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How Elimination Diets Work

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 12:42:18 +0000

Once upon a time, people dieted to lose weight. In the 21st century, a new class of diet trends is shifting the primary focus from getting skinny to getting clean — eliminating the "toxins," "chemicals" and allergens that might be making us feel, well, icky (and keeping us from looking our best).

Among these is the elimination diet, though in its true form it’s not a trend. It’s a long-standing medical diagnostic tool used to help identify serious food allergies, like the ones that send tens of thousands of people to emergency rooms every year in the United States [source: Woznicki]. Doctors, nutritionists and other health professionals also use it to try to pinpoint foods that might be causing or exacerbating less-serious but still problematic conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or migraine headaches [source: Jacob].

The goal of the elimination diet is simple: to find out if a symptom is caused by an adverse reaction to a particular food (or food additive). If the symptom goes away after that food is eliminated and returns when that food is reintroduced, there’s almost certainly a link.

In practice, though, it’s a fairly intense undertaking, and the results are not airtight. Doctors usually supplement the diet with other forms of testing to get closer to a definitive diagnosis [sources: Mayo Clinic, FARE].

In its DIY form, results are even less reliable [source: Nassauer]. Still, increasingly more people are conducting their own elimination diets, trying to identify food allergies, intolerances or sensitivities they believe may be triggering a wide range of hard-to-explain symptoms, including bloating, stomach pain, acid reflux, depression, acne, joint pain, fatigue and difficulty losing weight [sources: Caldwell, Watts].

It’s not necessarily a bad thing. For people in relatively good physical and psychological health, and who aren’t having life-threatening reactions to food, a short-term elimination diet can at least be eye-opening, and at most might reveal a possible "problem food."

The diet’s popularity is easy to explain: Roughly 30 percent of the U.S. population believes it suffers from a food allergy [source: Woznicki]. And while the actual percentage is closer to 3 or 4 percent, that doesn’t mean the others aren’t suffering [sources: Woznicki,Watts]. The discrepancy could result from a simple misunderstanding of the term "allergy" [source: The Cleveland Clinic].

Contents

Defining Allergies, Intolerances and Sensitivities
The Meticulous Process Behind Elimination Diets
The Dark Sides of DIY Elimination Dieting

Defining Allergies, Intolerances and Sensitivities

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A girl undergoes allergy testing at the hospital and shows an allergic reaction in the form of atopic dermitis (eczema).

BSIP/UIG via Getty Images

Food allergies, intolerance and sensitivities have a lot of overlapping symptoms, but they’re different conditions.

An allergy is caused by the immune system – the human body’s defense against what it perceives to be harmful invaders, such as viruses. Sometimes, the immune system gets it wrong. In the case of a food allergy, the immune system interprets a particular food as a harmful invader, and it sends cells – either T cells or IgE antibodies, depending on the allergy type — to fight it. This battle can result in symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, breathing difficulties, chest pain and/or, at worst, anaphylaxis [source: Woznicki]. Anaphylaxis sends the body into a state of shock, and it can be fatal [source: Mayo Clinic].

Allergic reactions occur anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours after ingesting the allergen, and a person with allergies will always have a reaction to a particular food, every time it’s eaten, regardless of how much is eaten. Peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat and shellfish are common allergens [sources: Allergist, WebMD].

Food intolerance is a different animal. It’s triggered by the digestive system, not the immune system. Typically, a person’s digestive tract lacks the enzyme required to digest a certain food [source: Woznicki]. Symptoms can take up to two days to appear and may include cramping, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, irritability and/or anxiety [sources: Medical News Today, WebMD]. Intolerance to lactose is common [source: Woznicki]. Celiac disease, which involves an inability to digest gluten, is technically a gluten intolerance but also has an immune-system component, which is why it’s sometimes called a "gluten allergy" [sources: Celiac Disease Center, Woznicki].

Intolerance reactions within the same person can vary and often depend on how much of the food is consumed [source: Cleveland Clinic]. Intolerances can improve through the use of supplements or periodic abstinence [source: Medical News Today].

Intolerance and allergies are pretty well-understood. Sensitivities, on the other hand, are understudied and something of a mystery to medical science beyond the fact that they occasionally make people feel unwell. A person’s sensitivity reaction to a food or food additive (MSG is a common one) can vary from one day to the next [sources: Kerr, IFT, Woznicki]. Aside from the fact that they’re definitely not allergies, at the moment, sensitivities are anybody’s guess [sources: IFT, Woznicki].

