last few years, shift is being refocused on proteins due to their high thermo genic effect. During intake, your body burns around 30% of calories and this is ideal for your weight loss. As such, look for lean meat such as turkey or choose fish like salmon, tuna, and tilapia to cut down on saturated fat. Other ideal fat burning foods include chili peppers, spinach and vegetables, eggs, berries among others. They call for discipline and dedication to dieting if at all the desired effects are to be achieved. Do you have any other top fat burning foods for weight loss that you would like to add? Let us know in the comments section below.

For many years, women with breast cancer have generally been advised to rest after surgery or other treatment. This was to give the body a chance to heal without having to deal with the stresses of exercise. However new studies have suggested that in fact exercise is not only harmless, but can actually be incredibly beneficial to patients.

A steady level of exercise can help to reduce fatigue, promote circulation, and improve the general health of women after cancer treatments. It has even been noted that exercise can help to improve emotional distress as women engaging in more exercise than before their treatment have reported much lower levels of depression than women who have rested more.

Maximize Energy, Minimize Depression

One study from the University of Miami has found that when regular exercise is combined with behavioral therapy to reduce anxiety and stress, the result is much lower levels of depression and can actually improve energy levels.

Although not the first study to show the benefits of exercise to cancer patients, this study is unique in discovering the relationship between exercise and the true effectiveness of other therapies. The new study suggests that even a moderate amount of exercise, such as a long walk or Yoga practice, can significantly increase the benefits of stress reduction therapy.

More About the Study

The University of Miami study followed the progress of 240 women with breast cancer after they had surgery. The first half of the group of women was given intensive group behavioral therapy while the other half were given very little support in the form of therapy.

Women from the first group who had exercised more frequently between the surgery and the therapy were noted to have a considerably better response to the therapy than those who exercised very little. It was also noted that the same effect occurred in the women of the second group but to a lesser extent.

All of the women who increased their exercise levels were shown to suffer from less depression and had more energy overall. This research seems to suggest that exercise can make a difference to the emotional well-being of women facing breast cancer, as well as improving their energy levels and bodily functioning. When combined with therapy, the affects of exercise can make a big difference in recovering from cancer.

*Information on studies sourced from: www.webmd.com

FDA is seeking to minimize the overuse of antibiotics on animals by limiting their use to treating sick animals. The recent request by the FDA to voluntarily limit the use of antibiotics is driven by concerns that harmful bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to the traditional medicines and treatments.

This is not the first time the FDA is making such a move. In 1977, Congress opposed the regulator's attempts to restrict the use of antibiotics. Since then, medical practitioners, activists and consumer groups have been advocating for restrictions on the use of the antibiotics. Two years ago, the agency denounced the practice and said it was not in the interest of protecting public health.

Risks of Antibiotics in Animal Feed

Adding antibiotics to animal feed and water has been a routine practice since the 1960s. Low doses of antibiotics administered over a long period helps to protect animals from getting sick and accelerates their growth. With the prolonged use of antibiotics, harmful bacteria eventually mutate and become resistant to the treatments, necessitating use of stronger drugs to kill them. This puts consumers of the animal products at risk of potentially dangerous infections when the superbugs are passed to them.

The new guidelines recommend using the antibiotics only on ill animals and under the supervision of a veterinarian. The FDA is urging pharmaceutical companies to stop promoting the commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracycline as growth promoters in animals. It argues that a voluntary approach is more effective and will yield faster results. It expects to effect the changes fully within three years.

The shift from using food products from animal treated with antibiotics is already in force in the European Union. Some leading fast food chains who do not accept meat products from animals fed with antibiotics. However, advocacy and consumer groups are skeptical, saying that the voluntary approach has proven ineffective in the past. They want the FDA to make restricted use of antibiotics mandatory.

What do you think? Is this a good move by the FDA, or weak attempt to show concern for our nation's health and wellness?

When it comes to becoming the best athlete that you can be, it is crucial that you focus on more than just your normal exercises. Most endurance sports like running or swimming require an ideal combination of stamina and strength. This is why it is crucial that you focus on cross training and exploit other sources of exercise to help you improve your abilities.

There are some forms of cross training that offer endurance athletes amazing cardio and strength workouts, and are apart from their more focal form of exercise. Below are some ideas for cross training that you can consider when you are looking to change things up a bit.

TRX

These are suspension straps that are made for body weight workouts and they are certainly made for any type of athlete out there. TRX, however, will not just have you fighting your body weight but also gravity. This is the added resistance that you will be using to help you get stronger.

