Liquid Vitamins/Supplements- why are they becoming so popular today? There are several reasons for the popularity of liquid nutrition that will be discussed in this article. However, it is necessary to first point out that it is essential for everyone to take nutritional supplements in some form every day. Our body cannot make vitamins and minerals by itself, so we are all responsible with supplementing our diets with the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. We can get these essential vitamins in one of two forms: liquid vitamins or pill form vitamins. There has been an increase in the popularity of liquid vitamins recently with increasing complexity and new age ingredients that go beyond simple vitamins to include antioxidants, herbal extracts, and other specialized ingredients that promote general health and well being.

So, what are the benefits to liquid vitamins? First, remember when you were a kid and they had to force you to take your nutritional health supplements? This is nothing new, as no one likes to swallow a giant vitamin. Large, pill form vitamins are a nuisance, and people often avoid taking their vitamins because they have to choke down a large pill. With liquid nutrition, this issue obviously does not exist. Almost everyone can swallow a liquid supplement with no trouble. So, the first and most important pro of liquid vitamins is that they are easier to take.

Second, the delivery system of liquid vitamins is much faster. Liquid is more easily absorbed into the body than pill form supplements. As soon as liquid vitamins hit a person’s tongue, the process of absorption begins, and the liquid vitamins can begin taking effect immediately. 

The third pro of liquid vitamins is that they only need to be taken once a day instead of three times a day, as some pill vitamins require. Fewer doses per day are cheaper, as it requires a person to purchase less of the liquid vitamins than one would have to purchase with pill vitamins. Fewer doses per day are also beneficial to the person who has a sensitive stomach, because there are fewer opportunities for liquid vitamins to cause stomach upset.

Now more than ever, it is essential that everyone supplement the food that they eat with vitamins and minerals. Whether this supplement is taken in the form of liquid vitamins or pill vitamins is largely a personal decision. However, as this article has pointed out, the benefits of liquid supplements most likely outweigh the drawbacks.
Taking Liquid Nutrition Mainstram

Although there have been Liquid Supplements on the market for some time, they have not yet been accepted as mainstream, until now.

A new product called Vitavegamin is set to change all that. Similar to RedBull that set the pace for the energy drink category, Vitavegamin is set to do for liquid nutritional supplements.

High grade supplements that have proven health protection and benefit are alternatively refered to as Alternative health care. People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for everything from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to cancer and heart disease. They crave more “care” in their health care. Alternative medicine, including the use of nutritional supplements, is slowly becoming accepted by a growing number of health care insurers.
In just the past few years more insurers have started offering patients limited coverage for such practices as acupuncture, nutritional counseling and other complementary or alternative forms of care.

Quality and scientific formulations are the key. Vitavegamin is a premium blend of high grade vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other ingredients to maintain general health and well being, produce in an FDA approved GMP facility. Just as hundreds of energy drinks attempted to follow the footsteps of RedBull, there will be others who will follow the footsteps of Vitavegamin.

For more information visit www.vitavegamin.com

One of the important things you can do for your overall health is to eat a healthy diet. Your diet affects your weight and increases your risks of health diseases. Deciding a healthy diet is easier to say than to do because it is tempting to eat less healthy foods. Different people decide different healthy diet because you might eat this kind of diet while others just cannot stand the food you eat and find its alternative. That’s what health experts are here for, to let us know which food are healthier than others.

What are the principles of healthy eating?

Know What Healthy Food Is and How You Should Eat

When pursuing a healthy eating plan, you should remember the following:

1. Try and Eat a Variety of Different Colored Food – You should remember that different foods have different nutritional values. Food can be rich in antioxidants or Vitamin C. So, when you go to do your regular weekly shop, try and see what different colored foods you can pick up.

Down the fruit and vegetable aisle you should see greens, yellows, oranges and reds. You should have as much of a color variety in your trolley as you can. For example, when picking out fruit pick up strawberries, oranges, pineapple, apples, blueberries and bananas and you will notice what a large color selection you actually have. The same goes for vegetables. Basically, more color means that it is better and healthier for you.

2. Eat Foods from All Food Groups – The problem with many diets these days is the fact that they tell you to cut certain foods from certain food groups, out of the diet altogether. This means that you lose important nutrition and don’t eat as healthy as you could be. So, the answer to a healthy diet is to eat a variety of different foods.

