Monthly Archives: March 2012

Sea Buckthorn Oil – Add Charm and Glory to Your Skin

Today, everybody is very aware and cautious of his or her health, fitness and appearances. Everybody is attempting to look attractive and different to ensure they easily grab the interest of the public. People are attempting to keep up with the glory and shine of the skin to ensure that they are able to look beautiful and gorgeous. Well, you will find various skin-care products that may easily enable you to lighten the skin and enhance yourself. This oil can also be greatly effective if it can prove to be greatly advantageous to your skin.

Today, many people love to enthrall themselves using the exotic and unusual skin items that are available for sale. Well, the famous sea buckthorn oil can also be one of these. It may simply balance the moisture content of your skin and then leave you hydrated. It is simple to observe a type of glowing luminescence. You will find numerous natural skin oils that are offered within the stores. Therefore, should you also need to know more relating to this natural product, then, you definitely need to follow this short article.

Really, this skin anti-wrinkle cream is principally based on the sea buckthorn berry the industry fruit. This plant is enriched with six major species and twelve sub species. Well, this plant is deciduous in character. The grand sea buckthorn is composed of numerous nutrients that are really greatly essential towards the skin. Sufficient quantity of Vitamin A, C, D, B2 and B2 exists within this fruit. Tannins, Phenols, Terpenes, Fats and essential chemicals like Folic, Amino and Organic can definitely prove to be greatly advantageous towards the skin.

The sea buckthorn oil is removed in the seed products from the berries and the pulp. Some major essential fatty acids that exist within the sea buckthorn oil are Linoleic acidity, Palmitic acidity and the Palmitoliec acidity. These effective essential fatty acids could make your skin healthy and fit. The sea buckthorn oil does not cause any type of abnormal reaction that is among the major advantages of this natural product. Additionally, it does not have any type of side effect.

The sea buckthorn oil is composed of various nutrition and therefore it evolves an extremely strong association of anti-oxidants. This network of nutrition and anti-oxidants can easily lessen the effect triggered through the inflammation of your skin. Therefore, these are the outstanding advantages of the sea buckthorn oil. It is an extremely healthy creation that can easily add charm and glory for your skin.

Anti-aging Skincare systems possess a goal of departing skin clean, exfoliated, soften and smooth, marketing much enhanced texture and balancing skin tones by supporting cell turnover and renewal.


Posted in Diets and Weight Loss, Uncategorized.

Taking the WORK Out of Working Out!

If you’re trying to shape up, then you’re bound to know that there are literally hundreds of different kinds of exercises you can do. The problem a lot of people face is they simply never find the right one for them – that exercise routine that they actually enjoy and look forward to doing. Some people enjoy walking, jogging, riding a bike, swimming or something else that keeps them outdoors. Others don’t enjoy the outdoors as much and would prefer working out at the gym with weights, machines or taking different group classes.

If you enjoy the outdoors and live an area that often has nice weather, then consider trying to get a group of friends together to get out and exercise together. You could do weekly hiking trips, jogs or head to the river (or whatever water is nearby) for an afternoon of swimming. If you’re into sports, then you all could hit the batting cages or form games of softball, tennis, basketball or hit the golf course and driving range.

The possibilities are endless. It all just depends on what you like to do. A lot of people get bored with doing just a particular thing, too. So mix it up some. Hit the gym one day and on another day you and your friends can shoot some hoops. Exercise doesn’t have to be tedious, boring or ‘hard work’. There are all kinds of things that are fun and you probably enjoy that you didn’t even really consider exercise before. Heck, even getting out in the garden for the afternoon is a form of exercise.

Check in with your local gyms and see what they offer. Today there are all kinds of different classes that are often available. From yoga and pilates (you’d be surprised just how challenging those can be regardless of whether you have always considered them ‘sissy’ like), to kickboxing, to the new big craze – Zumba.
Pick something and just get started. Try new things. Eventually you’re going to find the perfect fit for you and end up with a routine that’s tailor made for you. Just don’t get into a rut doing the same thing and always try to challenge yourself. Swimming doesn’t seem like much, but it’s actually one of the best things you can do. The resistance your muscles get is amazing and it works just about every muscle in your body.