When it comes to endurance training, it is important that you are able to control your body for a long period of time. TRX training is something that any athlete can benefit from and it is certainly a a cross training technique that you can try. TRX targets functional strength for performance, and offers a wide range of options to get enhance your endurance sport of choice.

Yoga

Yoga is something that you can do to help you relax and get your body back into alignment. With intense training of your particular sport, yoga can help to relax your mind and body. However, you cannot expect yoga to be a walk in the park as people will be surprised at how tough it can be. Getting your body in some of the more technical poses can is not only a strength and balance workout, but also a cardio workout as well.

CrossFit

CrossFit is the ultimate cross training program that you should really consider. This is the hybrid between endurance and strength and it is slowly becoming the main form of exercise for athletes that want to gain muscle and more endurance. Athletes who try CrossFit will admit that it is the best form exercise that should be done by any athlete. It has been called the "perfect exercise" because every type of athlete will benefit from it. IN addition, each CrossFit "workout of the day" is different, offering greater flexibility.

When it comes to becoming the best athlete possible, you will need to learn how to get out of your comfort zone and to try new things. These are only some of the better options out there but you do not need to limit yourself to just these. Cross training is a great way to improve in your particular sport and to also improve your overall health. With the help of cross training, you will see that you can get so much better without having to always practice your own sport.

What types of cross training do you advocate? Share your ideas in the comments section below.

A recent study on mice has shown a correlation in kids who are exposed to germs in their early ages are more likely to have a stronger immunity and resistance to diseases. The immune system boost therefore means that kids exposed to germs are less susceptible to health complications and allergies, such as colitis and asthma. These details are according to a research carried out on March 22, 2012 by the Women's hospital located in Boston.

According to the contradicting hygiene hypothesis, exposure to microbes in the early life of a child significantly suppresses the immune system and therefore puts them at a greater risk of being affected by different types of diseases. The new study supports this whole idea and more so expounds on it so that you can better appreciate the relationship that exists between the immune system and the disease causing microbes. The researchers warn that the results of this research might not apply to each and every person mainly because the research was conducted using mice as the specimen.

Senior authors led this study from both the Women's Hospital and Brigham. Dr. Dennis Kasper is the director of the Channing laboratory of the Women's Hospital while Dr. Richard Blumberg is the senior manager at the Gastroenterology department at BWH. These two and their colleagues studied mice which are bred in more sterile environments without them being exposed to any germs and pathogen free mice that were raised in the normal controlled environment in the laboratory.

They then bred the two types of mice so as to develop asthma and bowel disease and then compared the two immune systems. They came to realize that the germ free mice developed more of invariant killer cells mainly in their lungs and bowel and therefore developed critical disease symptoms. In that case, the germ free mice cells accumulated and then increased morbidity in IBD models and asthma as compared to the specific pathogen free mice.

The germ free mice developed the so called iNKT cells which play a role in helping to fight infections but on the other hand can fight the body tissues. This therefore makes the germ free mice more susceptible to diseases and infections. This research also shows that exposure of germ free mice to germs did not lead to any noticeable development of the iNKT cells and more so these mice did not really develop severe symptoms that were seen in the other mice which were kept more germs free. It also proved that even by leaving the germ free mice in that state, they might not experience any kind of strange effects.

The conclusion after this study is that the best effects would only be realized if the mice were more of exposed before their adulthood. This is where the basis of having kids exposed to germs in their early days to develop immunity comes from. The germ free mice on the other hand were exposed to more germs in their early life and thus they developed immunity. The aim of the study was to show the importance of microbes and why exposure in early days in life might help to boost the immune system. The research is also intended to act as a basis for the understanding of the increase allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases mainly in the urban areas.

Two new British studies suggest that taking an aspirin daily may lower patients' risk of getting certain types of cancer by up to 37 percent. Doctors are cautiously optimistic about these studies because aspirin's side effects may include gastrointestinal bleeding. More studies are needed to confirm results; however, it seems that aspirin may stop cancer from spreading to other organs or from developing in the first place.

Recent Studies on Aspirin

One study, conducted at the University of Oxford, looked at the cancer rates in both men and women who took an aspirin once a day for three years. This study found that after three years, patients who took a daily dose of aspirin were far less likely have cancer than people in a control group who did not take aspirin. After five years, the group that took aspirin's cancer risk was lower by 37 percent. 

