Lifestyle Dynamic Journey

  Eating is an essential part of life. We cannot sustain life for long without eating, so it is important that we take the time to learn how to eat well in order to have the best life possible. Our views of eating and the eating practices we adopt will affect our lives and our health in significant ways in the months and years ahead. Eating well can literally change everything. Eating can be both a blessing and a curse. Many people struggle with eating because they cannot keep it in balance. They end up eating too little or too much and do not live healthy lives because of it. We all know the dangers of eating too little. Probably everyone has at least one friend that struggles with an eating disorder of some kind. That friend just cannot seem to get a grip on their eating patterns and they are unhealthy because of it. They think about or talk about food almost constantly. Other people struggle with eating too much. Eating more food than we need to live is something that the majori

  How many times have you heard a friend say, "I am on a diet"? Then what happens is your friend would lose some weight for a while before putting them all back on again. I'll bet you have also seen someone say that "Cardio is the best for losing weight". This person would then religiously pound the treadmill but results are agonizingly slow. Soon, he gives up and gains back all the weight he had lost, and sometimes even gaining some extra kilos! Ah, so you thought you've finally found the answer to permanent weight loss. You went on a strict diet and ran your heart out. You dropped kilos real quickly. But somehow, something is wrong when you look into the mirror in your birthday suit. Yes you have lost some weight, but somehow your body shape isn't as flattering as you would like it to be. And then suddenly, you hit a plateau. No matter how strict your diet and cardio workouts are, your weight just simply refuses to drop any further. Then horrors o

Many people I know love eating out at different cafes and restaurants. They love trying out new places almost as much as they love returning to their old favorite spots. They love trying new menu items and discovering new ways to eat the foods they enjoy the most. Eating out can be both a wonderful and very dangerous thing. In America we are blessed to have restaurants dotting the streets of many streets in towns and cities of all sizes. We are rarely at a loss for places to eat out. One of the greatest things about eating out is that it saves time that many busy people do not have to waste. After spending long hours at our workplaces, few people have the time or energy to return home and cook a gourmet meal. Eating out seems to be a great solution at the end of a long, tiring day. Eating out can also be great because we can try a wide variety of foods and drinks that we don't have the ability to make ourselves. No one loves eating the same basic foods over and over again, so e

If you’ve been trying for months to lose those extra pounds and those love handles are no longer showing you any love… If you’re tired of the high gym memberships, the constant travel, the packing and unpacking of your gym bag and the unsanitary change rooms you have to visit in order to attend an expensive gym just to sweat your money away rather than those extra pounds than you’ll be interested in what I am about to share with you.  I’m sure you’re just plain tired of the demand, inconveniences and repetitiveness of most exercise programs. That is why you should definitely consider salsa dancing as a way to lose those extra pounds but at the same time have fun while doing it. Salsa dancing is one of the best ways to enjoy yourself while also getting in shape. It works various body parts and is an excellent cardio workout exercise that burns fat while lightly toning the body without the rigorous and strenuous movement of most exercise programs. One session of salsa dancing can

  What is creatine? Creatine is an amino acid (amino acids are the building blocks of protein) which is made in the body by the liver and kidneys, and is derived from the diet through meat and animal products. Creatine (creatine monohydrate) is a colorless, crystalline substance used in muscle tissue for the production of phosphocreatine, an important factor in the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the source of energy for muscle contraction and many other functions in the body. What does creatine normally do in the body? In the body, creatine is changed into a molecule called "phosphocreatine" which serves as a storage reservoir for quick energy. Phosphocreatine is especially important in tissues such as the voluntary muscles and the nervous system which periodically require large amounts of energy. Why do athletes take creatine? Studies have shown that creatine can increase the performance of athletes in activities that require quick bursts of energy, such a

     Breathing should be controlled and relaxed lasting at least 2 or more seconds on the inhalation (in through the nose) and exhalation (out through the mouth) phases. This is true during recovery or light activity. During recovery or light intensity exercise, the individual should be able to prolong the exhalation phase longer than the inhalation phase. When the mouth begins to open more visibly and the individual is unable to breathe through the nose or talk in complete sentences without pausing (also known as the “talk test”) the individual has moved from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism as the primary phase of energy production. Even during anaerobic metabolism and moderate to high intensity work it is important for the client to work to control breathing, to supply a steady supply of oxygen and to avoid excessive strain on the heart or excessive rises in blood pressure. It is important for beginning exercisers who have not exercised regularly (at least 3 days per week) for the pa

     The average woman gains more than 25 pounds during her pregnancy. The procedure of childbirth may result in a weight loss of up to 14 pounds, which means that new moms still have considerable weight to lose once they leave the hospital.  However, some women simply assume that this “baby fat” will never go away. Yet, it is entirely possible to lose weight during the postpartum period. A number of medical experts recommend easing into a weight loss program after the birth of your baby.  This means that you will not start dieting until about three months following birth. You should combine a low-fat diet with moderate exercise in order to achieve weight loss.   Don’t expect instant results. It will take you up to a good nine months to get back to your weight prior to pregnancy. A go-slow approach is best because you need to give your body time to recover after childbirth.  Certainly, you might be able to lose weight faster, but you might be sacrificing valuable nutrients as a

  PCOS is a condition that has a strong impact on a woman's fertility, and affects between 5% to 10% of women of child bearing age. Because a woman's body doesn't produce enough eggs when she suffers from PCOS, it can cause infertility and contribute to difficulties in falling pregnant. Most cases of PCOS are not genetic, but they are all related to hormonal abnormalities. The reason not enough eggs are produced is because of an excess of the androgen, or 'male' hormones. Both men and women have androgen hormones, but men have them in much greater quantities. This hormonal imbalance means that the cysts that are a normal part of producing eggs, do not grow. So a woman with PCOS has a lot of small cysts on her ovaries that do not mature to release their eggs. Normally, once this process happened, the cysts would go. Another consequence of the higher levels of androgen hormones is the increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, as well as a likelihood of h

This is what they call "Hope"? We've all gotten used to the idea that certain maladies will be around for a while…like until the Second Coming.  Maladies such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis…and many more are expected to be around, in epidemic proportions, longer than we think we will be alive…and anyone who tries to tell us otherwise is looked upon with real skepticism. In fact, when anyone tries to tell us "there's hope" for such maladies as, say, diabetes,  we are more likely to believe that the person is trying to sell us something…and usually we are right.  But, what's even worse is the fact that the "hope" we do receive is usually something like the following:  Studies show  people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight. You can do it by eating healthier and getting 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. In other words: you do

 Do you have to weigh your food? Should you have to? The answer can be a complicated one.  It truly depends on who you are as a person.  Time to explain.   According to an article on Livestrong.com -  Why Weighing Food Matters  (click for the full article)   By  Jill Corleone, RDN, LD   Updated   January 13, 2020 Reviewed by  Janet Renee, MS, RD "Losing weight requires lifestyle changes that affect energy balance, according to the January 2016 position statement from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) on interventions and treatments for the management of overweight and obesity, which was published in the  Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics .  Put more simply, to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than those you burn. Although exercise is a pivotal part of the weight-loss equation, what you eat may have more of an effect, according to an August 2012 study published in  Obesity . The study researchers found that diet-only interventions helped parti