Generally, fruit and vegetables should make up the main portion of your diet but you still need carbohydrates such as potatoes, meat or fish and a little bit of fatty foods like flaxseed oil which many experts recommend as part of a good fat diet. Overall, a diverse mixture of all food groups is needed for a healthy diet!

3. When You Need to Eat Snack, Do It on Healthy Foods – It doesn’t mean that just because you want to lose weight, you’ll have to skip your snack. In fact, snacking can actually be quite good for you just as long as you are eating the right foods.

Generally, when we want to eat snack, we reach for a biscuit or a packet of crisps. However, if you want to eat a healthy snack, then you will have to swap those for nuts, seeds or fruit and vegetables. That way you will get energy, you will also be full until your next meal time and it will be completely healthy.

Since you know what foods you like and what you don’t, you really have to decide for your own healthy eating plan. However, the said tips above can help you to choose the best healthy eating plan for you.

If you are switching to a healthy eating plan, then a Proactol™ can help you. Proactol™ is new clinically proven weight loss product that can help you cut down your fat intake by 28% of your dietary fat intake when taken after food. You don’t have to deprive yourself of foods you love to eat healthy. Just eat the food you like in moderation and take Proactol™ to deal with your diet effortlessly.

Practicing a sensible weight loss is not just taking a diet pill – you should live for a long-lasting healthy lifestyle.

Wikipedia defines “A healthy diet is one that is arrived at with the intent of improving or maintaining optimal health”. “This usually involves consuming nutrients by eating the appropriate amounts from all of the food groups, including an adequate amount of water.”

The main benefits of a healthy diet are:

1. Improves your immune system

2. Increases energy levels, vitality and alertness

3. Decreases your risk of heart disease and diabetes

4. Helps you cope with stress

A healthy diet is essential to live a healthy lifestyle. Having the correct nutrients can have a significant effect on your energy levels and vitality while decreasing the risks of disease. A healthy diet consists of meeting your daily calorie intake of the five major food groups with portion control of each food group totalling your necessary calorie intake.This will help you follow a healthy diet and lose weight at the same time.

The five major food groups are:

1. Fruit

2. Vegetables

3. Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes

4. Bread, cereals, rice, pasta

5. Milk, yogurt, cheese

A healthy diet is also made up of portion control. The portion control of these five food groups are as follows:

Carbohydrates: 6 - 8
Protein: 1 – 2
Fats: 1
Dairy: 2 – 3
Fruit: 2
Vegetables: 5
Water: 6

What constitutes a serving size for these food groups to achieve a healthy diet?

1. Carbohydrates (6-8 serves daily)
One serving should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Bread 1 slice
Tortilla, roll, or muffin 1
Bagel, English muffin or hamburger bun 1/2
Rice, pasta, cooked cereal, grits 1/2 cup
Ready-to-eat cereal 3/4 cup (flakes or round)
Pancake, waffle 1 (4.5in diameter)

2. Protein (4-6 serves daily)
One serving of protein should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of protein. Examples of this include:
Cooked lean meat, fish or poultry 2oz- 3oz (60g – 90g)
Egg 1
Peanut Butter 2 tablespoons, 1oz (30g)
Cooked dried peas or beans 1/2 cup
Cooked dried beans 1/2cup
Nuts, seeds 1/3 cup

3. Fat (1 serve daily)
One serving of fat should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of fat.  Examples of this include:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter
1 tsp peanut butter
8 ripe olives
1 tbsp salad dressing

4. Dairy (2-3 serves daily)
One serving of dairy should contain about 0.01oz (300mg) of calcium.  Examples of this include:
Milk 1 cup
Yogurt 1 cup
Cheese 1 slice, 1oz (30g) (1.5oz cheese is about equal to 1 cup milk)
Cottage cheese 1/2 cup
Pudding 1/2 cup
Ice cream 1/2 cup

5. Fruit (2 serves daily)
One serving of fruit should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Chopped, fresh fruit 1/2 cup
Grapefruit 1/2
Cantaloupe 1/4
Canned fruit 1/2 cup
100% fruit juice 3/4 cup
Raisins or dried fruit 1/4 cup

6. Vegetables (5 serves daily)
One serving of vegetables should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Cooked vegetables 1/2 cup
Chopped, raw vegetables 1/2 cup
Raw, leafy vegetables 1 cup
Vegetable juice 3/4 cup

7. Water (6 serves daily)
Glass of water (10fl oz)

Vitamins and minerals

Many people believe that they can eat what ever they like and can make it up by having vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for this, however this is not the case. Your body absorbes the nutrients in foods are more effectively than in supplements. Furthermore, a majority of supplements on the market are mainly made with fillers you urinate very quickly.