The other study, which analyzed the results of several British cancer studies, found that people who take aspirin once a day have a lower risk of metastatic cancer--25 percent--as well as a lower risk of colon cancer. In addition, patients who had esophagus or colorectal cancers had less risk of the cancer spreading to other organs in their body if they took aspirin. The study excluded the results of two other studies that showed that taking aspirin had no significant benefit for cancer patients; however, the excluded studies looked at the effects of taking aspirin several times a week instead of the effects of taking aspirin on a daily basis.

Tradeoffs in Taking Aspirin

The results of the current studies are significant because esophagus and colon cancers are among the most serious types of cancer and are often fatal. If aspirin can stop these cancers, as well as other types of cancer, from spreading to other organs, cancer patients will be less likely to become weak and die from their disease.

Cancer is one of the most common serious illnesses U.S. patients face, and cancer of the colon or of the prostate are especially common in men over the age of 50. About 30,000 people a year die from each of these cancers, and about 40,000 women a year die from breast cancer. For this reason, many people are excited about the possibility of preventing cancer or stopping its spread by taking an aspirin every day. However, doctors are not sure yet whether it is healthy for people to take aspirin every day. Long-term aspirin use has been linked to gastrointestinal bleeding; in addition, aspirin use may increase the patient's risk of having a stroke.

For this reason, most doctors don't recommend that healthy people take aspirin daily. In the past, cardiologists have recommended that people only take aspirin to prevent heart disease if their personal risk of disease outweighs the potential negative side effects of the aspirin. Similarly, most doctors are suggesting that only people who currently suffer from cancer or are highly likely to get cancer should take aspirin to try to prevent it. People who are healthy and have low risk of cancer may risk their health more by taking the drug, so doctors currently don't recommend that they do so.

Somatic education is a means of learning how to properly function and coordinate one's body through sensory motor awareness.

While the term "Somatic" refers to an individual's ability to sense his or her inner processes, education in this practice reflects the learning and increased ability to sense oneself from within. The underlying connection to Somatic Education is mind-body integration, which in turn enhances natural control of the body's muscular system. This can provide more efficiency as well as flow of energy through improved physiological functioning.

The video above is from Somatics.com. It was created by Lawrence Gold, a Hanna Somatic practitioner.

In numerous cases the Somatic education approach has been useful in overcoming chronic pain, as well as improving physical performance. One of the chronic conditions alleviated through this approach is the Sensory-Motor Amnesia (SMA).

What is Sensory-Motor Amnesia?

Sensory-motor amnesia is a state under which we lose our sense of muscular activity and control due to habituated movements. The amnesia occurs as certain muscles take more control of others, causing the inactive muscle to be less effective, and often times tight and sometimes painful.

With Sensory-Motor Amnesia, one is left with a sensation of pain and stiffness in a part of the body without the sense of the action of the muscles causing it. The remedy to this condition is to learn how to sense the muscular actions causing the pain and consequently learning how to control those muscular actions.

Prevalence of Sensory-Motor Amnesia

It is not uncommon for an individual during his or her lifetime to lose a certain degree of awareness in certain muscles. This is often times because we subconsciously hold muscles tight, without being fully aware of it.

However what we are aware of is the pain or soreness, as well as skewed bodily movement. Somatics seeks to overcome that unawareness, and train our minds to recognize those muscles that are being held tight. 

Role of Somatic Education for SMA

Somatics is essentially a method of mind-body training that aids in overcoming common health difficulties that would otherwise be remedied through physical therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, massage therapy among other treatments.

In the case of Sensory-Motor Amnesia, Somatic education supersedes the traditional physical therapy approaches of stretching and strengthening of muscles to alleviate muscular spasticity. Unlike the standard physical therapies that accentuate strength and flexibility, Somatic education puts an emphasis on control and release of muscular tension.

In addition, while most therapies will use stretching, Somatic education helps one learn to relax which translates to longer lasting and greater freedom of movement.

Practicing Somatics

There are many techniques that have been proven for Somatic education. Body-mind centering is a Somatic approach that relies on experiential anatomy, breathing, use of movement, and our perceptions. Many techniques of somatic education focus to train people on how to make habit changes while using your body with more ease and freedom.

A process of learn-by-doing making various techniques based on movement and sensation is employed during Somatic training. This enhances a sense of awareness to the body parts to feel more intensely thus encouraging a more clearly defined and voluntary control of the muscles. The results of Somatic training is actually self-perpetuating and improves with continuous practice.

Somatics greatly depends on an individual's self-awareness and thus ability to better control his or her muscular control. To learn more about Somatic education, visit Somatics.com.

