Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Weightmania Pro. Fitness, Exercise, Nutrition and Diet Software (Mac OS X Version)

Weightmania is a fitness journal that tracks exercise, meals, measurements, dieting progress and medical information. Track up to 24 measurements daily including blood sugar (diabetes), blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep and body fat. This includes body fat caliper measurements. It supports both cardio. and weight training, accommodates any workout or diet plan, and tracks up to two people (other versions track more). Visualize your progress, judge the effectiveness of diets and workouts, and reach goals sooner. Includes a simple journal for recording information and five major tools to view and analyze progress. We also added 10 fitness calculators, an 8000-food database, plus tools to create meal programs, workout programs and your own custom food database. On top of this, there are tools to track and manage recipes, grocery lists, favorite Web links, equipment and routes. Look up nutrients in almost any food and view percentages on a pie chart. Edit and store digital photos for any calendar day (makes it easy to visualize progress over time). Calculate calories burned for hundreds of activities, daily calories required, percent body fat, body mass index (BMI), basal Metabolic rate (BMR), target heart rate, distance-time-pace-speed and splits. A 42-key calculator performs numerous calculations and conversions (such as Metric to English). There is a full size color-coded calendar, report maker, statistics tool, nutrition tool and chart tool. Create line, bar, area, and moving average graphs. Compare data on multiple graphs simultaneously. Provides multiple ways to minimize data entry time, including copy and paste, drag and drop and input wizards. Enter meals and workouts in one mouse-click! Great for tracking any diet plan or exercise including running, cycling, weight lifting and walking. Designed for anyone interested in improving their health and well being. Take charge of fitness and get results! Shares data with our Palm version, Weightmania Mobile.
Price: $69.99

New Year's Healthy Eating and Lifestyle

She was attractive, about 40, and around 50 pounds overweight. She told me, "I don't understand it, I don't really eat that much, how I can be so heavy?" We talked about what she eats, her exercise activities as well as her levels of stress. After the discussion she found that she wasn't exercising enough, she was eating about 600 or 700 extra calories a day more than she was burning and much of what she was eating was hard to burn food.
Most important what she found out is that you don't have to gain a lot of weight to become a lot heavier. If at 20 years old you gain two and a half pounds a year over 20 years means you will be 50 pounds heavier at age 40. Like most things, weight gain doesn't happen all at once, but a little at a time.
Most of us gain around two or three pounds over the holidays. Here are a few ideas that may help you thwart the holiday weight gain blues. Not only can these ideas help you now, if you continue to use these ideas and make them habits, you can continue to move toward your ideal body image.
1. Use Negative Visualization
You can use negative visualization to imagine how you'll look and feel if you gain two or three pounds this holiday season and every holiday season for the next 20 years. Go in front of the mirror and imagine what you'll look like with 40 extra pounds. Imagine how you'll feel, carrying around that extra weight, feel the extra strain on your knees, the extra work your heart will have to do, how much warmer you'll feel with your extra insulation. Now, ask yourself, "Is this how I want to feel?
If the answer is no, read on.
2. Just Say No
The easiest way to not eat so many candies, cakes and other goodies is to just say no when you go through the grocery isle. I know that if I have chocolate in my house it gets eaten. Maybe it's the same for you, except for you its donuts. By not having these types of temptations around it makes it a lot easier to eat sensibly. That leads us to the third idea.
3. Keep Healthy Snacks to Munch On
Keep carrots, apples, cherry tomatoes, oranges, and anything else that you like that's healthy around the house to munch on. Serve bowls of low or no butter popcorn rather than chips. Serve baked and whole grain chips from the health food store rather than the usual deep fried, artery clogging, thigh busting chips.
Eating candies, cakes and other goodies happens for two reasons. The first is that they are there. We will eat what is available. The second is that they are what we eat habitually. They make us feel good. To make new habits you need to have something to replace the old ones. In this case that means keeping healthy snacks to substitute for the not so healthy ones.
4. Eat at Home (as much as possible)
One of the easiest ways to not watch what you eat is to eat out. When we are busy rushing around it's easy to decide to stop for a quick burger and fries when we get hungry. If you find yourself at one of these high calorie eateries you can choose to eat a meal with fewer calories. These include things like a salad or a chicken sandwich without any cheese or dressing. Better yet when you can eat before you go out or plan a stop at home. Not only will it de-stress you it will allow you to be more choosy about what you eat.
5. Eat Slowly and Chew Your Food
Probably your mother told you "chew your food!" Well mother was right. Chewing your food completely and eating slowly makes you feel full and help you achieve your ideal body image. It takes between fifteen and twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your mind that it is full. By chewing and eating slowly you allow your gut time to give your mind the information it needs to register that it is full.
6. Exercise
If you don't have one already, start an exercise program. Your exercise program should include both cardiovascular exercises and strength building exercises. One of my favorites is Tai Chi, which gives you both while being easy on your joints. If you are San Diego contact me for our New Year's Tai Chi class schedule.
One of the easiest cardiovascular exercises is walking. You can walk almost anywhere. It is easy on the joints and doesn't need any extra equipment. Here are some suggestions to put more walking into your daily routine.
Park your car as far from the entrance of your destination as possible.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
If there is a store in your neighborhood, walk to it when you just need a few things.