It really doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as you’re getting out there and doing something for about half an hour per day. Find a few things you like and switch ‘em up as you go along so you’re never getting bored and your body doesn’t get to used to it. If you’re doing the same exact thing constantly, your body adjusts to it and will end up not getting much out of it.

Posted in Exercise, featured. Tagged with , .

Building Stamina with Exercises to Lose Weight Fast

Stamina is by far one of the most important things if you’re trying to do exercises to lose weight fast. What makes stamina so important? Well, you aren’t going to be able to do much exercise in any given session if you don’t enough stamina. That means less exercise, less calories burned and less weight you’ll be losing. A really good way to build up your stamina quickly is to get plenty of cardio exercises in.

How to Build Stamina with Cardio Exercises

There are lots of cardio exercises to choose from, so really it all boils down to your preferences and what you enjoy doing. You can get on the treadmill or if you don’t like running on the treadmill then maybe a stair stepper is more your style. If you need motivation, classes are a great option. You’ll be motivated by everyone around you in the class and the leader of the class is almost sure to push everyone to do their best. You could simply try aerobics or yoga (it’s harder than you might think) or something more modern like dance or Zumba.

If you’re just now starting to exercise then take it slow at first. Yes, you want to build your stamina as fast as possible, but you want to do it without risking injury. The last thing you want is to end up getting hurt and not being able to exercise at all. Start slow. Gradually work up to higher intensity cardio exercises until you can do 30 minutes of intense cardio without killing yourself.

There are plenty of classes that are aimed at beginners so don’t be afraid to ask about them. By starting with a beginner’s class, others will be nearly on the same level as you and you won’t feel intimidated by super-fit people you can’t keep up with.

Not too long ago, spinning became the craze and people, beginners and advanced, flocked to spinning classes to get an intense workout. You might be tempted to jump into something like this, but just a bit of a head’s up – don’t start out with something like this. The classes are very intense. You’re better off starting with a beginner’s aerobics class.

Of course, once you get some stamina built up then the possibilities are pretty much endless. Keep upping the intensity of the cardio that you do, but also start adding in other types of exercises. Strength training is important to add into your routine. Strength training will help you build and develop your muscles, which means you’ll increase the amount of fat you burn. More muscles equals passive weight loss and more fat burned when you do workout.

Proper Form for Weights

It can be difficult to know whether or not you’re using proper form when you first start lifting weights. For that reason, it’s a good idea to get yourself a trainer (most gyms have personal trainers that will work with you for free or a nominal fee). They can watch your movements and make sure you’re using good form. If you don’t use good form, then first of all you’re risking injury. Secondly, you won’t be getting as much out of your workouts as you could.

 

Posted in Exercise, featured. Tagged with , , .

8 Simple Natural Beauty Tips

If you want to enhance your natural beauty, it really isn’t as difficult as you may think. There are all kinds of things you can do each day and small changes that you can make that will naturally bring out your natural beauty. Whether you realize it or not, there are things you do each and every day that affect your appearance. Here are just eight simple things you can do each day that will help you look your best…

No Hands on Your Face

Many people have a tendency to touch their face often. This is a habit that should be broken if you don’t want to encourage the formation of pimples and other skin problems. Your hands touch all kinds of things that you don’t normally even think twice about and if you’re touching your face, you’re bringing all that dirt, bacteria and more right into contact with your facial skin. You can also irritate the skin if you’re messing with your face too much. So minimize hand to face skin contact and when you must do it, make sure that you wash your hands first.

Alcohol in Skin Care

When you’re buying skin care products, make sure that you skip the ones that have lots of alcohol in them. If you use products that contain a lot of alcohol then you will most likely end up drying out your skin and that will make your skin appear duller than it should. So read the labels when you’re shopping and choose products that contain little or no alcohol in them.

Dress Accordingly

It might seem pretty obvious, but the clothes you choose to wear have a big effect on the way you look. Choose your colors carefully. Choose colors that compliment your skin color and tone. Use fits that flatter the features of your body that you’re proud of. But stay comfy! Make sure whatever you choose to wear is not too restricting or otherwise comfortable. There’s nothing beautiful about someone who is restricted, fumbling around or clearly uncomfortable.

