Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
As the Song Says "Just Breathe"
How Lack of Oxygen Stops You From Burning Fat
Oxygen is something we all take for granted since we really don’t ever think about it. But it’s the most important element that’s responsible for the existence of life. Without oxygen there wouldn’t be any living thing on this earth!
It’s amazing how the most important element in our life is taken for granted. It’s estimated that in the last 10,000 years the level of oxygen in the atmosphere has dropped by 50 %! Now 10,000 years may seem a long time, but in earth time, it’s just a blink of an eye.
Scary thought considering the explosion of global population and industrialization is crippling our oxygen producing environment faster than ever before.
And in addition to less available oxygen, we’ve also become less efficient at consuming oxygen. This means that you’re functioning with lower levels of oxygen in your body. Since oxygen is needed in essentially all of your metabolic processes including burning fat - without proper levels of oxygen, these metabolic processes slow down or get halted altogether, seriously compromising your health and stopping your weight loss and fitness progress dead in it’s tracks.
Needless to say having enough oxygen in your body is critical for a healthy body.
I’ll show you how to effectively increase oxygen levels in your body, so it can function at an optimal level, ensuring that your fat burning and weight loss efforts are realized to it’s maximum potential and protect you from any serious health problems.
Your body has many metabolic processes occurring throughout your body at one time. A metabolic process that occurs in your body with the utilization of oxygen is called the oxidative process. And essentially majority of all these processes are oxidative in nature, meaning that oxygen is required. This is why, oxygen is an essential part of life. The by product of all oxidative process is a free radical which in itself is quite destructive if it’s not gotten rid of. But when bound to oxygen, these free radicals are neutralized and eliminated. So oxygen is required for both the initiation of the oxidative process and the elimination of the harmful by products. Therefore, lack of oxygen in your body can cause toxic waste (free radicals) buildup and essentially force your body to have to operate in a toxic environment.
And so it should come as no surprise that an oxygen deficient body is susceptible to developing all kinds of serious diseases and health problems, such as acid stomach, bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, bronchial problems, circulation problems, depression, dizziness, fatigue, irrational behavior, lowered immunity to colds, flu and infections, memory loss, muscle aches, overall bodily weakness, poor digestion and cancerous tumors…just to name a few.
We breath about 20,000 times a day which is roughly equivalent to 10,000 liters of air. It’s amazing when you think about how much oxygen we take in a day. And with all that air our bodies still suffer from low levels of oxygen!
The problem is, according to some experts, we’ve become completely inefficient breathers. A century ago people had more oxygen capacity on average than people do today. They were able to breath less and retain more oxygen. A hundred years ago people had an oxygen reserve of approximately 40 - 60 seconds compared to 25 - 30 seconds worth of oxygen storage seen today. And back in the day, they didn’t need to breath as much either…about 4 - 6 l/min compared to the current population that breathes much heavier at about 7 - 9 l/min. This is largely in part to do with the increase in the size of people as well. And so even though we breathe in more air, we can’t retain as much oxygen in our body, making us poor inefficient breathers.
So what’s causing our current population to become such poor breathers? Here’s a list of some common reasons why we’ve become so air deficient.
- Poor posture - Posture believe it or not, plays a very large part in the breathing process. Having an upright posture is essential in allowing your rib cage and diaphragm to expand fully and maximize air intake. Nowadays people spend majority of their time sitting in front of computers or television in a slouched position severely compromising your ability to intake oxygen.
- Chronic stress - Chronic stress causes many negative physiological effects including muscle tightness. Tight muscles caused from chronic stress are quite different from tightness caused by working out or doing other physical activities. These muscles are chronically tight and diminishes blood flow and hence reduces the amount of oxygen going into these areas. The constant lack of blood flow further perpetuates the problem and causes a vicious cycle leading to an overall lower oxygen content in your body.
- Pollution - The quality of air has an inverse relationship with population and industrial growth. And so air quality steadily declines as industries and global population continue to grow. And even though environment protection and sustainability has gotten more attention as of late…it has long ways to go before enough impact is made to stop the destruction of our environment.
- Allergies and Intolerances - As pollutants in the air increase and the presence of genetically altered foods become a mainstay, people are suffering more and more from all kinds of allergies and intolerances. Allergies and intolerants can cause inflammatory reactions in your body which can compromise your lung capacity and increase the need for more oxygen due to increased metabolic demands.
