Nutrition and Weight Loss Ideas

How did you sleep last night? How about the night before — or the night before that? Did you get enough sleep? Did you get close the the often recommended eight hours? Do you ever have trouble getting to sleep — or — once you are asleep do you ever have a problem staying asleep? Do you wake up tired in the morning?

These are all important questions. You may be in a situation where your work life or other demands are being made on your life that make it difficult to get enough sleep. Whatever the case, you may be surprised to learn that if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you could be affecting your ability to lose weight and keep it off.

According to recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and Lancet, sleep deprivation can negatively influence the stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex (in the adrenal gland). It increases blood pressure, blood sugar levels and has an immunosuppressive action.

I can hear it now — “Yeah, so what?”

It’s interesting but here’s why. Pay special attention to the information about blood sugar levels.

If you aren’t getting adequate sleep, you may find you’re hungry even after eating a sufficient amount of food. Why? Because, in addition to affecting appetite control, sleep loss can also interfere with carbohydrate metabolism (the process of breaking down carbs). This leads to an increase in blood glucose levels, causing insulin to be released, which can lead to weight gain and increased fat storage. You’re getting a huge dose of insulin because of your lack of sleep — and that means more fat!

Fortunately, you can prevent these problems — and potentially jump-start weight loss or overcome a weight stall — by taking the following precautions to help you get a good night’s sleep:

* Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex only — bill paying, watching TV, and other sleep-robbing activities should be conducted elsewhere.

* Don’t go to bed hungry. Enjoy a light snack, like a low-fat cheese stick or a slice of lean deli meat before bedtime. That doesn’t mean a dish of ice cream or a piece of chocolate cake or a bowl of sugar-laden cereal, folks. It should be low-fat or no-fat and it should definitely be sugar free.

* Refrain from exercise three hours before bedtime, since exercise releases the hormone epinephrine, which can make you more alert. But log in some workout time during the day, which may improve your ability to sleep.

* Don’t drink caffeine (or any other stimulant — like a sugary soda for example) within several hours of retiring to bed. Alcohol should also be avoided within several hours of bedtime as it can cause early awakening. And, of course, if you still smoke, don’t just quit before bedtime — just quit!

* If you typically have trouble sleeping at night, avoid napping during the day.

* If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing (take a bath, read a magazine, record your thoughts in a journal, meditate) until you feel sleepy.

* Make sure your environment is conducive to sleeping (comfortable light, sound free or soothing sounds, and temperature).

* Be consistent about the time you go to bed and what time you wake up each day — even on weekends!

Sleep tight! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
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Got questions?

Contact me at: http://www.ronrink.com

My email and phone number are at that site. Feel free to contact me. I’m here to help you with your health, nutrition and fitness goals.

Have a healthy and nutritious day!

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

Ron
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As you know, I do practice sitting, silent meditation every day in my life. Recently, I did a podcast about this for another blog that I read. Take a moment and click this link to hear what meditation means to me and what it does for me.

My Meditation Podcast

In my meditation I use what I truly believe is the most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” - then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels —

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution

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On my other blog, http://www.theleaderinside.com I am now displaying a picture that has something to do with “Peace” every time I do a post. I know that this blog is related to health, nutrition, diet, exercise, and other health related items, but I’d like to also have the picture here relate to “Peace” as I do with the other blog. This has to do more with my own feelings about the world situation and my belief that violence or war only leads to more violence or more war. I guess you could say that doing this helps me with my health — it makes me feel good to show symbols of “Peace” on my blogs.

Now, on to today’s article about exercise.

There are no two ways about it — if you want to lose weight, exercise has to be a major component of your lifestyle in order to make weight loss a possibility. Not only will exercise help you to lose weight and maintain weight loss, it will also improve your overall health, lift your mood, help you to sleep better, and relieve stress.

Exercise has to become a part of your daily routine. For many of us, exercising means work. However, there are ways to take the work out of your workout. Here’s a possible plan for you to follow and enjoy:

(Ease into your exercise program, especially if you’re not used to doing it.)

