Green Tea and Weight Loss

Although there are a number of products to help lose weight, it is green tea that is probably one of the most famous; as it has remarkable antioxidant properties, it is found in many health products. Green tea weight loss extracts can be consumed in many ways including as regular tea plus it can be purchased in liquid or tablet form but whichever way it is used it has an excellent record as a calorie burner.

In addition to weight loss functions, it can also help slow the signs of aging by helping to speed up the regenerative functions of the cells. With weight loss however, both the laxative effects and anti-oxidant abilities are used to help improve the metabolism. The body's system is stimulated into burning more calories than usual, and will thus avoid useless accumulation of fat tissue.

Despite the success of green tea weight loss products, they cannot work on their own so the user must be responsible for what food they eat and any exercise they perform. It is important to remember that weight loss also requires a person to completely change their eating habits otherwise just consuming the product will be a waste of time.

For the best results when using green tea as a hot drink; you are advised to use it prior sleep when the metabolism is slowing down. It is quite normal for most people to find they're stomach and bowel upset during the first few days after using the product but this should not last much longer than this. Such green tea weight loss effects are normal, particularly if you haven't used the plant before as the body adjusts to the accelerated metabolism that eliminates the toxins much faster, before they pass into the blood. Providing you stick to your diet which would include exercise, an increase in fluids and vegetables you will see benefits within seven days of starting your diet.

The attributes of green tea can be further enhanced when it is used in combination with extracts from the root of ginseng. Ginseng has also been used in Chin and Tibet for many thousands of years and helps by adding vitamins and minerals to supplement those already being used in the detoxification process.

Ginseng is also beneficial for the immune system and when used in combination with green tea, helps to improve the energy level of a person who is losing weight so they do not feel so lethargic. So far no adverse side-effects have been discovered with tests of up to half a year showing good safety levels for products containing green tea and ginseng.

Weight Loss Mythology

Losing weight has given rise to a number of myths. These are not only baseless and unscientific but in the long run can pose health consequences. So it is always better to follow a healthy, scientific way of losing weight and learn to separate the facts from the myths.

1. You cannot lose weight. Gained weight can be lost but it happens at a very slow pace. You should always remember that if you do something right, then it happens. Lose weight by following a scientifically planned controlled diet and not through crash dieting.

2. You should weigh yourself everyday. This is a wrong notion that can demotivate. Your body undergoes a number of changes everyday such as fluid retention, hormonal changes etc. As a result of this you may weigh more and find it very discouraging if you weigh everyday. You should weigh yourself only once a week.

3. Exercise makes you feel hungry. The fact is that moderate exercise helps you in decreasing your appetite. Exercise boosts your metabolism as you burn more calories than usual.

4. Standing while eating helps you to burn more calories. There is no scientific basis for this. Instead if you stand and eat, you tend to eat more and hence gain weight.

5. Vitamins supplements give you energy. This is totally wrong since vitamins are required for boosting up your system and for various other body functions. Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the body. So when on a diet, concentrate on power packed foods more, which give you more energy by a lesser intake.

6. Saunas can help you lose kilograms. Going to saunas every now and then is not a very pleasurable experience. What you lose in sauna is just the water weight and there is no fat burnout. So once you drink water it starts coming back.

7. Jogging a mile helps you burn more calories than walking a mile. Whether you are jogging or walking, the calories burnt are 62 per 100 pounds weight. However, when jogging you cover more distance in a short span of time and hence you burn more calories in a given time.

8. You burn more calories while exercising on an exercise machines. The calories expended are directly related to the amount of effort put in doing an activity. The more you work out, the more calories are burnt. An easy exercise results in burning out fewer calories. So don't give in to fancy looking machines. Just remember the harder you work the more you lose.
Following these myths can make you gain weight instead of losing it. So follow a professionally planned method of weight loss and lose weight sensibly and keep it off.

Lose Weight Permanently

How to Lose Weight Permanently

Look into the mirror and you’ll know that you are putting on weight. What the mirror cannot do is diagnose the casues for your increasing weight. In other words, if you are trying to lose weight quickly by crash dieting, you are making no effort to correct the original cause of your excess weight. That is why there are countless people who half-starve themselves both quantitatively and nutritionally to lose weight. And later gain it back, usually with additional kilos. This process of losing and gaining weight repeatedly is known as the Yo-Yo syndrome. Yo-Yo dieting makes it harder to lose weight but easier to regain it. This kind of fluctuation also aggravates physiological changes in your body which play havoc with your metabolism.