- Poor diet and overweight - Eating unhealthy is one of the main reasons why people are becoming overweight and obese. Being overweight compromises every body function including breathing ability and lung capacity. And the larger your are the more oxygen you need to function, but since your oxygen intake is compromised, you’re faced with chronic low levels of oxygen in your body.
- Lack of exercise - Lack of exercise is the another reason for the overweight population in the US. Exercise is not only essential to helping lose weight, but it’s also necessary to help increase the efficiency of oxygen consumption. Exercise increases blood flow into muscles and hence increases oxygen transport into your body. And the most effective types of exercise you can do to increase your oxygen content is high intensity exercises. The intensity creates an energy/oxygen deficit and your body ends up having to work extra hard to replenish it. This essentially means your body intakes more oxygen during the recovery phase after working out to make up for the deficit. It also happens to be the best way to burn more fat…since you end up taking in more oxygen (which is required for fat burning) and expending more energy in the process.
So even though the availability of pure oxygen in our atmosphere may have been cut in half, you can make sure that you’re getting enough oxygen in your body by implementing these simple changes into your life.
So here’s a quick summary:
- Avoiding sitting for long periods and stand up often. Watch you posture. Sit or stand up straight, pull your shoulders back and give you rib cage and your diaphragm the space it need to work properly and inhale and exhale as much oxygen as it needs to.
- Try and avoid pollutants, allergens and intolerants. You may not be able to avoid getting stuck in traffic and inhaling fumes, but you can avoid eating genetically modified foods that can increase your susceptibility to allergies and intolerance. Stick to unrefined whole foods so you can minimize inflammatory reactions in your body.
- Eat well and nourish your body. Eliminate all processed foods. Allow your body to get the necessary nutrients it needs from real unrefined whole foods so it can function at it’s optimal level.
- Exercise and get in shape. The better shape you’re in, the more efficient your body functions, which means more oxygen your body can retain. If possible, incorporate high intensity exercises to really boost your oxygen intake and fat burning capacity.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Don't Get Scammed on Acai Berries
Don’t Fall For The Acai Berry Rebill Scam
Scams come and go in the supplement industry, and while apparently this one has been going on a while, it’s a big one. Acai Berry a berry from South America, which like all “miracle foods” before it, promises to cure pretty much everything, is right at the heart of a scam which has cost the US public millions of dollars and a lot of frustration.
Acai is sold for everything from weight loss, muscle building, and anti aging, to a cure for cancer.
Minus of course a drop of real science to support the claims and marketed as “the world’s No. 1 super-food” and other BS … Interestingly, this scam has two faces, one the product itself, the other, the real biggie, the way it’s billed. Par for the course with such products, the marketing hype far surpasses the science.
Let’s talk about the billing scam first.
Although not only associated with Acai products, this scam seems to have gone hand in hand with Acai products presumably because people are so desperate to lose weight they will buy into anything that looks like it’s got the edge.
The scam often goes like this:
You click on some tantalizing advert somewhere and find a web site offering a free bottle of product or a website showing you where you can get a free bottle of the supplements.
Generally speaking you initially end up on a fake blog, you can spot them a mile away , they tend to be called something like “Janets-weightlossblog.com” ( I made that up , no idea if it exists) .
The blog / website shows faked testimonials, and before and after photos of “Janet” which have clearly been edited with software like Adobe Photo Shop, Janet , by the way , doesn’t exist, never did, Janet is typically just a stock photo grabbed from the internet, the name a figment of the scammers imagination.
“Janet” then goes on to explain how she tried everything, blah blah, and how she set up the website just to “help” people out like her, she then goes on to explain how she used this amazing product and how you can get a bottle for free and also lose 30lbs in 30 days.
The websites often show Youtube videos of Oprah or a major news outlet, supposedly correlating the ridiculous claims about the product. Fortunately for the scammers I guess nobody actually clicks and plays the videos because they tend to have absolutely nothing to do with the claims being made by the website promoting the product.
In fact it would seem Oprah and other celebrities are trying to sue the firms promoting Acai using their images or suggesting they support their ludicrous claims.
Back to the fake blogs.
The person who set this fake blog/website up then gets paid by the advertiser everytime somebody takes out the free trial. (Note, I’ve also actually seen them setup fake newspaper websites as well as blogs, these guys are pretty tricky).
