January 25th, 2012
Motivation is second to none when it comes to being determined to adopt a healthy lifestyle by losing PCOS weight. But remembering a few golden rules can provide extra help when the going gets rough.
Keep things simple, like “getting rid of the white stuff,” i.e. remove flour and sugar from your Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome diet.
Eat something healthy but filling on the way home from work. Many people swear that an apple helps them avoid gorging themselves when they arrive home.
Schedule your snacks so you have an alternative handy to the fattening items on offer in the vending machine where you work. Make a space in your desk drawer for a box of raisins, a handful of almonds or an energy bar.
Find a “trainer” in the shape of a family member or a friend. Youngsters or your spouse can motivate you by running, swimming and biking with you. So can a friend, who might need your companionship to motivate him or her, too, with the end result that you both get fit.
Be ready for disappointment. It will happen from time to time, like sometimes not losing weight as regularly as you would like. But being prepared in advance will help you bounce back right away and then succeed.
Regular exercise combined with a balanced nutritious PCOS diet can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate weight loss.
January 23rd, 2012
As if the health benefits that sleep brings were not enough motivation to get plenty of “shut-eye”, a good seven or eight hours every night could also help you avoid Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight gain.
Researchers found that people who slept for less than six hours a night – or more than nine – put on more weight than those who slept for seven or eight hours each night.
The study, published, appropriately enough, in the journal Sleep, found those who did not get enough sleep gained almost 4.4lbs compared to those who slept for the recommended number of hours over a period of six years.
Those who had too much sleep gained 3.5lbs more than those who slept for the recommended number of hours. Short-sleepers were 27% more likely to become obese and long sleepers were 21% more likely to take the same path than those who had an average night’s sleep.
The reason that the amount of sleep a person gets can govern their weight is because sleep affects hormone levels, especially those involved in appetite and feeling full after a meal.
Research leader Jean-Philippe Chaput, of Laval University in Quebec, Canada, said: “Our study provides evidence that both short and long-sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults.”
Sleep experts say the chances of getting a good night’s rest increase if you go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even at weekends, and set a relaxing routine before getting into bed such as having a bath or reading.
Watching television in bed is not recommended and it is best to avoid stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and exercise in the evening. If you have trouble getting to sleep, it is best to get up and do something relaxing like reading until you feel ready for sleep.
A regular exercise regime combined with a balanced, nutritious PCOS diet can improve sleep patterns and help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate PCOS weight loss.
January 20th, 2012
People who have a cat can reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by more than a third, researchers have found.
Owning a cat as a pet helps to relieve stress and anxiety, which is known to help protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart rate.
Researchers at Minnesota University looked at 4,435 adults aged between 30 and 75, about half of whom owned a cat. The findings, presented at a stroke conference, showed that 3.4% of the cat owners died from a heart attack over 10 years. But among the group who had never owned a cat, the rate was nearly double.
Cat owners still had a much reduced chance of developing a stroke or heart attacks when researchers took account of other factors known to trigger heart disease, including excess weight and obesity, high cholesterol levels, smoking and Diabetes.
Study leader Professor Adnan Qureshi said he was surprised by the strength of the effect that owning a cat appeared to have.
“The logical explanation may be that cat ownership relieves stress and anxiety and subsequently reduces the risk of heart diseases,” he said.
Professor Qureshi believes one reason could be that stroking the pet may cut the level of stress-related hormones in the blood. But he added that the type of person who owned a cat was usually already fairly stress-free and at low risk of heart disease.
A balanced, nutritious PCOS diet combined with regular exercise can help reverse an underlying cause of heart disease, namely the excess weight and obesity-linked imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
January 18th, 2012
Last week, we focused on how the push-up is still the ultimate and simplest barometer of fitness and strength training. This is because it tests the whole body by engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs.
One advantage for older people of being being able to perform a modest number of push-ups is that they provide the strength and muscle memory for a person to prevent injury during a fall because push-up action is similar to the natural defensive response to falling.
But push-ups have benefits for all ages and both sexes. Natural aging causes nerves to die off and muscles to weaken. But regular exercise enlarges muscle fibers and can stave off the decline by increasing the strength of the muscle you have left.
Women are at a particular disadvantage because they start off with about 20% less muscle than men. Based on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push-ups and a man of the same age be capable of 27. By the age of 60, the figures drop to 6 and 17 respectively.
Tip for push-up starters: if the floor-based push-up in too difficult at first, begin by leaning against a counter-top at a 45-degree angle and pressing up and down. Once you handle this activity comfortably, try the move on some stairs. Before you know it, you’ll be able to do the same push-up on the floor, though don’t overdo it, even if push-ups eventually become second nature.
A regular exercise regime, which includes push-ups, combined with a balanced nutritious PCOS diet can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
