Why Can’t I Lose Weight

Eating Too Much
Being a strong believer in sound nutrition and always preaching that nutrition is not only how much you eat but when, what, and why? These three words determine if you lose or gain weight. Let’s break them down really quick.

When, What, and Why? Eating at certain periods in the day is crucial for healthy nutrition and satisfying weight loss. For starters, the two most important meals of the day are breakfast and dinner. These two meals are the jump start and hibernating factors of your fat storing or burning metabolism. Eating a big breakfast will ensure you are burning calories all day while elevating your metabolism as much as possible without exercise. Dinner is the hibernating factor as it should be your last meal of the day and I might want to add that it should be your smallest one as well.

You have two choices on what your dinner will do for you. If you eat a low carb, low fat, and high protein meal equaling in fewer calories, your metabolism will most likely burn fat throughout the night while you are sleeping. If you eat a high carb and calorie dinner your metabolism will do it’s best to try burning all those calories you just ate but most often they will go straight to your fat storages.

So are you having your body turning your food you ate during the day to fat while you sleep? I am pretty sure this is not what you want so force your body to burn fat all day and all night long.
Not Eating Enough
Not eating enough calories will decrease the amount of calories your body burns during the day by itself which also indicated having a sluggish metabolism. Personally, when someone tells me they want to lose weight while only eating 1200 calorie or less per day, it automatically has me saying in my head that it is a sure-fire way to ensure that they don't lose a pound and pack on more than when you started. Determining the right amount of calories to consume for weight loss is very important, and is the most effective method for losing weight for the long term.

Exercise Is Not Efficient
I don’t like to step on anybody’s feet on this section but most people don’t know how to exercise that will actually give them satisfying results. I love to see people walking around town with friends and family or doing lap swim at the city pool as they are having fun while exercising. On the other hand; if their goal is to lose weight as fast as possible, than just walking is not effective enough for their desired results.

I’m not saying you have to go through hell but a little intensity is the key for success. Besides encouraging you to increase the physical activity in your daily life, your workouts should consist of weight training and cardio together.

Depending if you are going to workout 3, 4, 5, etc. days in a week, remember that you only have to be in the gym no longer than hour when you increase your intensity. Some simple tips for increasing your intensity are super sets in the weight room to lift more in less time. Another tip is lifting the appropriate weight, so if your going to lift around 15-20 reps than your muscle should be burning between 15-20. Keep shorter rest periods as this will keep your heart rate up, and your fat burning accelerated.

There is so much more you can do to get the most out of your workouts, and if you want the best results I recommend the #1 natural bodybuilder Tom Venuto's book, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.”

Diet Is Not Efficient
Even if you take the time by motivating yourself to increase your exercise intensity and frequency, you must consider cleaning up your diet as nutrition is 80% responsible for losing weight. Healthy eating consist of eating balanced meals, eating the right portions at the right times, and one of the most important, having the right foods at the right times.

Some simple tips you hear all the time are to consume more fruits and vegetables while making sure to eat a heart healthy breakfast to jump start your day. With that, I also recommend increasing daily protein in take as it speed up the metabolism 35% more than carbohydrates and fats, and is less likely to be stored as fat. Another tip that should be followed is to consume enough water during the day to keep your body hydrated and can also help decrease your hunger cravings.

A few tips I am going to leave you with are eating less-processed foods, stick with whole grain carbs, and purchase extra low fat ground beef/steak so the fat in take is not excessive. Your day should consist of more carbs in the morning and decreasing throughout the day till dinner that should be low carb and high protein.

Don’t cut yourself short of your weight loss goals with poor eating.

“Eating clean makes your body adjusts to being lean.”


Too Much Stress
Having too much stress in your life can make weight loss seem impossible and it’s not all your fault. When you are stress your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This stress hormone regulates blood sugar, energy production, inflammation, and healing. Too little of cortisol can leave you fatigue and basically feeling like crap. If that’s not bad enough, if you have to much cortisol your body mobilizes the energy into mostly fat making weight gain every easy. There are many types of form of stress but let me list out some ways to decrease this effect.

• Get enough sleep preferably 6-8 hours
• Eat a balanced diet
• Exercise regularly to relieve stress
• Take 30 minutes and do something relaxing
• Drink mostly water and decrease consumption of caffeinated beverages

We all have every busy lives and stress is one of the things that many people don’t think of when they can’t seem to lose any weight. Life is too short to be stressed out all the time, so give it your best shot and good luck.

Can Aromatherapy Heal Depression?

Most people who are affected by depression become very flat, lifeless, stressed out and easily agitated. Some individuals even have trouble getting out of the bed. This makes it very difficult to recover or bounce back. The essential oils used in aromatherapy, may help to reverse this by positively affecting the brain. Essential oils can provide an emotional lift and help to alleviate some of the tension and anxiety associated with depression.

Some common essential oils that are believed to help chase away the blues include: Geranium, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Rose, Peppermint and Ylang Ylang.