You’re probably thinking , how can they get paid if the product’s being given away for free, read on my friends….
It’s only “FREE” on the surface, it’s actually anything but FREE.
Here’s the nasty part of the Acai Berry rebill scam.
They charge a “nominal fee for shipping and handling”, like $5, this has little to do with the handling and everything to do with getting your credit card details.
What follows then are unauthorized credit card charges – some up to $80 per month – that can’t be stopped.
This has happened all over the ‘net, and people have had to cancel their credit cards to get it to stop. Sure, some companies have gotten nailed for this, but many still get away with it. For example, according to an ABC News Report:
“FWM Labs, based in Hollywood, Fla., maintained a Web site promoting acai capsules. The site offered a “free” sample for a nominal fee for shipping and handling.
What followed, authorities say, were unauthorized $80 monthly credit card charges that couldn’t be stopped.
WPLG, ABC’s Miami affiliate, tried to talk with the company in person — and was referred to the company’s attorneys.
Alleged victims said they had to cancel their credit cards to get charges to stop. FWM finally agreed to pay $200,000 in penalties, refund millions to customers and stop its allegedly misleading marketing.”
The Take Home Lesson on the Rebill Saga..
Lesson here folks, nothing of this nature is truly free, so if you see one of these fake blogs or fake newspaper sites offering free product that you just have to give your credit card info to cover shipping and handling fees – be it an acai product or other – be wary.
There’s nothing wrong with paying monthly for legit supplements, or a wine club or indeed a myriad of other things but if you end up at one of these fake blogs then run a mile, “Janet” never existed, your card will be rebilled for huge amounts each month, you won’t be able to contact the company , they won’t take your calls, the only option will be to cancel your card.
I should note that these guys running the Acai Berry rebill scam also rebadge Acai Berry for numerous uses, weight loss, colon cleanse, muscle building, there’s even some running for penis enlargement and confidence boosters. Beware , these guys come in many forms, but the websites are pretty easy to suss out.
So what of acai itself? Yes, it’s a berry – like many others – loaded with anti oxidants, and like many such fruits, may have some potential health benefits. It has no real weight loss effects, will not cure cancer, will not improve your libido, etc.
Food scientist in the U.S., at Texas A&M University, Dr. Steve Talcott sums it up well in the ABC News report
“It’s not a miracle berry, unfortunately. It is superior in antioxidants; it does have a very high antioxidant capacity. There is some really unique chemistry to the fruit. But it’s not a drug. It’s not a miracle, cure-all fruit. I mean this is a dietary component. The recommendation is to incorporate these fruits into our diet, but don’t use them as drugs.”
Brink Bottom Line: Acai – like most “super foods” that make ridiculous promises not supported by the science, are usually sold via multi level marketing companies (MLM) and or fly by night ‘net based companies, and my faith in both is non existent. Acai, like most dark fruits, berries, etc is high in anti oxidants, and perfectly healthy as part of an overall nutrition and exercise plan, but don’t get swept up in the marketing hype, and what ever you do, don’t fall for the re bill scam by giving out your credit card info for a “free” bottle of product.
If somebody you trust doesn’t recommend it and it’s asking for your card details and you found it from some scammy looking blog, then my advice – run a mile in the opposite direction.
If you find any links to these fake blogs then let me know, we will out them.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Junk Food May Be as Addictive as Heroin
The study, conducted by the Scripps Research Institute, followed the behavioral patterns of lab rats that were given an unlimited supply of junk food. Over time, the rats had less sensitivity in their brain's pleasure centers and needed to up the amount of high-fat and high-calorie foods they were eating, in effect, to get high. Not surprisingly, the rats got really fat too — doubling their initial weight.
To find out what this study means for people, read more.
To see how dependent the rats became on junk food, the scientists decided to punish them with an electric shock whenever they ate foods high in fat. The rats who had been eating the junk food for at least five days chowed down despite the electric shocks, and rats not exposed to junk food quickly stopped. I can't imagine any kind of food that's good enough to get electrocuted over!
Perhaps the biggest telltale sign happened when the rats were deprived of junk food. Instead of eating the healthy food replacement, they stopped eating altogether, and some went two weeks without food — can you say withdrawals? In the end, scientists concluded that the brain responds to junk food in the same way it responds to drugs.
Obviously, rats aren't people, but scientists say the study may be extremely telling about the effect a person's diet has on their brain. The fear is that a continuous diet high in fat and calories can permanently alter how a person responds to food. Just another reason to put down the doughnuts.