When you have a few spare moments, like at lunch, take a walk.
7. Drink Water
The best refreshment you can drink is water. Eight glasses a day and more if you live in a hot climate. Water clears your skin, helps make your muscles suppler and helps you feel full and eat less. Avoid sodas, beer, wine and other beverages that are high in sugar, they just have empty calories, and lots of them. Also avoid diet drinks.
8. Use Positive Visualization (Keep Your Eyes on the Prize)
In order to achieve anything you have to maintain your focus on what you want to achieve. A great way to do this is by visualizing what you want. By actually "seeing" yourself as you would prefer to be you begin pulling yourself in the direction of your ideal body image. Keep your eyes on the prize!
9. Decide
If you are overweight you have to decide on a plan that will take you in the direction of your ideal body image. Your plan needs to include both healthy eating habits as well as an exercise program that you'll stick with. If you're in San Diego and you have had problems in the past either establishing or keeping a program that moves you in the direction of your goals you can contact me. (See http://www.IdealBody4u.com) Together through the use of hypnosis, NLP, visualization techniques and proper breathing we can develop a plan that will help you move in the direction of your goals.
10. Take Action
Of all the ideas you've read so far, this is the most important. This is the secret. Here it is - you need to take action. After you decide that you want to take control over your eating and exercise habits you need to take action. After you decide what you want to look like you need to take action. After you decide that you want to live and maintain a healthy life you need to take action. All of life's changes begin as a decision and then you need to take action to begin this new lifestyle. So what are you waiting for? Start today!

Bio
Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy, a combination of hypnosis, NLP, breathing techniques from the martial arts visualization used for goal setting. His practice is located in San Diego, California. For more information about Wil and his practice please go to http://www.TotalMindTherapy.net.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Do we really need proteins?

The answer is simple and fast - yes.

In general, we can say that proteins are complex chemical compounds that are an essential part of all living cells. They are composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and smaller units called amino acids.
These amino acids with its multiple associations give rise to millions of proteins. When certain protein foods like as meat, fish, eggs, and milk are ingested the existing enzymes in the stomach and intestines break down proteins into amino acids. These are absorbed into the blood and transported to all tissues.
For this reason, our body needs amino acids to achieve strongly synthesize their proteins, which can be of two distinct types, the essential amino acids, and non-essential amino acids.
The amino acids that our body cannot produce and must be ingested through food, it gives the name of essential amino acids. The amino acids that the body can produce from other substances are call of non-essential amino acids.

Essential amino acids in proteins are present in foods of animal and vegetal origin, with the difference in the proportion that we meet these amino acids. In the case of proteins of animal nature, the proportions of amino acids are close to the ideal to human, calling themselves of "completes”. In some cases, the proportion of amino acids in proteins of plant origin is not ideal however; combining several types of vegetable protein, we may achieve the same nutritional result than with complete proteins.