Skip a Shampoo

Believe it or not, skipping a shampoo can have some beautiful benefits. Of course, we don’t mean going all week without shampooing – simply skip a wash here and there. If you’re washing your hair day-in and day-out, you’re putting strain on your scalp. Too much shampooing usually will lead to dry scalp, dry-looking hair and even dandruff. Not beautiful.

Toss Old Makeup

You shouldn’t have any makeup in your bathroom that’s older than a year. At some point each year, you should go through your makeup – throw out the old stuff and buy new ones.

Exfoliate!

Make it a point to exfoliate a few times each week to remove the old, dead skin cells. If you let those skin cells pile up then it can irritate your skin, cause pimples and even dry out your skin. So get yourself a gentle exfoliating product and keep some on hand.

No More Flaky Mascara

If your mascara is flaky then there’s a good chance that it’s old and needs replaced. After each use, make sure that the container is sealed properly to make sure it doesn’t start drying out. It’s never beautiful to have flaky mascara spotting up your skin.

Cool Eyes

To bring out your natural beauty, make sure that you are keeping your eyes cool. This is especially important when the weather is hot. Besides making you look more beautiful, it’s relaxing and can help eliminate any dark under eye circles. Dip some cotton pads into cucumber juice and let them rest on your eyes for several minutes each day.

Thats it for taking care of your face. For your waistline, consider taking garcinia cambogia extract

Posted in Beauty. Tagged with , , .

Acai Makes Natural Weight Loss Easier

Losing weight can be a challenge, so most people who struggle with weight are always looking for easier ways of doing so. Counting calories day-in and day-out gets very tedious and to be honest, it isn’t really all that effective to rely on calorie counting. See this article to understand why calorie counting isn’t your best bet if you’re trying to lose weight.

There are new discoveries being made every day in the world of weight loss. One of the things that many people have had some great success with is adding acai berry to their diet. Because of the natural weight loss properties this little superfood has, it doesn’t require much effort on your part other than remembering to take it each day. That’s much easier than trying to count every calorie, write down every little thing you eat (a food journal) and fitting in numerous workouts into your schedule.

How Hard is it to Stick to the Acai Diet?

To effectively lose weight that you can keep off in the long run normally takes a great deal of willpower and let’s face it… a lot of us simply don’t the kind of dedication and willpower that it takes. This is especially true if you have a family, a job, etc. You already have a ton of things to remember, a million errands to do, meals to cook, clean and work. Creating from-scratch, at-home healthy meals can seem like a mountain of effort. Whipping up some cheeseburgers would be much easier right?

This all leads to one of the main reasons why the acai berry diet became so popular. You don’t have to stick to strict meals, diets and workouts. You don’t have to forego your favorite foods for special meals (that are often expensive to buy the ingredients for).

Originally, it was celebrities who were all gung-ho about acai. But after extensive media coverage, including being featured on Dr. Oz, everyone suddenly wanted to try this new super diet. As more people began using it, even more was learned about it. Not only does it help you lose weight much more easily than before, you also get several other amazing health benefits.

Other Health Benefits of the Acai Berry

One of the biggest things people have reported while taking an acai berry supplement is the increase in energy. Many other diets from the past would leave you feeling drained and wore out. Why? Because you were always limiting yourself to a very scarce number or calories. You need calories for energy! The diet that was supposed to be helping you get healthier and lose weight would leave you with absolutely no energy to get moving.

Acai berry is different and those who have tried it for losing weight have found they actually have more energy. When you have this newfound pool of energy, it’s natural to want to get moving. So many will start a new workout, start taking a new class or just get outside and enjoy the boost of energy. No matter how hectic your lifestyle may be, it’s easy to fit in some exercise when you have an abundance of energy.

Posted in Natural Health Supplements. Tagged with , , , .

Plant Based Diet Tips and Safety

 

The world of diet and nutrition constantly change, along with what we believe is healthy. If you include plenty of plant based foods in your diet, you’re essentially preventing many common diseases and improving your overall health. In fact, some health conditions can even be treated and/or reversed if you eat the right natural foods.