A few things to remember:

1. Try and keep your BMI (Body Mass Index) in a healthy range

2. Try and eat plenty if fibre.

3. Have 8 glasses o water a day. A lack of water is the most common cause of tiredness

4. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption

5. Reduce sugar intake

Maintain these tips to maintaining a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle and you will be amazed at how good you will feel.

A large number of people around the world are overweight. Most of them have been following different programs that would help them to lose weight but they were not successful. If you ask any person for the reasons of their failure, one way or the other they will give you the following two problems:

1. They could not follow the program.

2. They lost some weight but could not maintain it.

These two problems are the biggest ones that most people face but this does not mean that they are the only ones. Both of these problems are related to the human mind and not human body. Your exercise plan or diet has got nothing to do with the failure. The main cause of this failure is the mind state of a human being; he is expected to follow the program with consistency which for some people is not possible. Another reason for this failure is the conflict between a person’s unconscious and conscious state of mind. These two are the reasons due to which a person fails to lose his or her weight. If you are not prepared then nothing can help you get the required results.

The only solution to this problem is to change the entire life style of a person. This will help his sub-conscious mind to accept it and he will be able to follow the plan with more consistency. This shift will solve all the problems and the person will adapt to the new settings. Now this will be more of an adopted life style than a forced on. Now the person will follow the whole diet and exercise program without any trouble. There are numerous advance mind trainings that can help you achieve this state of mind, magically slim being one of them. With the required mind state in place a person will easily follow all the weight loss programs and will be able to maintain it for a long period of time.

With the mind state in place you will need to find yourself a good diet and exercise plan. You can only lose your weight if you are able to burn more calories than you take in. For this reason you need to have a good diet plan. You can ask a doctor to tell you about healthy foods with low calories or you can ask your friends who are already following a plan. You can also use the internet yourself and then evaluate the food items. This way you can eat what you want and you will know how much calories it contains. With your diet plan in place it’s time to get yourself a good exercise plan. You can go for some basic exercises or advanced exercise but this depends on your level of experience. You can buy the necessary equipment or join a gym for this reason. You also have another option! If you don’t want to follow exercises then you can go out for walking, cycling, swimming or running. They don’t require any specialized equipment so they are much easier to adopt.

The Zone Diet works on the principle that 100,000 years ago, we were meat eaters, and our metabolism is designed to handle the demands of a meat-based diet. 

Madonna, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Aniston swear by the results of the Zone Diet, which was created by Barry Sears, PhD.  The Zone Diet contains 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat and is known as the 40-30-30 plan.

As the food industry evolved, more carbohydrates have been introduced into our daily diet, thus causing an imbalance in our metabolism to burn fat.  The reason for our extra weight can also be attributed to the many grains and starches in our diet (pasta, rice, breads, and potatoes).  The Zone Diet’s approach calls for a return to the diets of our ancestors where meat, fruits, and vegetables are the main dietary foods. 

The Zone Diet suggests that you need the right ratio of carbohydrates to proteins and fats in order to control the insulin in the bloodstream.  Too much of the hormone (insulin) can increase fat storage and inflammation in the body (conditions that are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease).  Sears asserts that by using the Zone Diet, you are actually optimizing the body’s metabolic function.  Through the regulation of blood sugar, you allow your body to burn excess body fat.

Although you are not prohibited from any particular food group, it is best to avoid food with high fat and carbohydrates such as grains, starches, and pastas.  The ideal sources of carbs are fruits and vegetables and for monounsaturated fats olive oil, almonds, and avocados are recommended.  The Zone Diet claims to use food as a drug for overall good health, weight loss and prevention or management of heart disease and diabetes.