Essentially, protein builds muscles, which is why you will see bodybuilders especially concerned with protein. When you lift weights to work out, you body makes tiny tears in the muscles. Proteins are then, used to repair these healthy tears in the body, building the muscle slightly bigger with every workout. Even if you do not work out, your body’s muscle deteriorates, as you body needs the energy. Muscle provides energy, just like fat. Having protein in the body helps you to rebuild any muscle lost. Of course, all nutrients are crucial for our bodies to be as healthy as possible, but without protein in our diets every single day, our bodies will not be as strong as they should be.

We need to eat foods rich in protein every day because, unlike some other nutrients, it cannot be stored in the body. That means that if you eat more protein than necessary, your body will simply cause it to pass through your system. Therefore, you really cannot eat too much protein! However, because protein cannot be stored in the body, problems may arise surrounding this nutrient as well. If you do not get enough protein on any given day, your body has no back-up plan for producing protein on its own or using reserved protein from previous days. Therefore, protein is very important to consider when you are planning your meals.

As we said before protein, can be found in a number of food sources, so if you are interested in eating a healthier diet, you should consider learning more about protein.

Thank you for reading

José Zózimo

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Aerobics or Bodybuilding

Which burns more calories?

When talking about losing calories, right comes to mind aerobic exercise, and it is not wrong. However, there is a difference between energy expenditure and weight loss. 
A spinning class, for example, burns about 700 calories, while a series of 60 minutes of weight training expends some 400 calories. 
So far, nothing is new.

To lose weight with aerobic exercise your diet should have fewer calories than the quantity you burned with your session. Otherwise, you will feel in better shape but you will not lose weight.

Burning calories even while you sleep

Basal metabolism increases when the physical capacity is greater. The calories you eat in food are consumed by muscles, so if they are developed, they consume more. The muscles are responsible for changes in metabolism, so the more toned they are, the faster metabolism and greater caloric expenditure.

It is the constant practice of body building that will determine whether it is more efficient than aerobic exercise. Bike or hike offers a momentary burning, just in time that is practiced. Body training causes an increase of the elimination of calories throughout the day. 

That is exactly what the diet pills do: speed up metabolism. However, it is better to do it naturally. It is worth remembering, then, on the day to day, if you are not muscular, toned or conditioning, aerobic exercise burns calories faster. 

Diet

See your doctor for suggestions of what you should be eating, and implement these changes as soon as you can, because you are going to find that changing what you are eating is the best way to begin to be healthy and to lead a healthy lifestyle. 
Depending on the kind of exercises you are doing your diet will vary accordingly.

Conclusion

After an aerobic section you will feel hungry and naturally will tend to eat more. If you reduce the calories you eat, you will lose weight but can also get weaker, this will harm your sessions, and thus your effort will to be completely ruined.
So a well planned gym sessions should balance your exercises like doctor will balance your diet.
While burning calories in the hour with aerobic exercise should also exercise your muscles as they help you burn calories out of the gym.
The ideal is therefore planning to have a practice that allows you to alter the metabolism and burn calories during 24 hours in a natural way.

Thanks for reading
José Zózimo
     

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Withings Wifi Body Scale

The first WiFi scale connected to the internet to automatically register weight, fat and BMI calculation !

The Withings WiFi body scale analyzes your body composition and automatically stores your weight data online thanks to a wireless Wifi connection.
You can monitor the long term evolution of your weight, your BMI (Body Mass Index) and your fat mass directly on a secured web dashboard.
It is also possible to share you data with people you chose (emails, websites, Twitter).
Its stylish design comes in addition to high performance electronics, using a technology so far only used by health professionals.
The accuracy of its measurements makes it the ideal tool to monitor your health and fitness.
Price: $159.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

Monday, December 20, 2010

Anorexia and Weight Loss

Anorexia Nervosa and Weight Loss

What is it?