On the contrary, if you’re eating tons of animal products and processed foods then you’re adding to your risk of some scary health problems. Some foods that have been known to contribute to these diseases and conditions are meat, eggs and dairy products. Luckily, more people are aware of these risks than ever before.

Benefits of Eating a Plant-Based Diet

It seems like every day we hear of some new discovery on the news. Just recently, the FDA finally admitted that the chicken we’ve been eating from the local grocery store likely has arsenic in it. YES, arsenic! Natural health activists have been saying this all along, but the FDA has always denied it saying that it’s all left the chicken’s body by the time it is processed and sent to the stores for us to buy. This in only just one of the newest bits of news, though.

Eating a diet high in plant-based meals has a lot of benefits. Those who eat a plant-based diet have a less chance of developing:

  • Heart disease
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Some types of cancers
  • High cholesterol

Eating a plant-based diet takes a little effort to ensure you are actually helping and not hindering your health. Some people who try to change their diet to plant-based actually start depriving their body of vital nutrients without even realizing it. So you need to understand this and know what kinds of foods to eat to ensure you get all the important vitamins and minerals that you need. Some of these include:

  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin D
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin B12
  • Protein
  • Omega fatty acids

Protein is a biggie. You can get protein from nuts, soy, legumes and grains, but they aren’t the same as other proteins. You need both essential and non-essential amino acids to keep your body in-balance and healthy. Do regular blood panels and let your doctor know what you’re doing so you can make sure you’re getting everything you need. It’s not uncommon to use a supplement or two to keep a healthy balance when you’re eating a mostly plant-based diet.

If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, then you’ll need to be careful about the carbohydrates you consume. Many plant-based diets will include a lot more carbs than a normal diet, such as kamut, oats, rye, wheat and barley.

Choosing the Best Plant Based Foods

Fruits and veggies offer a variety of health benefits and can help prevent many serious health conditions. You should choose organic when possible. Choose non-starchy vegetables, as they offer the most condensed forms of vitamins you need. Organic veggies taste a hundred times better and give you over 30 percent more nutrients, too. Whole grains are of course natural and plant-based, but the downside is they don’t have nearly as many nutrients per serving.

Getting Enough Calcium

If you’re eating a plant-based diet, it’s important to put forth special effort in getting enough calcium. It’s recommended to get about 535 mg of calcium per day in order to promote good bone health. There are many ways you can do this. The first thing is to eat plenty of dark green leafy veggies, such as:

  • Brussel sprouts
  • Bok choy
  • Kale
  • Broccoli
  • Swish chard

Some foods other than veggies that you can get calcium from are:

  • Unsweetened rice drinks
  • Calcium-fortified orange guice
  • Calcium-fortified soy
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Oranges
  • Figs
  • Almonds
  • Sesame seeds
  • Brazil nuts

You can also promote better bone health by getting vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. Try to include fresh herbs into your diet like sage, thyme and rosemary. Potassium can help prevent bone loss and vitamin K promotes the production of osteocalcin. For women, try to get plenty vitamin K from green leafy veggies. Women who eat plenty vitamin K are 45 percent less likely to suffer a hip fracture.

Vitamin B12 Supplements

Many plant-based diet eaters are at risk for a vitamin B12 deficiency, which can be very serious. Plants don’t have this vitamin and a deficiency can lead to memory loss,  coordination loss, concentration problems, dementia or nerve dysfunction. If you’re concerned, ask your doctor. A simple blood test can be done to tell if you have a vitamin B12 deficiency and there are shots and supplements that can help.

 

 

Posted in nutrition. Tagged with , , , .

Surprising Finds with Sea Buckthorn

If you’re a fan of the Dr. Oz show then it’s very likely that you’ve heard about sea buckthorn already. Not only did he talk about it on one of his shows, it was actually featured in two shows back to back. Why would he feature it twice? Well maybe he just couldn’t cover all the amazing benefits of sea buckthorn in one show. There are so many powerful properties of sea buckthorn that it could really bring a lot of positive health changes to people… if they know about it.

Where does Sea Buckthorn come from?

Sea buckthorn, which is a berry, comes mostly from China. It’s harvested and made ready, then exported out and sent all around the world. Some people actually use it for water conservation and soil conservation.