Sears says that you can test to see whether you are ‘hormonally’ correct by eating following the Zone diet and see how you feel four hours later.  To simplify the Zone Diet, fill one-third of a plate with low-fat protein, and then two-thirds with fruits and vegetables.

Celebrities and some health experts say that the Zone’s recommendations do not stray far from the USDA’s (United States Dietary Association) dietary guidelines and therefore are advocates of the Zone Diet.  Others argue that the Zone Diet has flawed ratios but Sears argues that the Zone diet is a low-glycemic-load diet that has adequate protein.  . 

A critic of the Zone diet such as the AHA (American Heart Association) classifies the Zone Diet as high protein and does not recommend the Zone Diet for weight loss.  They contend that the Zone Diet has not been proven effective in the long term for weight loss.  The AHA issued an official recommendation warning against diets like the Zone Diet.  They believe that the Zone Diet is hazardous as it restricts the intake of essential vitamins and minerals present in certain foods.  The AHA also contends that the protein ratio in the Zone diet is too high even if the minimal fat ratio is good.  Robert H. Ecker M.D of the A.H.A. finds the Zone Diet’s theory on insulin flawed and argues that there is no scientific proof that the hormone insulin plays a big role in weight regulation.

Introduction

One of the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin D constitutes two major forms which are vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol and vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 is synthesised by plants whilst vitamin D3 is synthesised by the body. Vitamin D is naturally present in a number of food sources and dietary supplements, and is also manufactured with the aid of sun exposure. It is produced within the body when ultraviolet-B or UVB rays from sunlight reaches the skin. The liver and the kidney eventually help to convert vitamin D to an active hormone form.

Functions of Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays several key roles in the maintenance of organ systems. For example:

* Vitamin D helps regulate calcium concentrations in the blood. Since it works more like a hormone, its active form, calcitriol acts with the parathyroid hormone or PTH. If the calcium level is low, this would trigger the secretion of PTH, which would stimulate the conversion of vitamin D to calcitriol. Calcitriol would then act to increase calcium absorption in the intestines, calcium resorption in the kidneys and stimulate calcium release from the bones.

* Vitamin D helps maintain blood phosphorus levels. Low levels of vitamin D can result to an overactive parathyroid gland. Also with inadequate phosphorus in the body, bones cannot undergo normal mineralisation.

* It is also said that vitamin D benefits the immune system since the T-cells or immune cells have receptors for vitamin D. It acts by boosting phagocytosis, the bodily functions to combat tumours, modulate neuromuscular and immune functions and reduce inflammation.

* Vitamin D is also responsible for maintaining normal cell growth and function. It may be an important element to the prevention and treatment of cancer. It has also been suggested that vitamin D plays a role in regulating the growth and function of brain cells.

* Research studies suggest that vitamin D, because of its anti-inflammatory effect, plays a role in providing protection against osteoporosis, hypertension, cancer, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and numerous autoimmune diseases.

Deficiency Conditions

There may be certain underlying causes of vitamin D deficiency. It can result from:

* Inadequate vitamin D intake together with inadequate sun exposure

* Certain disorders that compromise vitamin D absorption

* Conditions that can impair the conversion of vitamin D metabolites such as kidney or liver diseases or hereditary disorders.

Insufficient vitamin D intake can have serious effects on the bones, which can make them thin, brittle or deformed. Vitamin D deficiency often results in conditions like:

* Rickets which is common in children and is characterised by delayed growth and deformity of long bones.

* Osteomalacia, which occurs in adults and results in thinning of the bones. Signs of proximal weakness and bone fragility are familiar characteristics.

* Osteoporosis which is a condition wherein the bone mineral density is reduced and bone fragility is increased.

<p>Lack of vitamin D may also be linked to increased susceptibility of several chronic diseases like high blood pressure, cancer, tuberculosis, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, schisophrenia, depression, affective disorders, peripheral arterial disease and a number of autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes.</p>

Deficiency Symptoms in Adults and Infants

Signs of vitamin D deficiency includes muscle aches, myopathy or muscle weakness and bone pain. These symptoms can occur at any age. Pregnant mothers who have vitamin D deficiency can also cause fetal deficiency.