Regardless of what’s behind the unpleasant feeling, if there’s some evidence of a connection with eating, an elimination diet might be able to help with diagnosis. Obtaining accurate results is no picnic, though.

The Meticulous Process Behind Elimination Diets

Elimination diets typically take about three to eight weeks to complete [sources: FARE, Medical News Today]. They involve four basic steps: planning, eliminating, reintroducing and evaluating.

The planning phase centers on identifying symptoms and potential problem foods. Professionally guided plans often eliminate a dramatic range of foods (sometimes even tap water) [source: WHC]. For the layperson, the most common approach is to eliminate the usual suspects — dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, gluten, sugar and alcohol [source: Nassauer].

To individualize, some people keep a food journal for at least a week before starting, recording what they eat and how they feel throughout the day, which may suggest links, and noting which foods they eat most and crave most, since these often turn out to be culprits [source: UW Integrative Medicine].

Then, all those foods go away. The elimination phase typically lasts two to three weeks, which is enough time for symptoms to disappear if any of the eliminated foods were causing them. Some people experience withdrawal symptoms like fatigue or headaches in the initial few days [source: WHC].

During the elimination phase, it’s important to keep a food diary (the dieter may have already been doing so) and to take in enough calories and eat nutritional substitutes for eliminated food groups [sources: WebMD, WHC]. For instance, if the diet calls for cutting out all dairy, other sources of calcium, like collard greens and figs, and vitamin D, like salmon and tuna, need to be added in [source: Mattheis].

By the end of the elimination phase, any food-related symptoms will have disappeared, and re-introduction begins. The goal is to learn exactly which foods are related to which symptoms, and detailed note-taking is crucial. The dieter adds foods back into the diet one at a time, with several days between each reintroduction to give the body time to reproduce any associated symptoms. If symptoms return after a reintroduction, that particular food (or food group) is likely causing them [source: FARE].

Once the dieter reintroduces all eliminated foods, the experiment is over, and it’s time to formulate a long-term diet, preferably with expert help. Foods that appear to have triggered negative reactions may be eliminated for the long run, or they may be incorporated in doses determined not to trigger symptoms.

A long-term diet should be both free of triggers and nutritionally sound, and the latter may prove difficult if many nutritious foods or entire food groups were identified as triggers. This is one of the problems with DIY elimination dieting: When undertaken without expert guidance or oversight, they can end up causing harm.

Start With What You Know

If you’ve already been diagnosed with a nonfood allergy, you’re (sort of) in luck: Some allergies to nonfood items have potentially associated food allergies. People with latex allergies, for instance, also may be allergic to apples, carrots, raw potatoes and tomatoes, among other foods [source: ACAAI]. Those allergic to ragweed pollen may react badly to bananas and melons [source: Mayo Clinic].

The Dark Sides of DIY Elimination Dieting

Many professionals are wary of the elimination-diet trend. Maybe they’re troubled by the health problems that can result from DIY elimination dieting, or from the lack of empirical evidence that it actually does what its supporters claim [source: Nassauer].

Ineffectiveness may partly result from the absence of complementary medical diagnostic tools, like blood and skin-prick tests [source: FARE]. And professionals’ extensive knowledge of the processes at work in food reactions naturally makes them better equipped to interpret the subjective data the diet generates.

Human error is likely part of the problem, too. Without intensive research, it can be hard to know exactly what’s in the foods we buy, so eliminated foods may not actually be eliminated [source: Woznicki]. People may not have the time to keep detailed records during the reintroduction phase.

Those who end up feeling worse on the diet may mistakenly think they haven’t been on it long enough, or haven’t eliminated enough foods, when in fact it might be the lack of certain foods that’s making them sick [source: Freuman].

Adverse health impacts are a concern. Some people neglect to incorporate nutritional substitutes for eliminated foods, which can result in nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal problems [source: Freuman]. Elimination dieting can trigger a relapse in someone with a history of eating disorders [source: Nassauer]. It also can cause people to delay seeking expert medical help for serious problems. Some major medical conditions present with similar symptoms to food intolerance, and DIY elimination dieting may delay diagnosis [source: MCS Aware]. In people with severe allergic reactions to foods, a delay increases the risk of suffering life-threatening reactions they’re not fully equipped to alleviate [source: WebMD].

