So one of the most common misconceptions when people visit fast food restaurants is that its the main food items that are the cause of their weight gain….i.e. the big macs, the whoopers, the burrito supremes, when in fact the slow killer that has remained somewhat dormant in the news is that it’s really the sugar content found in the diet coke and potato products that lead to the slow gain of weight, especially when people who try to stay “healthy” yet are under a time crunch opt for the salad or more “healthier” options when visiting these fast food restaurants. This primarily is seen in mothers trying to satisfy their children’s craving for their happy meals while at the same time stay healthy themselves. Want to really lose weight? Go for the water or non-soda option on your salad. While at it, skip the fries, and with that all other potato-based products, especially potato chips.

According to a recent report by the New England Journal of Medicine, just one extra serving of french fries resulted in an average of 3.35 extra pounds gained every four years, accompanied by the findings that even just an extra handful of potato chips each day could potentially add 1.69 pounds in the same time period. So next time you’re thinking about a quick snack, don’t reach for the bag of chips, try opting for something more healthy, like carrot sticks, celery, etc.. The same exact advice that you’ve been given to keep your children from becoming obese before it’s even up to them to make their own dietary decisions.

In the same report, they also tracked sleeping habits of the participants. Those who had a decent amount of regular sleep (mind you by decent I don’t mean too much) were also prone to lose weight rather than gain it. That was defined as:

People who slept between six and eight hours per night gained less weight over time than people who slept fewer than six hours or more than eight.

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Now if you’re practicing a balanced diet that includes proper amounts of vegetables and other essential nutrients, that also has been shown to counter-act the occasional ‘binge’ at the fast food counter. It’s those that live hectic lives, i.e. having to take care of children and/or work, that sometimes will go without that natural balance which displaces the starch/sugar/carbohydrate levels in your body and results in the additional weight gain.

So as I said, next time you’re at the drive-through, think twice about ordering that diet coke and large fries…..the salad won’t counter-act the effects they’ll play on your body in the long run.

Sleep, one of the most beautiful words in any language – it conjures images of darkness, dreams, and a feeling of utter relaxation and well-being when you wake up: that is, if you are one of the lucky who is able to consistently find refreshment from a night of slumber. It is known that humans will sleep nearly half of their life away, which can be a disconcerting thought for some, but those moments of sleep is when our bodies recharge for the upcoming day. Anybody can remember a day; multiple even, when they slept badly the night before for any number of reasons, and how badly they felt the next day and how it affected their day-to-day functions.

But for many, sleep can be a harrowing ordeal of tossing, turning, insomnia, and the inability to delve into REM sleep ( the most relaxing state of sleep, which is where dreams are able to occur). And the lingering question in those sufferers minds is, “How can I use healthier sleeping practices to ensure I wake fresh and wide-eyed for the day instead of the dreary, groggy, mental state I usually find myself in?”

There are many ways to contribute to healthier sleeping practices, so it is with great pleasure that I am allowed to share some of these practices with anyone who suffers from horrid nights of sleep.

One of the main things that people forget is that you must dedicate at least eight hours of sleep a day; every day. Your body needs to be fully refreshed for the day to come, and trying to skirt by on four or five hours for weeks on end can be very unhealthy for not only your physical, but mental state as well.

Some sufferers will visit their physician and obtain prescription sleep medication – and it works, truly; but there are a myriad of side effects of such medication. Natural supplements of melatonin and Valerian root have consistently helped men and women alike receive deep, refreshing sleep without the need to use a potentially addictive medication.

These are just a few healthier sleeping practices, there are many more, but even following these two; you may find the restful sleep you have always craved.

Sometimes it is easy to fall into a sedentary lifestyle and just let ourselves go and become fat and out of shape. The television is too alluring, the potato chips taste too good, and the sodas are both addictive thanks to it’s sugar and caffeine content but also dangerously delicious! And it is so easy to fall into this lifestyle as well, after all, it is the easiest thing you can do. Sit down, watch television, and eat your favorite foods and slurp down your favorite drinks. Heck, if you’re a freelancer it makes it even easier to fall into this routine. Just start working on your couch one day, then the next, and next thing you know you haven’t been outside or interacted with people face to face in weeks!

Or you could take charge and start doing a little exercise each day. What?! Sounds preposterous, does it not? I am not asking you to become Lance Armstrong or a rock climber, or to even breaking out a serious sweat. Just do something, well, actually let me rephrase that – do ANYTHING.