Although counseling and medication have been the mainstays in the fight against depression, there are many side effects associated with pharmaceutical meds and many people stay in counseling for years without any significant progress. Others do experience relief using these methods and that is great. However, there are groups of individuals who would rather not use pharmaceutical drugs to cure their depression, or may be simply looking to supplement their drug regimen. They may be interested in experimenting with natural remedies. Aromatherapy gives them that option. It can be added as an additional tool in the fight against depression. To increase the effectiveness of this approach, changes in diet, physical activity, and supplementation can really help to multiply the effects of aromatherapy.

A 17th century herbalist by the name of John Gerard, believed that clary sage was good to use when individuals were suffering from mental tiredness, depression and other mental disorders. Today, many aromatherapists tend to agree. According to research conducted at the International Flavors and Fragrances in New Jersey, fragrances of orange are also believed to be helpful in reducing anxiety

Aromatherapy is generally more effective in people who are only having mild bouts of depression, and that either do not require medication or who are being weaned off of it. . This is because there is no threat of dangerous drug interactions. Now while aromatherapy can be very helpful, it is important that one doesn’t suddenly stop using their medications. This could potentially be quite dangerous. It is vital that one works closely with their doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist, so that they can safely create an effective game plan to be weaned off prescribed medications as a health professional sees fit.

Probably the most effective forms of aromatherapy to treat depression are bath and massage oils. These allow you take advantage of both your sense of touch and smell. Aromatherapy is a fantastic way for individuals to treat mild depression. Lavender, geranium, rose and peppermint are some of the very best essential oils to use when one has the prolonged blues.

Hair Loss Natural Treatment

Thinning hair, hair loss and especially baldness are stressful and traumatic issues for men as they grow older. At least 50% of male population of earth suffers from hair loss problems and this percentage is higher for men in developed world, due to tense life, unhealthy nutrition and pestiferous climate. Moreover, if your father had hair loss then you probably encounter with the same hair condition because “male pattern baldness” is a hereditary disease.

Treating hair loss has interested physicians and scientists through out history and many natural and pharmaceutical cures has been proposed. Recently, medical researches have finally proved the overall cause of hair loss. An androgenic hormone (named dihydrotestosterone or DHT) gradually increases in the receptors at hair follicles as men grow up and as a result, hair follicles shrink, hair becomes thinner, progressively falls and eventually no new healthy hair grows.

The understanding of the cause of hair loss does not mean that there has been success in discovery of hair loss treatment. Many pharmaceutical, beauty products and natural remedies “promise” to improve hair health but nothing can be considered as panacea. Below there are some natural treatment (some have been used for centuries) that concern hair loss. Of course, treating hair loss may last long and therefore you should be patient and determined. You will not see a new head full of hair after just one or two treatments Nevertheless, repeated use will probably offer you a better looking, healthier and fuller hair.

A widely used home remedy is with use of herb Aloe Vera. It is believed that by rubbing your head with leafs of Aloe Vera, you achieved balanced scalp’s Ph, improved circulation to the area and stimulated hair follicles able to provide new healthy hair.

Another popular treatment with essential oils suggests before going to bed, to apply to head a blend composed of 4 essential oils and 1 vegetable oil: 2 drops of lavender oil, 2 drops of rosemary oil, 2 drops of thyme oil and 2 of cedarwood oil based in 50 ml of jojoba vegetable oil. After applying, massage your scalp for half an hour or more, in order the blend to have the time to take action and then give it a rinse. If you are not experienced with aromatherapy blends, you can benefit from essential oils by just adding 4 drops of bay oil to your normal shampoo.

Finally, follow these everyday advices for stronger and healthier hair. After shampooing your hair, you dry it naturally or use a hairdryer. Remember that you should never rub or wring your hair with a towel to dry it. This will damage the brittle and breakable hair. You can also wrap a large and thick towel around your hair and wait until the towel absorb the water. Moreover, if you choose the hairdryer solution, do not overdo with it, because too hot or too much drying leads to undesirable results. Additionally, keep in mind that sleeping in a tight braid can cause hair breakage or loss of hair over time.

What is Insomnia?

Many adults have suffered from symptoms of insomnia at one point in their life. As many as 30-40% of adults surveyed report symptoms of insomnia over the period of a year; however, less than 10% of people actually have chronic insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person has difficulty falling asleep and/or maintaining sleep through out the night. Loss of sleep can be caused by multiple factors like stress, depression or life event changes. Insomnia is a very common sleep disorder that can be diagnosed and treated. Women and the elderly are the most common targets of this disorder. There are two types of insomnia, primary and secondary.

The causes of primary insomnia are environmental influences that a person may encounter and are not related to other health conditions. In contrast, secondary insomnia is related to other issues such as health conditions, chronic pain, medication or other substances one is consuming, like alcohol.