Besides that, elimination diets are pretty harmless.

Actually, they can do some good, if not always the good for which they’re designed. It’s possible the oceans of anecdotal evidence for elimination diets’ success can be attributed to one little side effect of the process: paying very close attention to what we eat. Generally speaking, this leads to eating healthier [source: Wagner College]. Add in the fact that most elimination diets make fast food, junk food, refined sugar, alcohol and countless other damaging foods off limits, and feeling less, well, icky after a few weeks is a likely outcome.

Ultimately, whether an elimination diet reveals a hidden allergy or just a better way of eating seems beside the point. Feeling better is feeling better. Everything else is gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free icing.

Is Your Mind Making You Gassy?

While most food reactions are physiologically mediated, psychosomatic food reactions are not uncommon. They can result from negative associations, pairing particular foods with particular events or feelings, or they may stem from the simple belief that a certain food triggers a reaction. They’re just as "real" as purely physiological responses, but they’re treated differently, and an elimination diet won’t distinguish between the two [sources: WebMD, Pomeroy].

Arm, Chest, and Shoulder Exercises

admin — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 12:42:18 +0000

Arm, chest, and shoulder exercises emphasize those muscle groups in the upper body region. These muscles allow us to push and pull as well as lift heavy objects. Although men more frequently focus on strengthening the biceps, triceps, pectorals, and deltoids, among others, women can benefit from toning these muscles, too. In fact, strengthening the upper body with arm, chest, and shoulder exercises can ease back and neck pain in both sexes. Combined with aerobic activity, strengthening the upper body can increase the body’s metabolism, burning more fat.

For great exercises to improve your strength and fitness, check these out:

Home Workout
Warm-Up Exercises
Leg Exercises
Stretching

Fire Up Your Metabolism and Burn More Calories Naturally with Herbs

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 12:42:18 +0000

Does your metabolism need a jump start? Sure it’s summer time and the sun is heating things up. But what about the fire that burns within your body? It’s time to light a match in your metabolic mechanism by going green with herbs.

While most pharmaceuticals are derived from herbs, plants and spices, greenies believe it’s best to go direct to the source when in need of a non-life-threatening remedy. So forget diet drugs and "quick-fix" medicaments and get your metabolism to burn more fat the green way–by incorporating some of nature’s most potent (and tasty) natural metabolism boosters into your diet.

New York City Acupuncturist and Herbalist Aimee Raupp, M.S., L.Ac., author of the upcoming book Chill Out and Get Healthy: Live Clean to Be Strong and Stay Sexy (August 4, 2009), says that herbs are one of the best ways to both turn up the metabolic heat and burn fat. "Some herbs and spices are warm to hot in nature and thus heat up our bodies and can ultimately help speed up metabolism in an individual with a slow metabolism."

Naturally "Hot" Herbs to Raise Your Metabolism

– Fresh ginger (sheng jiang)

– Sezchuan peppercorn (chuan jiao)

– Cinnamon bark (rou gui)

– Fennel (xiao hui xiang)

But Raupp reminds us that if you already have a high metabolism, these herbs won’t work for you. Nature is best at balancing and neutralizing the body, not throwing it out of whack and on hyer-drive (that’s where the danger of pharmaceuticals often comes in–forcing the body into an off-balance and unhealthy state in order to obtain an unnatural desired effect).

Eat a big fat-filled meal and feel the need to help your body break down and clear out the thigh-sticking muck? Try herbs like tangerine peel (chen pi), hawthorne berry (shan zha) and barley (mai ya) which are all great for digestion.

But don’t just depend on herbs to keep fat at bay. Exercise is part and parcel to a well-balanced body. And please, please don’t turn to those over-hyped energy drinks that are often filled with way too much sugar, loads of caffeine and a combination of other unknowns—some of which have been shown to cause heart palpitations and anxiety! Again, go green when it comes to revving up your energy and turn to natural Chinese herbs.

Instead of pumping you with quick burnout fuel, Raupp says that "Chinese herbs help boost Qi (aka the body’s energy or life force) and will therefore give one more energy. When we have a good amount of Qi, our body is strong, healthy and can carry out all of its functions at an optimal pace."