All I am asking is that you devote twenty minutes a day to any exercise, be it light or heavy. Yes, yes, it is hard, but that is the point; this is going to build your muscles and trim away that fat. Those potato chips encircling your waist are soon going to fall off and you will wonder exactly where the old you went!

It does not matter if you do the lightest, least stressful exercises you can think of; but do them for a daily twenty minutes, and I guarantee you will not only feel healthier, but look better as well! Think of it as rehab for your body. So what if you can’t run around the block one time without getting sick. Try walking it. Then after a few days walking around the block, walk around another. Soon you’ll be logging some serious walking time, at which point you can re-try the job around the block to find that it’s a piece of cake!

That method works with just about every other type of muscle in your body. Regardless of how small of a weigh or low of a resistance, if you keep at it that muscle of yours will slowly build up until you one day find yourself looking (and feeling) better than you did in high school.

It’s a proven fact that the older you get, the more water your body needs in order to perform it’s daily functions. Just because you’re not feeling thirsty doesn’t mean that your body couldn’t use a refill! As an adult we’re made up of 43 to 45 liters of water. These waters need to be filtered, eliminated and then replenished daily. If
they are not, the rivers, streams and oceans of our body become polluted with digestive, respiratory and metabolic acids. We experience what we consider ‘dehydration’ when these acid levels start to build up. The older you are the faster that will happen, including the faster dehydration can turn into a more threatening problem.

It is important to understand that because of a gradually failing thirst sensation, our body becomes chronically and increasingly dehydrated from an early adult age. With aging, the water content of the cells of the body decreases. The ratio of the volume of body water inside the cells to that outside the cells changes from a 1.1 to almost 0.8. This is a very drastic change and causes one to lose their desire for hydration.

It is the loss of water volume held inside the cells of the body which causes a reduction in the thirst sensation! As a result, chronic dehydration sets in which causes symptoms that equal disease when the variety of emergency signals of dehydration are not understood.

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This probably applies to half world population)
* In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
* Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
* One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the University
of Washington dieters studied.
* Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
* Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back
and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
* A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic
math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
* Drinking just 5 glasses of water daily:
– decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%,
– slashes the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and
– 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer

Keep in mind that when we are born our bodies are about 90% water and 10% matter. As an aging adult the body begins losing water, dehydration sets in and hydration falls to about 70% water and 30% matter. Upon death the body is only 50% water. In reality, we die of dehydration. So does our skin over the years.

Wondering how to keep skin young looking? Maybe you feel 25 but your skin gives away your real age. Well, you can work to keep skin looking young and it does not have to be that hard either. The right skin care has a lot to do with how young you look, so you need to start taking good care of your skin.

Even if you are getting older, it is not too late for you. You can work on your skin and get it looking younger than ever. Here is a look at some great skin tips that you can use to stay looking 25 – we won’t tell your real birthday.

Cleanse the Right Way

If you want to know how to keep skin young looking, you need to know how to cleanse the right way. Dirt is the enemy so get rid of it. You need to keep skin cleansed on a regular basis, but be gentle. You do not want to irritate the skin. Ensure you go with a nice cleanser with natural ingredients that will not aggravate or be harsh on skin too.

Learn What to Avoid

When you want skin that looks young, you need to learn what to avoid. There are many enemies of skin that looks young and healthy. The sun can be a huge enemy to your skin. Combat that by avoiding the sun and by wearing sunscreen when you are in the sun. Smoking is bad for the skin as well. While it can be tough to quit, you need to quite if you want skin to look young. Stress is another thing to avoid. Stress can really wreck havoc on skin, so work on relaxing and try to cut down on that stress.

Work on Your Diet

Another great idea to use if you want to know how to keep skin young looking is to work on your diet. The things you eat can affect your skin. If you want clear, beautiful, and young skin, you need to eat a diet that includes veggies, fruits, omega 3′s, and whole grains. Foods that include vitamins and antioxidants are important for keeping skin in great shape.

Change Your Skin Care Products

Chances are that you are using the wrong products for skin care. Sure, they may say they will help you keep skin looking young by the ingredients will tell the real story. If those products have various chemicals in them, you are using the wrong products. It may be time for a change.