In younger infants, rickets can produce a condition called craniotabes or softening of the skull. In older babies, rickets can impede or delay sitting and crawling and the closure of the fontanels; bossing of the infants’ skull and presence of costochondral thickening or what is referred to as ‘rachitic rosary’. Children with rickets aged 1-4 years old experience epiphyseal cartilage enlargements on the long bones and delayed walking. Older children and adolescents can experience pain upon walking and in worst cases it can result in ‘bowlegs’ or ‘knock-knees’.

Tetany that is caused by hypocalcemia may go along with vitamin D deficiency in infants and adults. This condition can lead to symptoms such as loss of feeling in the lip or tongue areas and the fingers, facial spasms, and at worst, seizures.

Recommended Daily Dose of Vitamin D

Doses or intake of vitamin D is determined according to age groups. These amounts are vital to maintain normal growth and bone health and also normal calcium metabolism in the body. The adequate intakes or AIs for vitamin D indicated are based on the supposition that the vitamin D is not synthesized by sunlight exposure.

From birth to age 13, the recommended AI for children is 5 mcg or 200 IU; for both males and females aged 14-50 years old, 5 mcg or 200 IU is needed; for both males and females aged 51-70 years of age, 10 mcg or 400 IU is required; both males and females reaching the age of 71 and up require 15 mcg or 600 IU of vitamin D. Pregnant and lactating mothers need 5 mcg or 200 IU of the vitamin.

Vitamin D Food Sources

Only a few food sources contain vitamin D. Best sources of vitamin D are fish meat and fish liver oils. There are also small amounts of vitamin D, in the form of vitamin D3, found in dairy products like cheese and egg as well as beef and liver. Some types of mushrooms also contain varying amounts of vitamin D2.

Common sources of vitamin D include the following:

* Cod liver oil

* Fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines

* Milk including non-fat, reduced fat, whole or vitamin D fortified

* Margarine

* Cereals

* Egg

* Beef liver

* Swiss cheese

* Fortified orange juice

* Fortified rice or soy beverage

The Need for Increased Amounts

Since obtaining sufficient amounts of vitamin D in the diet can be quite difficult, many people now consume vitamin D fortified foods in order to maintain a healthy dose of the vitamin. There are some groups however who need increased amounts of vitamin D:

* Breastfed infants because vitamin D cannot be supplied by breast milk alone

* Older people due to the fact that synthesis of vitamin D decreases with age and the ability of the kidney to convert vitamin D diminishes

* People with limited sun exposure especially those living in northern latitudes, those wearing robes or head covers or those with occupations that prevent them from having sun exposure

* People with dark skin as more skin pigments like melanin reduces the ability of the skin to produce vitamin D.

* People with fat malabsorption conditions such as Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, liver and celiac disease or patients who have undergone surgical removal of any part of the stomach or intestine.

* People who are obese. An increased amount of subcutaneous fat can snatch more of the vitamin D and somehow alter its release in the circulation.

Interaction of Vitamin D with Prescribed Drugs

Vitamin D supplements have the tendency to react with certain types of prescription medications. These include the following:

* Steroids or corticosteroid medications like prednisone which can cause decreased calcium absorption and also damage the vitamin D metabolism process.
* Weight-loss medications such as orlistat and cholesterol-lowering drugs like cholestyramine also decrease the absorption of vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamins.
* Phenobarbital and phenytoin increases vitamin D metabolism and decreases calcium absorption.

Question about vitaminsVitamins??
I am 14, am highly active, have slightly unruly skin and need more energy-better immune system-need to improve my memory and would like to be able to build muscle faster what vitamins/minerals/herbs/Chinese medicine tricks/ home remedies/tips/doctor's opinions anything i just would like to know how to improve my overall well being! thx!!!

]]> http://vesta-wines.com/vitamin-d/feed/ 19 http://vesta-wines.com/8-health-tips-to-get-in-shape-for-the-new-year/ http://vesta-wines.com/8-health-tips-to-get-in-shape-for-the-new-year/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 07:23:15 +0000 vesta http://vesta-wines.com/8-health-tips-to-get-in-shape-for-the-new-year/

With the new year approaching, the first resolution most people think about going for is a gym membership. Year after year the same thing happens. They really want to get into shape, and they know for sure that this year will be different. They sign up for a year membership and start their new goal with clear focus and determination.