Three things make it extremely difficult to maintain a long-term loss by severe dieting or crash methods. First, you have no well-balanced dietary guidelines to help you change your eating habits.Without these it is impossible to maintain a healthy and desirable weight. Second, weight lost by crash dieting isn't likely to stay lost. Recent studies show that not all obesity is caused simply by overeating, although, in most cases this may have triggered it. Third, crash dieting throws your body system out of gear and therefore when you resume regular eating your metabolic system may not be behaving properly. In fact, with crash dieting, your body may be storing considerable fat, simply because your food is not being used or burnt properly.

Most crash diets are based on two assumptions. First, diets do not effect the speed at which the body works, i.e. the metabolic rate. And second, weight lost on a crash diet is mostly fat. On the contrary, it is usually water or muscle. That is why to achieve a permanent weight loss you must:

* lose weight in small steps
* with food intake control, not with supplements, powders or machines
* complement this with regular exercise.

Remember that retention is all about sticking to your diet plan. The challenge lies in maintaining those shed kilos. Sustainability and not fads is the key to permanent weight loss. Adjust your lifestyle to your diet, and see the emergence of a new fitter you.

No Shortcuts to Weight Loss

One of the quickest ways to increase your fitness and feel great is to shed some weight. Drop five kilos and notice the difference. Not only will you look good but will also feel lighter and stronger. But losing weight doesn't mean that you stop eating and starve to death. This is a short cut method and won't work in the long run. The only permanent way to lose weight is to lose it gradually. For that you need to maintain a long-term sensible plan and stick to it religiously. Your new eating plan should minimise your saturated fat intake and thus keep your fat levels down to reasonable levels. Here are some tried and tested fat-reducing tips to help you get in shape:

* Don't fry, instead grill, poach, roast, bake or steam
* Reduce the use of white flour and butter to thicken sauces; instead use vegetable purees.
* Use herbs to season low-fat dishes. This will help overcome the loss of flavour that comes from reducing fat content.
* Experiment with whole grains like millet and barley which are low in fat content.
* Make low-fat dressings for salads
* Use non-stick pans for frying and cooking
* Grill vegetables using little oil, rather than frying
* Use fat-free or low-fat marinades to flavour foods
* Use low-fat yogurt and eliminate cream toppings
* Remove the visible fat from fish, chicken and meat
* Roast foods on a raised rack so the fat drops away rather than being reabsorbed
* Use the white of the egg rather than the yolk as all the fat is in the yolk.

Improving Your Posture

Take two minutes and think about the following questions. Have you noticed that you are constantly cowering down because your boss is too intimidating? Are you weary and tired and as a result frequently hunch your shoulders? Are you trying to reach out to someone and in the process unwittingly, let your chest out too far forward? If you've said yes to any of these then not only are you looking sloppy and unsmart, but are unknowingly encouraging bad posture.

What is Posture?
Think of a building without the steelwork or a bridge without an edifice and what conjures up in your mind is a weak and unstable construction incapable of withstanding stress or strain. The same could apply to your body. Your posture, a harmonious interplay of the skeletal and muscular systems, forms the structure and base of all your movements. And though it is of your own making, it communicates a whole deal about you to the external world. It signals your position in society, your levels of self-esteem and confidence as well as how comfortable you are with your body. Enough reasons to warrant taking action about it now.

Importance of Posture
Your posture has a prime purpose - to provide a framework that can carry your body through pressures and tensions, strains and stresses, without having any repercussions on your productivity and efficiency. A chink in any part of the framework will require compensation by the opposing group of muscle or set of joints. And any flaw will eventually lead not only to aches and pains in the short term but result in far reaching complications like a some ailment, dysfunction or injury (for e.g. risking your spinal cord, reducing your breathing capacity etc) all of which can be prevented by good posture.