One type of sea buckthorn, referred to as Hippophae Salicifolia, is one of the less common varieties that come from the Tibetan region. Grown in the mountain areas, it’s been used for millennia for a variety of health and beauty reasons.

Sea Buckthorn Oil

The oil that’s harvested from sea buckthorn has been hailed as miraculous for not only health benefits, but also for skin care, anti-aging and for fighting disease. Although it’s been used widely around the world for many, many generations, it’s only recently been brought into the spotlight in the western world. Now, it’s being studied and researched extensively to see just what else this super little fruit might be able to do.

In one study, researchers fed the oil to mice. Mice that were given the oil and not a placebo lost a significant amount of weight and as expected, researchers couldn’t find any side effects to speak of. Many people, including the researchers believe this could be one of the biggest findings in the world of weight loss to date.

The Miracle Oil?

Sea buckthorn oil has been gaining in popularity at a very rapid pace since it was featured on Dr. Oz’s well-known show. In fact, it could even surpass the popularity of the very popular African mango and the HCG weight loss supplements.

Posted in Natural Health Supplements. Tagged with , , .

Acai Berry, Diabetes, Weight Loss and Skin Care

Acai berry advertisements seem to be everywhere these days. Not just advertisements, but featured news stories, studies and health shows have all been talking about it, so we’re sure you have seen your fair share of them right? Acai berry seems to be in everything… you can find acai berry pills, purees, juices, powders and it’s even common to see acai added into popular food and health products. Some red wines are even adding in acai.

If you’re still a little mind-boggled about how one little fruit could be so miraculous, you aren’t alone. What is it that makes acai berry so darn special? Here we’ll talk about how and why acai berry has become such a sensation in the diet world and hopefully make it a little easier to understand why they’re so good for you.

The short answer to why acai berry is so popular is because it’s loaded with tons of vitamins your body needs, but sometimes doesn’t get. It detoxes your body, provides a plethora of antioxidants and helps you naturally lose weight. Why are antioxidants so important? They help improve your blood circulation. Acai berry is even good for helping you improve your cholesterol levels.

Diabetes and Acai

Diabetes is a scary disease that seems to be running rampant in America. It’s not much of a surprise, considering the obesity levels though. One of three people will suffer from diabetes. Adding acai to your diet has been shown to reduce your chances of developing diabetes.  Even if you already have diabetes, you can add acai to your diet and an enzyme found within this fruit helps prevent the damaging effects diabetes can have on your body. Being a low glycemic food and having anti-inflammatory properties make it a perfect addition to any diabetic’s diet.

Not only that, but acai seems to curb appetite for those that take it, which is another reason why some diabetics have seen results with it. Any diabetic knows that you have to control your appetite and be mindful of what you eat if you don’t to throw your blood sugar levels out of whack.

Radiant Skin with Acai?

Acai berry is also loaded with vitamin E. Vitamin E is essential for healthy, younger looking skin. So by adding acai to your diet, you’re essentially giving yourself more radiant skin. See, it’s more than just weight loss that acai can be used for.

As you can see, acai has many benefits. As researchers get more aggressive in their search for natural cures and discoveries, there’s no telling what we may be able to find in the near future. There’s bound to be other natural plants out there that can help us lead healthier lives and live longer. Right now, acai is certainly one of the best discoveries in recent times.

 

Posted in Natural Health Supplements. Tagged with , , .

Managing Diabetes with Diet and Exercise

As you probably know, there are two types of diabetes: Type I and Type II. Type II can often be managed and treated with the right exercises and diet. Type I is a completely different monster, though. If you or a loved one has Type I diabetes, here are some tips to help you manage it and stay as healthy as possible through diet and exercise choices.

Carbs

Carbohydrates have gotten a pretty bad rep over the years. It’s not that they’re all bad, though. There are both good carbs and bad carbs. This is especially true if you’re trying to manage diabetes. Including carbohydrates in your diet can give you plenty of health benefits, it’s just you have to be smart about which ones you eat. Some of the carbs that you should generally avoid include:

  • White rice
  • White flour
  • White sugar
  • De-germed cornmeal
  • Fruit juices

Instead of eating any of the above, try to replace them with better, ‘nicer’ carbs. Foods that are generally considered to be good carbs are whole grain foods, brown rice, whole natural fruits and whole cornmeal.