Causes of insomnia…

Insomnia can also be classified by the amount of time one is affected by it. Acute insomnia is a short-term ordeal, where difficulty sleeping is sporadic, or may last for only a few weeks. However, chronic insomnia is long-term. Chronic insomnia is distinguished by being unable to sleep for at least three nights per week, and can last for a month or longer.
The causes of acute insomnia are most often related to irregular conditions in a person’s day-to-day life experiences. Significant stress from life like loss of a loved one, loosing a job or divorce can cause trouble sleeping. Illness, physical strain or medications may disrupt a person’s sleep cycle for a period of time as well. Some medications for colds, allergies or depression can act as stimulants. If this is the case, speak with your health care provider to find an alternative that will not disrupt your sleep. Other environmental influences can cause sleep disruption as well, like light, noise or temperature. In today’s modern society, working “swing shifts”, a night shift or jet lag also commonly cause sleep cycle disruptions.

Chronic insomnia is related to other underlying conditions such as depression or anxiety, pain or discomfort during the night or chronic stress. If the trouble sleeping is related to a medical condition, it is imperative that the medical condition is addressed. Loss of sleep while ill may lead to decreased ability to recover from an illness. In addition, treating the medical condition causing ones insomnia will most often relieve the symptoms of insomnia.

Signs and Symptoms…

There are various signs and symptoms of insomnia. Commonly sufferers of insomnia report the inability to fall asleep, waking during the night, failure to return to sleep after waking or waking up too early in the morning. Unrefreshed rest resulting from a pattern of sleep difficulties may cause significant daytime sleepiness and general fatigue. These symptoms can lead to irritability, problems concentrating or memory problems. Insomnia is one of the leading causes of absenteeism from work and decreased productivity while at work. Fatigue and tiredness may leave a person feeling drained at the end of the day, which can also negatively influence their quality of life while at home.

Women specifically can suffer from insomnia due to fluctuating hormone levels at specific points in their life cycle. Sleeplessness may be caused by menopause, menstruation and pregnancy.

Steps to insure sleep…

A person can make several helpful choices to encourage a restful night of sleep. The first and most basic being listen to ones own “internal clock”. A person’s sleep-wake cycle is regulated by ones own Circadian Rhythm, which is a portion of the body’s “internal clock”. When a person begins a new sleep pattern, the body’s sleep clock is still on its original schedule and wants to sleep at its preprogrammed time. This is the most basic reason why a person still feels tired even though they are unable to sleep. If a person is having trouble sleeping, there are steps that can be taken to promote a restful night. Some basic sleep hygiene steps (steps to promote sleep) are:

* Sleep at the same time every night, including weekends. At the same time, ensure you are getting the proper amount of sleep that your body desires.
* Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that may keep you awake. Alcohol, although it can make a person feel sleepy, can also reduce sleep quality leaving one feeling unrested in the morning.
* Get regular exercise, studies show exercise may reduce stress. However, do not exercise with in 3-4 hours before bed.
* Avoid heavy meals before bedtime. However, if you are hungry, a light snack before bed may actually help you sleep.
* Make sure your bedroom and bed are comfortable. Keep your sleep environment dark, quiet and at a comfortable temperature, not too cool, not too warm. If light is a problem, try black out curtains or a sleep mask, if noise is a problem, try a white noise machine, a fan or ear plugs.
* Have a time to relax before bed. Reading a book or taking a bath may promote relaxation.
* Do not use the bedroom for anything other than sleep or sex :).
* If a person feels unable to sleep and does not feel drowsy, get up. Engage in something that is relaxing like reading or listening to music.
* While in bed if one finds their mind flooded with tomorrows “to do list”, make a list before bed. This way ones thoughts will not constantly replay what needs to be accomplished the next day.

Diagnosis…

Insomnia can be difficult to diagnose because of differentiations in individual sleep patterns and reported levels of fatigue. If you feel you suffer from insomnia, see your health care professional. The initial evaluation may include a physical exam and questions about your medical history. To determine the level of sleeplessness you are experiencing, your health care provider may ask you several questions, like how long the symptoms last, weather or not you snore, or if the symptoms occur every night. A health care professional may also ask a person to start a sleep diary so one can record the events as they happen. Currently there is also a short survey available to health care providers which is designed to evaluate the level of daytime sleepiness and sleep-wake patterns; this will assist in determining how severe ones insomnia may be. If a health care provider thinks it is necessary, they may refer one to a sleep disorder clinic for further diagnosis or treatment.

Treatment…

There are several different treatment options for insomnia. A person working with their health care provider can decide on what is the most appropriate course of action to take. The course of treatment will be based on what is keeping a person from experiencing the level of sleep their body specifically needs. A health care provider may suggest behavior modification, like creating an environment that is conducive to relaxation and sleeping. Another option may be to practice relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation. Exercise during the day may also be recommended, as it does reduce stress and promotes a deeper level of sleep.
Sleep Hygiene Tips

As an alternate option, a health care provider may prescribe a medication. Currently there are several medications available for treatment of insomnia. These medications, called hypnotics, are prescribed when the cause of insomnia has been determined and other appropriate therapy options have been explored. A heath care provider will determine, based on your medical history, your current medical condition and your level of insomnia, if hypnotics are right for treatment. Hypnotics carry out their chemical task on specific sleep related areas of the brain. Hypnotics do induce sleep and some activate the ability to stay asleep through the night. There are side effects from hypnotics, as with any drug. Before starting a regimen of medication, talk to a health care provider about any side effects like morning headaches, sleepwalking or dependency.