Energize Your Workout with Herbs

– Astragalus (huang qi)

– Codonopsis (dang shen)

– Chinese yam (shan yao)

Don’t forget that just because they are natural doesn’t mean they aren’t potent. Herbs are the building blocks of pharmaceutical for a reason—they are effective. Raupp reminds us that "Herbs, even with being ‘natural’ can also be harmful. No matter what supplements or herbs or vitamins one takes, it should always be done under the supervision of a licensed and experienced practitioner. Taking random supplements or pills without a thorough grasp on what the supplements contain or what effects the supplements can have on one’s body or how the supplements may interact with other vitamins or medications one is taking is always risky and I don’t recommend it."

Just like food, herbs are best when they are organic. Raupp’s personal preference—"herbs should be organically grown, pesticide-free." Foods without pesticides are better for you and the planet, so don’t sabotage your efforts to be healthy and energized by adding pesticides to your body.

Aside from growing your own herbs and snipping from your garden (the greenest way to go), or buying them fresh from your local Farmer’s Market, you can get your herbal dose in tea like Alvita or Yogi Tea which makes some great teas using organic herbs.

8 Green Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting or Exercise

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:42:18 +0000

Losing weight doesn’t have to be this weighty project requiring new exercise attire, an expensive gym membership, and lots of time dedicated to the treadmill— all of which are about as anti-green as you can get! Instead, save green and go green by losing weight naturally—no diet, no sweat.

Contents

1. Lose Weight by Having Sex
2. Lose Weight with Acupuncture and Herbs
3. Lose Weight by Sleeping
4. Lose Weight by Drinking Milk
5. Lose Weight by Volunteering
6. Lose Weight With Spices
7. Lose Weight with Every Breath You Take
8. Lose Weight with Laughter

1. Lose Weight by Having Sex

Sex is a great green way to lose weight. In fact, the average sex session burns 150 to 250 calories per half hour—depending on how athletic your sex tends to be. Dr. Laura Berman, PhD, LCSW, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics-gynecology and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago, and director of the Berman Center has said that sex is definitely a good workout—even if you aren’t extremely acrobatic, as sex naturally gets your heart rate up, which in turn improves circulation and burns calories and fat. By practicing positions other than just missionary, you are also engaging different muscle groups, so it can be both a cardio and toning exercise. The best thing about it (well maybe not the best, but?) is that it’s green. There is absolutely no energy or equipment necessary—except your own.

2. Lose Weight with Acupuncture and Herbs

The point of acupuncture is to balance specific organ systems in the promotion of a healthy body. But more than tonifying the blood and keeping the Qi in check, acupuncture has been used for centuries to regulate weight by helping with metabolism and energy production. According to acupuncturist Douglas Eisenstark L.Ac., who has served as a Clinic Supervisor at Emperor’s College and Yo-San University, "Weight loss is a part of the ‘middle burner’ or the spleen, stomach and liver organ systems of Chinese Medicine." Focusing on those meridians address digestion and the clearing, which are also related to stress?a common cause of overeating. In conjunction with the acupuncture, herbs are a vital part of Chinese Medicine. Doug doesn’t just put his patients on an across the board weight loss formula since the impetus for weight gain is different for each person. "Weight loss formulas generally help in digestion. However, there are different formulas for different conditions and each case is different. One should see an experienced Chinese herbalist to get a proper formula."

3. Lose Weight by Sleeping

Sleep is more than just a pretty-making mechanism. While you get your beauty rest, your body is working away to regulate your systems and heal any damage done from daily wear and tear. More than the necessary mending, your digestive system is also pumping hard to process your food, metabolizing carbohydrates and breaking down fats. Some studies have linked sleep deprivation to weight problems, with the likely culprit being changes in hormone levels—cortisol and insulin in particular. Cortisol’s main responsibility is the regulation of sugar, protein, fat, mineral and water metabolism. When physical or emotional stress throws us out of whack, cortisol reacts by pumping up the produced levels. Sleep deprivation also triggers cortisol production. Insulin is in charge of blood sugar and fat storage. Sleep deprivation has been linked to increased levels of insulin, which makes weight loss more challenging. Bottom line: unless you want your bottom to continue to expand, treat yourself to a good night sleep—nightly.