Using Protein to Process Carbs

If you choose your proteins and carbs carefully, you can combine them to keep your blood sugar levels in-check and avoid those nasty spikes that lead to bad situations. While you don’t want to overdo it on carbs, you can usually get away with some of them by eating protein with it. Basically, the protein helps your body process the carbs more effectively and consistent to avoid sugar spikes. Some combinations that you might want to try are:

  • Add some unsweetened, natural nut butter to a piece of whole grain bread or crakcers
  • Top some whole grain crackers with your choice of low fat cheese
  • Cook up some brown rice and add some beans into it
  • Create your own “party mix” – combine some pretzels, peanuts and your favorite whole grain cereal in a bowl to snack on
  • Fill a whole grain pita with lean turkey breast

Good and Bad Fats

Just like with carbohydrates, not all fat is bad. Sure, you want avoid eating too much bad fat, but you want to make sure you’re getting enough good fats in your diet. Bad fat is saturated fat. It’s found in things like butter, sugar and shortening that you find on the shelves of the grocery store at room temp.

Try adding some of the following into your diet if you aren’t already doing so…

  • Fish,
  • Almonds
  • Avocados
  • Replace any of your cooking oils with canola oil

Exercising

Exercise is pretty much considered a must if you want to properly manage your diabetes. One of the most important types of exercise in regards to managing diabetes is strength training. There have been cases where strength training benefits even rivaled that of diabetes medicines.

Aerobics or some type of cardio exercise is also important. You burn calories (even more if you’re strength training too, as muscle burns fat) and you get your heart rate going.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to get in about 30 minutes per day five days per week. You’ll feel better and you’ll manage your weight, which is directly connected to managing your diabetes. Getting enough exercise and staying healthy overall also helps prevent your chances of developing diabetes in the first place.

Posted in Exercise, Health and Fitness. Tagged with , , , .

Say Goodbye to Frustrating Calorie Counting

Limiting the amount of calories you’re getting on a daily basis is one of the most recommended things when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. However, while it can play a role in your weight management, it simply isn’t as simple as that. A calorie is merely a measurement of energy. So calories are just a way to tell how much energy you’re feeding into your body and not always the best way to determine how much weight you’ll be able to lose.

Every Person is Different

One of the main reasons calorie counting isn’t as effective as some would have you believe is that everyone is different. Counting calories doesn’t actually tell you how many calories end up being absorbed and how many end up in your blood stream. The truth is that if you and another person were to eat the exact same thing, you both would absorb a different amount of minerals, fats and vitamins into the body – depending on your body. Your body  may absorb more fat and lead to weight gain, while the other person’s body may not absorb as much as the fat.

Good Calories, Bad Calories?

Counting calories doesn’t take into consideration the quality of food that you’re eating, either. Think about it… is the same amount of calories from ice cream or soda the same quality of calories if you were to eat the exact same amount of calories that comes from lean fish or chicken? Of course not. At one time, it was believed to be the same. Health experts would tell you calories are calories and that’s that. But today we know better. The type of foods you’re eating plays a much larger role in your weight loss than simply the number of calories that you eat.

Body Fat Percentage and Food Journals

Today we know that there are much better options for tracking and managing your weight loss. One of the most helpful and accurate ways of doing so is through keeping track of your body fat percentage. If your body fat percentage stays the same or particularly, if it rises – then there’s probably some dietary changes that should be made. If your body fat percentage is going down then you’re on the right track.

How do you keep track of things? Something a lot of people do is to keep a food journal each day. In your journal you should be writing down everything that you eat. Then when you check your body fat percentage, you can compare it to what you’re eating and more easily see where changes should be made and how effective your food choices are.

Using Body Mass Index

Another method to track things that’s better than strict calorie counting is to track your body mass index. Body mass index is referred to as BMI. It isn’t an exact science, but for the majority of people it’s pretty close and provides a pretty accurate way to measure your weight loss progress.

 

 

Posted in featured, Weight Loss. Tagged with , , .