Source: Getty
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Release Yourself; Be Free
How to Free Yourself From Limiting Beliefs
“From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do – now.” - Stoic philosopher Epictetus
Whether you want to believe this or not, we all have the capacity to be extraordinary, to live our passion, to realize our full potential. When you get right down to it, what holds us back are limiting beliefs that run through our minds. These are mental habits repeating in an endless loop, making us believe that we are incapable and that our dreams are impossible to achieve. They trick us into thinking we are less than we actually are.
It is absolutely the case that when these beliefs are seen in the light of day and put to rest, our lives begin to soar. Whatever is in us that is begging to be expressed finally has a conduit into the world.
When you are free of limiting beliefs, you experience the following:
- Space for creativity to flow through you
- Clarity about your everyday decisions as well as your life path
- Happiness and confidence
- Energy for the activities and people that bring you fulfillment
- Greater ability to focus
- Identify the beliefs that hold you back.
- Break up with these beliefs. That's right – let them go, it's time to walk away.
We all have our version of limiting beliefs that creeps into our minds and keeps us small and constrained. To help you identify your mental habits, see if you recognize yourself in any of these common patterns:
- The perfection-seeker is hard-driving, critical, and pushy. The tone of this inner voice can be very harsh as it tries to motivate you through judgment and ridicule. It starts sentences with, “you should...,” “you really need to...,” “you have to...,” “you better...,” “if you don't...”
- The naysayer is negative about everything – you, your abilities, your ideas. It's signature phrase is, “I can't.” It tells you you are worthless or stupid and finds every reason in the book for you not to be succeed. It says your ideas are too difficult to carry out, they cost too much, you will have to work too hard, other people will think you are crazy, and on and on.
- The doubter is full of worry and mistrust. It incessantly questions everything, as in, What if I fail?...Should I do it this way or that way?...What will they think?...What do I think?...I should have...I shouldn't have... The doubter second-guesses so much that you are paralyzed to take any action.
- The procrastinator's favorite word is mañana, tomorrow. It constantly encourages you to put off taking action until another time that never comes. The procrastinator can be seductive because it loves watching TV, surfing the internet, and having a few beers. It also turns dreams into chores, as in, “Do I have to join the networking group?”
- The blamer holds other people and circumstances responsible for your failure to shine. Everyone and everything else is at fault, while the blamer feels victimized and powerless. The blamer says, “If only...” - if only someone or some situation were different, then you would be able to move forward.
These limiting beliefs have incorrectly defined who you are. If you give them attention, they will continue; if you disregard them, they will eventually lose their power over you. You have had a relationship with them for a long time, and now that relationship is coming to an end. Make it a gracious breakup. Thank these thought patterns for trying to protect you, for that is why they have been present in you. Let them know they don't serve you anymore, then move your attention away. This is the key. Tell yourself:
- They are not true;
- I don't need them;
- They hold me back;
- They bring me unhappiness;
- They are distortions of reality;
- They keep me from realizing my potential.
You may find a resurgence in your inner voices when you begin to walk away. Know that this is just more limiting mind activity that doesn't deserve your attention. Recommit to the freedom you truly long for, and politely turn from these beliefs – every single time. I promise you that you will be liberated from them once and for all. Break up with these beliefs, and watch your life sparkle.
Can you identify your own limiting beliefs? Have you been able to let them go? I'd love to hear your stories, insights, and questions.
 | Written on 10/27/2009 by Gail Brenner, Ph.D. Gail offers practical wisdom for clarity, freedom, and happiness on her blog, A Flourishing Life, focusing on real solutions for self-defeating habits. |
Friday, July 10, 2009
FREE Book on Metabolism
I'd like to give you a remarkable eBook
to help you attain (or maintain) a lean and
gorgeous body.
It's called "How To Increase Metabolism
Naturally" and I think you'll find it useful.
Download it for fre.e at:
http://20daypersuasion.com/IncreaseMetabolism.pdf
Enjoy it and put it to use. You'll see results that WORK!
to help you attain (or maintain) a lean and
gorgeous body.
It's called "How To Increase Metabolism
Naturally" and I think you'll find it useful.
Download it for fre.e at:
http://20daypersuasion.com/
Enjoy it and put it to use. You'll see results that WORK!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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