Most people never make it past the first week. Why? Mostly because they quit when they realize how much work goes into getting back into the shape they once had. The fact of the matter is that it really is not as difficult as they think. They are just focusing on one aspect of overall wellness and burning themselves out on it.

In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, a person must develop the mindset necessary for living a healthy lifestyle. There is much more to being healthy than showing up to the gym every day. In fact, exercise is only one-eighth of the total equation. If you really want to achieve personal wellness in 2009, forget the gym and focus instead on improving the following 8 categories of health.

Health Tips #1: Diet & Nutrition
You already know the main reason you gained weight. Too many trips through the McDonalds drive-thru, late night snacking on junk food and poor dinner choices. You do not have to eat a diet of bland salads and yogurt, but you do need to limit the amount of trigger foods that you caused your weight gain. Replace your current American diet of high sugar, high-fat processed foods with those found in the produce and lean meat department as often as you can.

Health Tips #2: Nutritional Supplements
Now that our soils are more depleted of minerals than ever, and our farm animals are not fed properly, living a healthy lifestyle requires nutritional supplementation. I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and kept it off for over 15 years simply by drinking a soy-based protein shake for breakfast every morning and taking a few targeted vitamins. Why does this work? Because greasy bacon and runny eggs do not provide proper nutrition.

Health Tips #3: Fun & Recreation
What makes you happy? Going to the movies? Ice Skating? Playing the guitar? Whatever it is, you must find time for it on a weekly basis (if not daily) in order to maintain good mental stability. Your activities and hobbies should not include junk food or alcohol. Going to the movies is watching the movie, not eating a tub of fatty buttered popcorn. Be happy with what you are doing without the unnecessary evils.

Health Tips #4: Hydration
Drinking enough water throughout the day is the part of the equation that gets overlooked. People do not consider drinking as important as eating and it is! You should not be drinking soda or processed juices every day. Why? Because they deplete your body of vitamins and minerals while loading you up on sugar. Alcohol is even worse. Do yourself a favor and keep a water bottle with you at all times. Drink, drink, drink. I cannot stress this enough.

Health Tips #5: Stress
And speaking of stress, this is what happens when you do not allow yourself to have any fun in your life. This is just as important to living a healthy lifestyle as eating and drinking properly. Too much stress can cause major problems for your body. You only live once, so do not allow other people and events to get you so bothered and worried that you cannot live the lifestyle you deserve for yourself.

Health Tips #6: Unhealthy Habits
Not eating the wrong foods is just as important as eating the right foods. But unhealthy habits are not just about food, are they? Smoking and the use of other drugs, prescription or not, is probably the worst thing a person can do to their body. This is the only one you have! Take care of it. Alcohol is OK on occasion but not recommended on a daily basis to anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle.

Health Tips #7: Weight Management
Have you ever noticed that weight loss really is not the issue that people struggle with? Most everyone has lost weight at one point in their life. Keeping that weight off is the obstacle that most people can not overcome. Think about it logically. If you gained weight by eating twinkies, then lost weight when you stopped eating twinkies, do not go back to eating twinkies. The person who eats twinkies on occasion (not every day) does not struggle with weight fluctuation.

Health Tips #8: Exercise
You knew this one was coming! It is totally possible to lose weight without exercising. I am living proof because my severe asthma prohibited me from doing it. The reason I can exercise now is because I got my body healthy through focusing on the other 7 categories. Once I began exercising, it only accelerated my weight loss and now helps to keep me lean. The key to exercise is not quantity but quality. A little bit every day will give you the best health benefits overall.

So there you have it! The 8 health tips to kick off the new year for a new you. Focus on improving each of these simultaneously as your one and only New Years Resolution and you will be on a successful path to overall wellness. Weight loss and poor health can be things of the past if you are just willing to make small changes on a daily basis.