4. Lose Weight by Drinking Milk

Need to depuff your belly pouch? Drink a glass of milk (or 3). Researchers at the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee discovered that adding 3 servings of dairy to a reduced-calorie diet can significantly improve weight loss. How? It’s believed that the combo of calcium and dairy helps accelerates the metabolism, which in turn increases your fat burning potential. In order to avoid the hormone-pumped white-stuff that has been the center of all sorts of health-risk speculation, choose organic milk—locally produced if possible. To further promote fat burn, choose milk from grass-fed cows as it’s believed that they produce milk richer in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)—the fat that has been shown to burn fat at a higher rate.

5. Lose Weight by Volunteering

Whether you’re collecting trash along the ocean’s shore, helping out at a retirement home, or walking shelter dogs, volunteering is undoubtedly a great green activity that lets you get out of your box and do something for someone other than yourself. Now, more than a do-good pursuit, you might also be able to make your contribution a multi-tasking activity, especially when it comes to hanging out with rescue pups. Research from the University of Missouri at Columbia showed that volunteers who walked shelter dogs for an hour a week also lost weight—about 12 pounds a year. Up your dog walking activity to 20 minutes a day for five days a week and the average weight loss goes up to 14 pounds a year! Volunteering at a shelter is, sure, great for the dogs, but it’s great for your mind and body too. Some studies have shown that about 70% of people who commit to those weekly walks keep it up long term (and often stay longer than an hour)—which is a much higher rate of return than any average exercise program. Not sure that dog walking is your cup of tea? Determine your volunteer personality then make sure to incorporate an active angle, like walking along a local trail picking up trash or preparing food at a neighborhood food bank. The great news is, even if you don’t lose weight, you know you’ve done your part to help the environment or another person today.

6. Lose Weight With Spices

If you want to start shedding pounds tonight, toss an extra clove of garlic into your crock pot. The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco showed that spicing up your meals with garlic and pepper can help curb overeating. Research revealed that overweight people who added extra calorie-free and salt-free flavors to their meals lost an average of 30 pounds in six months. Alan Hirsch, M.D., founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago says that "The flavors made people focus on the sensory characteristics of the food—its smell and taste." When foods are more enjoyable, eaters tend to feel fuller faster and therefore aren’t tempted to overeat. A few spices to try: onions, garlic, hot peppers, and horseradish. A note: try to skip the salt which promotes water weight gain?it may not be fat, but the swell sure makes it seem like it.

7. Lose Weight with Every Breath You Take

We couldn’t live if we didn’t breathe. The question is: Are you reaping all of the rewards of your breath? Breathing correctly can actually help you to lose weight. Problem is?few people do. Scientists from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque found that women who relaxed in meditation class once a week lost an average of 4 lbs a month. Billy Blanks Jr. who helps thousands lose weight with his "Dance with Me" classes and DVDs believes that breath is one of the best no-equipment necessary, easy green exercises that so many people do incorrectly. "Singers breathe correctly." Billy says, "It is the kind of breath that you are supposed to do in daily life. It’s called diaphragmatic breathing —in through your nose and out through mouth. As you breathe in your stomach is filled with the maximum amount of oxygen and so your stomach expands and goes out. When you exhale your stomach goes in." It makes sense when you think about it, but it’s opposite of how the average person breathes. Full deep diaphragmatic breathing actually burns more calories and helps to tone your abs because you are actively using the muscles in your core over and over again all day long. It also delivers more oxygen to your blood and muscles, allowing you to workout harder and longer. Not sure if you’re doing it right? Billy suggests that you lie on your back. When we lie on our backs we naturally breathe correctly. Place your hand on your stomach and naturally inhale, watching your belly and your hand raise up. Then slightly open your mouth and slowly, with control exhale. The goal is to exhale for 35 counts. Once you master it, diaphragmatic breathing becomes second nature.

8. Lose Weight with Laughter

Laughter really may be the best medicine. Not only does it calm the nerves, improve the immune system, and break the ice, but it also burns calories. Yes, a good giggle provides a natural cardiovascular workout for your insides, by increasing your heart rate and circulation, and toning your abdominal muscles. Dr. William Fry of Stanford University says, ?Laughing heartily five times a day has the same beneficial effects as ten minutes on a rowing machine.? What’s more? 10-15 minutes of solid laughter can burn 50 calories which can translate to 4.4 pounds in a year—hey, every little bit counts!

Detox Diets: Should you try a juice cleanse?