Getting started
So how can you improve your posture? A good beginning is to objectively assess the stress areas, the probable flaws and imbalances. Once these are done (and believe us it is not too difficult. We even lay out the process in the article), begin corrective measures. Ideally before starting on any of the corrective measures. You should consult a fitness specialist, a physiotherapist and / or an orthopedic surgeon. The last is to ensure that there are no structural or dysfunctional reasons for incorrect posture.

Start with a POSTURE CHECK by standing with your back against the wall with four points touching it:
the back of your head, shoulders, hips and heels. Then go through the following guidelines:

* The head and neck should be in line with the rest of the body
* The shoulders should be parallel to each other
* The shoulder blades should be pulled backwards and in a relaxed position
* The abdominal muscles should be tucked in tightly
* The hip muscles should be pulled in lightly
* The hips should be parallel to each other.

The skeletal system provides rigidity and mobility while the muscular system provides elasticity along with stability. The backbone, an important component of the body's skeleton, is a delicate piece of architecture and has to be treated with care. Because of its S-like shape, it has amazing abilities but is also the first to take the toll of your stress or abuse. The remedy is to consciously maintain the normal curves the way they are meant to be - outward (but not excessively) in the upper back area and inward (but not excessively) in the lower back area. One of the functions of the set of muscles that attach themselves to the back, along with the muscles in the front portion of the midsection, is to keep the body upright and function with maximum efficiency.

Thus any movement or exercise, position or stance needs to be conducted keeping in mind the alignment of the bony structure and the stabilization of the musculature. Think of symmetry between left and right and think of balance between top and bottom, front and back.

My recommendation
A combination of regular exercise, which will increase bone density, joint flexibility and cater to muscular strength and flexibility, will go a long way in improving your posture. Combine this with a sensible diet that supplies you with all the vital nutrients and you are on the right track. We at ActiveKarma have a number of exercises that you can do specifically for posture (ab and oblique crunches, back extensions, upper back strengthening work).

Finally, it may not be easy to undo years of bad postural habits but when you begin to feel the difference between before and after, the effort is well worth it. A keen awareness of yourself, within your body and in relationship to your surroundings will give you that extra edge and help you stay on top of things. So if you are looking for ways to beat bad posture and get a headstart DO IT NOW. Improve your posture today and watch what the world says about you. You will be amazed!

Getting Fitter with Yoga

Did you know that yoga can actually enhance the benefits of your fitness plan? Yes, yoga is a good supplement to exercise. And if you thought that yoga was meant only for rishis and sadhus, you need to think again. There are several yoga exercises that act as a supplement to the whole process of exercising and preparation. Preparing yourself for exercise and training is equally important as the actual training. Yoga acts as a facilitator and works wonder for your warm-up and cool-down steps.

At the warm-up stage :

* Yoga can be used as a means for increasing attention and concentration
* It helps warm-up the muscles.
* You can simultaneously improve your flexibility, body awareness, and self-control. Although these yoga exercises take only 2-3 minutes, you will find them very useful in reaching a more concentrated state. Through yoga, concentration becomes as much a part of the warm-up routine as your daily stretching. Like physical exercises, practicing concentration becomes a habit when done regularly and systematically.

Between training sessions:

* Yoga is an excellent tool for relaxing and regenerating muscles between training sessions
* Or when your body needs a short rest. It enables relaxation of the arteries and veins that transport blood to the heart and back which allows for a more effective workout.
* These exercises produce calmness and a refreshing physical sensation that stimulates overall recovery.

At the cool down stage:
# The process of regeneration is speeded up when yoga is combined with cooling exercises. The battery of yoga asanas speeds up the process of regeneration by applying pull, rotation, pressure, and the force of gravity.
# This increases the flexibility, and elasticity of the leg muscles and ligaments.

In addition, yoga complements walking and running. Walking or running offer training benefits for a select group of muscles only. Prolonged practice of these results in a disbalance of muscles creating damage, loss and injuries. Doing Yoga as a supplemental exercise ensures a harmonious development of the body.

In racing, a synchronization of breathing with movement is very important. Yoga offers several exercises that regulate the movement with breathing for optimum effect. These asanas also give benefits such as rehabilitating the lower back, and prevention of pain and injury. Muscle stretching, increased flexibility and stamina are some other benefits you can get by practicing yoga.

Thus combining yoga with your exercise plan will go a long way in keeping both your mind and body fit and fine.