Question about health tips

]]> http://vesta-wines.com/8-health-tips-to-get-in-shape-for-the-new-year/feed/ 18 http://vesta-wines.com/100-life-saving-health-food-tips/ http://vesta-wines.com/100-life-saving-health-food-tips/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:14:41 +0000 vesta http://vesta-wines.com/100-life-saving-health-food-tips/

With the new year approaching, the first resolution most people think about going for is a gym membership. Year after year the same thing happens. They really want to get into shape, and they know for sure that this year will be different. They sign up for a year membership and start their new goal with clear focus and determination.

Most people never make it past the first week. Why? Mostly because they quit when they realize how much work goes into getting back into the shape they once had. The fact of the matter is that it really is not as difficult as they think. They are just focusing on one aspect of overall wellness and burning themselves out on it.

In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, a person must develop the mindset necessary for living a healthy lifestyle. There is much more to being healthy than showing up to the gym every day. In fact, exercise is only one-eighth of the total equation. If you really want to achieve personal wellness in 2009, forget the gym and focus instead on improving the following 8 categories of health.

Health Tips #1: Diet & Nutrition
You already know the main reason you gained weight. Too many trips through the McDonalds drive-thru, late night snacking on junk food and poor dinner choices. You do not have to eat a diet of bland salads and yogurt, but you do need to limit the amount of trigger foods that you caused your weight gain. Replace your current American diet of high sugar, high-fat processed foods with those found in the produce and lean meat department as often as you can.

Health Tips #2: Nutritional Supplements
Now that our soils are more depleted of minerals than ever, and our farm animals are not fed properly, living a healthy lifestyle requires nutritional supplementation. I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and kept it off for over 15 years simply by drinking a soy-based protein shake for breakfast every morning and taking a few targeted vitamins. Why does this work? Because greasy bacon and runny eggs do not provide proper nutrition.

Health Tips #3: Fun & Recreation
What makes you happy? Going to the movies? Ice Skating? Playing the guitar? Whatever it is, you must find time for it on a weekly basis (if not daily) in order to maintain good mental stability. Your activities and hobbies should not include junk food or alcohol. Going to the movies is watching the movie, not eating a tub of fatty buttered popcorn. Be happy with what you are doing without the unnecessary evils.

Health Tips #4: Hydration
Drinking enough water throughout the day is the part of the equation that gets overlooked. People do not consider drinking as important as eating and it is! You should not be drinking soda or processed juices every day. Why? Because they deplete your body of vitamins and minerals while loading you up on sugar. Alcohol is even worse. Do yourself a favor and keep a water bottle with you at all times. Drink, drink, drink. I cannot stress this enough.

Health Tips #5: Stress
And speaking of stress, this is what happens when you do not allow yourself to have any fun in your life. This is just as important to living a healthy lifestyle as eating and drinking properly. Too much stress can cause major problems for your body. You only live once, so do not allow other people and events to get you so bothered and worried that you cannot live the lifestyle you deserve for yourself.

Health Tips #6: Unhealthy Habits
Not eating the wrong foods is just as important as eating the right foods. But unhealthy habits are not just about food, are they? Smoking and the use of other drugs, prescription or not, is probably the worst thing a person can do to their body. This is the only one you have! Take care of it. Alcohol is OK on occasion but not recommended on a daily basis to anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle.

Health Tips #7: Weight Management
Have you ever noticed that weight loss really is not the issue that people struggle with? Most everyone has lost weight at one point in their life. Keeping that weight off is the obstacle that most people can not overcome. Think about it logically. If you gained weight by eating twinkies, then lost weight when you stopped eating twinkies, do not go back to eating twinkies. The person who eats twinkies on occasion (not every day) does not struggle with weight fluctuation.

Health Tips #8: Exercise
You knew this one was coming! It is totally possible to lose weight without exercising. I am living proof because my severe asthma prohibited me from doing it. The reason I can exercise now is because I got my body healthy through focusing on the other 7 categories. Once I began exercising, it only accelerated my weight loss and now helps to keep me lean. The key to exercise is not quantity but quality. A little bit every day will give you the best health benefits overall.

So there you have it! The 8 health tips to kick off the new year for a new you. Focus on improving each of these simultaneously as your one and only New Years Resolution and you will be on a successful path to overall wellness. Weight loss and poor health can be things of the past if you are just willing to make small changes on a daily basis.

Question about health tips

]]> http://vesta-wines.com/100-life-saving-health-food-tips/feed/ 11