Gaining weight means that you are actually taking in more calories than you actually burning in a day. In today's world, it's not easy counting calories and estimating caloric expenditure. However there are some mind-sets or approaches to our diets that can help overcome excess calorie intake.

One of the best approaches to losing weight is avoiding refined carbohydrates (starchy breads, white grains, etc.) with metabolism-boosting, fat-burning foods. These types of foods are more whole and natural, meaning that that they have not been processed in a factory and infused with chemicals and additives.

Below are some of the top metabolism boosting foods that can help you on your way to shedding the pounds.

Lean Proteins

Proteins are important in any weight loss effort. Quantity and quality play a significant role in influencing your metabolic rate through high protein foods. Protein helps sustain and influence muscle fitness during weight loss, which is responsible for using most of our calorie intake. Losing muscle could hinder losing fat. 

You should eat lean meats and organic forms of tofu as you protein source. White meats, such as fish and poultry, are considered some of the best nutritional options, for these proteins are low in fat and will help you stay more full.

Green Tea and Coffee

Both green tea and coffee contain caffeine, which speeds up you your heart. This in turn boosts your metabolism. Of course, you moderate caffeine intake throughout the day is key. But for a quick jolt to metabolism to get your fat burning system turned up, drink a cup or two of green tea or coffee. Green tea in particular contains Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) which is one of the most powerful metabolism boosters.

High Fiber Veggies

Fiber rich foods are one of the best foods for weight loss. These foods not only keep your colon clean, but also flush out toxins from your body. Vegetables such as celery, cauliflower, zucchini are quite rich in fiber content. You can also enjoy vegetables by making salads that contain all of your favorite veggies.

Hot Peppers

Try adding some hot peppers to some of your recipes for heating up things. Jalapeno peppers and cayenne peppers possess thermagenic properties that increase your body temperature and boost metabolism. Spicing up your foods can help you in burning more calories.

Fruits

Most fruits are nutrient dense and have a good amount of fiber. Therefore, your body has to work harder to digest and extract those valuable nutrients. This helps in burning more calories and you lose weight fast.

The best fruits to eat when trying to lose weight are strawberries, apples and oranges. While eating oranges, you should avoid removing their white membrane off as it contains highest fiber content. Apples are also one of the best foods for weight loss as they not only have high fiber content, but also contain both soluble and insoluble fibers.

Whole Grains

While choosing pastas, cereals, and breads, you should opt for choices made from whole grains. As a complex carbohydrate, whole grain is high in fiber content, and boost metabolism while slowing down the release of insulin. Whole grain options are becoming much more popular in food stores, so choosing this alternative is ideal for a successful weight loss strategy.

Water

Water, especially ice cold water is important for obese people who want to shed some weight. Cold water lowers the body's temperature so the body must compensate by burning more fat. It also helps in filling you up fast thereby reducing any urge to eat more and add more calories in your body.

Can you think of any other metabolism booster weight loss foods? Let us know in the comments section below.

In today's world, with so many Americans facing obesity, there are a tons of people suffering from cardiovascular disease. This chronic disease is known to be correlated to high levels of fat compounds called triglycerides, which circulate in the bloodstream. Triglycerides are compounds composed of fatty acids and are very dangerous in high levels. 

Lowing triglyceride levels can be difficult, and many people have a difficult time lowering their levels through the traditional methods of diet and exercise. However, studies in this area are showing unconventional yet effective methods for lowering triglyceride levels through the foods we eat.

In a recent research study done at Penn State, researchers began studying the role of spices (such as curry, cinnamon, turmeric, and other spices) and their role in the body. They fed participants heavily spiced curry chicken and other dishes and measured their pre and post meal triglyceride levels. The team discovered that the group which had eaten the spicy meal had decreased triglyceride level by a third, which was a notably dramatic decrease.

While the exact reasons why levels were decreased are not known, this experiment was a breakthrough in the field of cardiovascular research. The study also found that the spicy dishes helped to enhance the antioxidant activity and helped to stabilize insulin levels in the blood after a meal. The heavy spices worked on several different mechanisms in the body, all producing positive responses. The antioxidant activity of spices is also a method that can be used to treat many chronic disease states naturally and improve overall health.

This study yielded surprising results. While more research is needed to determine if the effects of spicy foods are viable for long-term health, researchers are hopeful that their work will lead to better understanding of triglycerides and heart disease. Overall, the research team made a breakthrough in the area of heart disease.