Instead of using skin care products that include chemicals, it is time that you switch to a healthier option – natural skin care. If you want to know how to keep skin young, your skin care products are important. You need natural ingredients that actually provide results, making skin look younger instead of older. The right products will go a long way towards keeping skin looking young.

According to a medical research study released yesterday, overweight Americans spend close to 42% more on health care than your average “normal-weight” citizen.

Consumer as well as corporate spending on weight-loss related treatments is projected to top over $147 billion a year in 2008, according to the new study which started in 2006 to track both a series of test patients as well as national consumer spending trends. That figure accounts for almost 10 percent of all medical spending in the USA for this year!

Overweight and obese Americans spend close to $1,429 more on health care each year than the roughly $3,400 spent by those Americans who fall within the “normal-weight” range.

Most of the excess spending is for prescription drugs needed to manage obesity-related conditions, said Eric A. Finkelstein, one of the study’s authors and the director of the public health economics program at the Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit research organization.

The results were presented on Monday at the first Weight of the Nation conference, which was held in Washington by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they’re getting worse rapidly,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the C.D.C., said.

The average American consumes 250 more calories per day than just two decades ago, Dr. Frieden noted, and don’t forget that thanks to advances in modern technology, the average time spent exercising has decreased compared to that same time period. This could be part of the blame for our rising obesity rate which currently represents the single greatest contributor to the over-all increase in diabetes cases reported in the US. Time spent exercising includes both strenuous physical activity as well as physical labor.

According to a medical research study released yesterday, overweight Americans spend close to 42% more on health care than your average “normal-weight” citizen.

Consumer as well as corporate spending on weight-loss related treatments is projected to top over $147 billion a year in 2008, according to the new study which started in 2006 to track both a series of test patients as well as national consumer spending trends. That figure accounts for almost 10 percent of all medical spending in the USA for this year!

Overweight and obese Americans spend close to $1,429 more on health care each year than the roughly $3,400 spent by those Americans who fall within the “normal-weight” range.

Most of the excess spending is for prescription drugs needed to manage obesity-related conditions, said Eric A. Finkelstein, one of the study’s authors and the director of the public health economics program at the Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit research organization.

The results were presented on Monday at the first Weight of the Nation conference, which was held in Washington by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they’re getting worse rapidly,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the C.D.C., said.

The average American consumes 250 more calories per day than just two decades ago, Dr. Frieden noted, and don’t forget that thanks to advances in modern technology, the average time spent exercising has decreased compared to that same time period. This could be part of the blame for our rising obesity rate which currently represents the single greatest contributor to the over-all increase in diabetes cases reported in the US. Time spent exercising includes both strenuous physical activity as well as physical labor.

The American College of Sports Medicine just released a new list of the most healthy cities in the United States. At the top of the list is, and I couldn’t believe it either, our capital city Washington, D.C.

Using a variety of data comprised from sources including The U.S. Department of Agricuture, the Trust for the Public Land (non-profit), The U.S. Census Bureau and the CDC, the ranking was based on various personal traits. These ranged from the percentage of residents who are obsese, are smokers, eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day and on the resources local to the cities inhabitants, such as the number of parks, farmer’s markets and health facilities. They also took into account larger issues like crime and poverty rate. To learn more about the actual metrics involved in this study, checkout the American Fitness Index.

Here’s the list:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul
3. Denver
4. Boston
5. San Francisco
6. Seattle
7. Portland, Ore.
8. San Diego
9. Austin
10. Virginia Beach
11. Hartford, Conn.
12. Sacramento
13. San Jose
14. Cincinnati
15.Atlanta
16. Pittsburgh
17. Milwaukee
18. Buffalo 1
19. Baltimore
20. Raleigh, N.C.
21. Kansas City, Mo., Ks.
22. New York City
23. Tampa
24. Cleveland
25. Chicago
26. Nashville
27. Philadelphia
28. Jacksonville
29. Columbus, Ohio
30. Los Angeles
31. Miami
32. Phoenix
33. St. Louis
34. Charlotte
35. Dallas
36. Indianapolis
37. Memphis
38. Louisville
39. San Antonio
40. Riverside, Calif.
41. Houston
42. Las Vegas
43. Birmingham, Ala.
44. Detroit
45. Oklahoma City

Some cities that were not ranked because community/environmental data were not available: Orlando; Providence; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Salt Lake City.