* Start with a brisk 20-minute daily walk. If you don’t have a 20-minute block to spare, try two brisk 10-minute walks each day. Any exercise is better than none so don’t use lack of time as an excuse to not get moving.

* Include 10 to 15 minutes of stretching to prevent injury and increase flexibility. Do half your stretches before you start your exercise, and the other half when you’re done.

* Alternate cardiovascular activities with 10 to 20 minutes of strength training — activities designed to increase muscle strength, endurance, and power. The key to improving muscle strength is resistance — whether from a dumbbell, your actual body weight (as is the case with push-ups and sit-ups), or other equipment (like those big exercise rubber bands). The results go beyond increasing muscle strength. By maintaining and building muscle and bone mass, you’re increasing your metabolism so you’re burning more calories even while you sleep. Many people don’t realize how important strength training is for continued and sustainable weight loss. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder or buy expensive equipment to strengthen your muscles. A favorite of mine is an exercise ball. They’re not expensive and they can be used to strengthen your abs, your butt, and your back muscles.

* If you reach a weight-loss plateau, try increasing the length or intensity of your workout. For example, try walking a route with hills or alternating between brisk walking and jogging.

* Regardless of how much weight you lose, you should begin to feel more energetic, more rested, and less stressed when you participate in an exercise routine. Even if you never make it past the first step above, you’re better off than you were without any exercise.
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Got questions?

Contact me at: http://www.ronrink.com

My email and phone number are at that site. Feel free to contact me. I’m here to help you with your health, nutrition and fitness goals.

Have a healthy and nutritious day!

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

Ron
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As you know, I do practice sitting, silent meditation every day in my life. Recently, I did a podcast about this for another blog that I read. Take a moment and click this link to hear what meditation means to me and what it does for me.

My Meditation Podcast

In my meditation I use what I truly believe is the most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” - then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels —

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution

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I saw a quote the other day by Meryl Streep that went something like, “It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.”

It’s pretty amazing when you spend some time doing research about food and its relationship to our health, that all we have to do is make some simple changes to our lifestyle and we could prevent many of today’s cancers by being more careful about what we eat and drink.

Many people today believe that we should be eating five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and then they think, “I could never do that! Five servings, no way!” Would you be surprised to know that’s now considered to be a bare minimum? Just looking at cancer alone, there are a number of studies indicating that cancer survivors and anyone else at high risk of developing cancer should have 9-10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

The studies go on to conclude that the emphasis is to go heavy on the vegetables. You should eat at least 5 servings of veggies and do the balance in fruits.

As I have mentioned in the last few articles, diets that are high in simple carbs (products made with white flour and white sugar, white bread, white potatoes, snack foods and sweets) may increase the risk of some cancers. Scientists think these carbs may increase cancer risk by causing blood sugar to rise quickly, causing a surge in insulin secretion which then causes cell division that can lead to higher levels of some hormones in the blood. These higher hormone levels can encourage some types of cancer.

Want another dose of cancer prevention every day in addition to eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting back on the carbs? Drink tea. Yes, it’s that easy! Black and green teas are among the food items highest in cancer-fighting antioxidants. And it doesn’t have to be anything exotic - it just has to be real tea. The standard grocery store teas that we all grew up with are black teas. Green teas are easy to find in the supermarket now, too. Decaf is fine; removing the caffeine has no effect on tea’s healthy properties. But herbal “teas” don’t count because they’re not made from real tea (which comes from a plant called camellia sinensis). While they may have other healthy properties, they don’t contain the antioxidants found in black and green teas. So bottom’s up with your tea cup!

The way to keep your health and to avoid serious illnesses is to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Do that and ditch the simple carbs and drink your tea, and you will be on your way to a healthier you.

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Got questions?

Contact me at: http://www.ronrink.com

My email and phone number are at that site. Feel free to contact me. I’m here to help you with your health, nutrition and fitness goals.

Have a healthy and nutritious day!

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

Ron
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If you’ve been reading here for any length of time, you know that I practice meditation every day. When I do so, I use, what I truly believe, is the most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” - then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels —

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution

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