The preoccupation with weight and body shape leads adolescents to start a diet progressively more selective and avoiding high-calorie foods. It occurs also with other strategies for weight loss such as excessive exercise, vomiting, and strict fasting.
The people continue to feel fat, despite being extremely thin, eventually becoming a slave of the calories and rituals in relation to food. Lock up them self from the family and friends, getting more sad, angry, and anxious. Hardly a person with anorexia admits having problems and does not accept any help at all. The family sometimes takes to much time to realize that something is wrong.
Thus, people with anorexia from nervous origin may not receive medical treatment until they have become dangerously thin and malnourished.

Major situations family must consider


  • Excessive exercise
  • Weight loss in a short time
  • Belief that one is fat, even though too thin
  • Stopping the menstrual cycle (amenorrhea)
  • Exaggerated interest in food
  • Eating in secret and lie about the food.
  • Depression, anxiety, and irritability
  • Increasing isolation from family and friends 
  • Food and preoccupation with body weight become obsessions


Treatment

Treatment should be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrist, psychologist, pediatrician, and nutritionist, depending on the complex interaction of emotional and physiological problems in eating disorders.

The primary goal of treatment is recovery of body weight through eating habits with psychological support. In general, people need some help from psychotherapy in order to cope with their disease and the related emotional issues.

Individual psychotherapy, family counseling, or therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (psychotherapy that teaches patients to modify abnormal thoughts and behaviors) are generally very productive.
In the context of nervous anorexia there is no specific medication indicated. The use of antidepressants can be effective if there are persistent symptoms of depression after recovery of body weight.

Treatment of anorexia nervosa is often difficult and time consuming. The patient should remain in follow-up after improvement of symptoms to prevent relapse.

A good reason to start Weight loss

If you are more than 20 pounds overweight, losing the pounds is important for your health. Look at the recommended weight for someone of your size as a start.
However, because everyone’s bodies are different, because of fat and muscle ratio to body weight, you should really see your doctor if you feel like you need to lose weight. A doctor can confirm this or put your mind to rest by telling you that your weight is normal. This is the best way to make sure that you are being healthy.

Thanks for reading.
José Zózimo

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Cholesterol and dieting

As you know if you are overweight, you are at risk for a number of diseases. The main health risk you will probably experience is heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Many heart attacks are deadly. Heart disease develops when you heart has to work extra hard to pump the blood to the body, which causes it to become fatigued. This can occur simply because you are overweight, or can be a result of high blood pressure or high cholesterol.


Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and the foods you eat. In the body, the liver produces cholesterol. This organ produces most of the cholesterol that the body needs. Some of the foods you eat provide additional amounts of cholesterol. Cholesterol from your diet is in animal products such as meats, whole milk, cheese, butter, and eggs.


What foods you should avoid

1. Avoid the intake of whole milk and its derivatives.

2. Eat more fish and poultry.
3. Reduce consumption of red meat. 
4. Try not to eat butter cookies, croissants, pastries, ice cream.
5. In general sausages. Fat meat as pork (bacon, greaves) and viscera (like liver). 
6. Change the fried for the roast.
7. Avoid using too much oil revenue.
8. Replace high-calorie sauces such as mayonnaise and cream. Give preference to diet yogurt, tomato juice, and mustard.


What foods and habits you should take

1. The fruit can lower cholesterol thanks to the pectin.
2. Do exercise.
3. Eat lean red meat.
4. Do not smoke.
5. Reduce the consumption of coffee.
6. Take raw garlic extract.
7. Eat more carrots, barley, oats, and corn.
8. If you like cheese, prefer white cheese, less greasy, like ricotta or cottage cheese.
9. Do blood tests regularly.

The truth is that high cholesterol levels can lead to cardiovascular diseases, of which examples are heart attacks and brain strokes, responsible for one death every half a minute. This is why it becomes crucial that you know your situation situation. Know your cholesterol levels will help you better cope with the risks involved.
Your health and wellness justify that you exercise lose weight and have a balanced diet. Think about it.


Thanks for reading
Jose Zozimo