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 12:35:40 +0000

You’d be hard-pressed (or in this case, cold-pressed), to find someone who hasn’t toyed with the idea of a juice cleanse. Maybe you IMed your buddy at work about going out to grab a salad and he politely declined to drink his smoothie of kale, carrot and apple juice? Or maybe your bride-to-be friend is on a liquid diet and is trying to convince you to join her?

Juice diets and juicing are becoming more popular than ever. But what do these diets entail? And are they actually good for your health?

We caught up with Registered Dietitian and healthy lifestyle expert, Sharon Zarabi, to get the skinny on juice cleanses and diets: Why we love ’em, why we try ’em and why they may actually work!

Contents

What is a Juice Cleanse?
When is it a good idea to cleanse?
Things to Know Before Starting a Juice Cleanse

What is a Juice Cleanse?

There are many different types of cleanses, but the two main cleanses that we hear about today include the Master Cleanse and the standard juice cleanse.

The Master Cleanse is a bit more specific and recommended for only short-term use. Some may say that this cleanse is a trend that may fall off in coming months.

Juice cleanses, however, have been around for a long time for reasons including health and also religious and cultural purposes. Juice cleansing is the literal process of juicing vegetables and fruits in order to gain their essential vitamins and water content in one smooth drink. It is also considered a form of fasting, since your body is missing certain key ingredients such as fiber and protein and the person is often under-satiated by the experience. Because these cleanses are calorie-restrictive, with each juice containing between 150-300 calories, you may only consume around 1,000 calories a day.

The pros of juicing include gaining essential vitamins and jump-starting weight loss in the body. The cons can include muscle loss, a slowing of the metabolism, and an onset of unhealthy eating habits (weight gain is often experienced post-cleanse).

Many of the individuals that use cleansing as a form of detoxifying or ‘cleaning’ the body, do so in cycles. For example, one might do a four day cleanse once a month or every two months because they feel that their body is in need of a health jolt. However, there is no scientific evidence that this process is more effective than the body’s natural filtering system, the kidneys and liver.

You can see the entire process of juicing in the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

When is it a good idea to cleanse?

Typically we try out these super specific and restrictive diets when we have a big event coming up (say, a best friend’s wedding or even your own) or maybe a different kind of event has struck fear into you: bikini season. Some people also use them as a way to jump-start a healthy eating plan.

Most people don’t know that there are other, medical reasons for cleansing your body. If you are someone who suffers from any of these issues, a cleanse may be right for you:

Digestive issues
Elevated blood pressure
Sinusitis
Psoriasis

Cleanses may remove certain toxic additives from our bodies such as excess sodium, fat, sugar, and preservatives which can sometimes help the body to reduce inflammation, bloating, gas and other GI issues. If you suffer from any of these ailments, try speaking with your doctor about whether or not a cleanse is right for you.

What are the best types of foods for juicing?

Foods such as celery, carrots, kale, cabbage, spinach, beets, green apples and pineapples are great for cleansing the lymph nodes and digestive system because of their high vitamin content.

Things to Know Before Starting a Juice Cleanse

If you are considering trying a cleanse, it’s important to ask yourself these important questions about your lifestyle and also to consider certain key factors.

Some important things to know ahead of time are:

It won’t get rid of your bad habits

If you’re someone who stress eats or drinks too much on the weekends, remember: a juice cleanse will not make these habits go away. Cleansing may help you feel better for a short period of time, and it could help you take weight off, but if you don’t develop strong life skills to combat negative habits, you may find yourself repeating past mistakes.

You may gain the weight back

Specifically in regards to number 1, cleanses can lead to yo-yo dieting. If you’re looking to jump-start a diet or have been feeling bloated lately, then talk to your doctor and maybe go for the cleanse approach. But if you’re looking to lose 20 pounds the healthy way, a lifestyle change may be more in order.

A lot of the weight that you’re losing is actually water weight

It’s easy to get excited when you’re on any type of diet and you begin to notice that the number on the scale is going down. However, when you’re cleansing, you’re engaging your body in a form of fasting. This can often dehydrate the body and cause muscle loss, but in less serious cases, it may cause you to feel like you’ve lost more weight than you actually have.

There are dangers associated with cleansing

Many people don’t take into consideration the health consequences of fasting. For example, if you’re somebody who loves to work out, it may be a challenge for you to do so while cleansing. It is also extremely important to be aware of your body and whether or not cleansing is right for you. If you’re feeling groggy and weak, it’s important to listen to your body and speak with a doctor about whether or not cleansing is right for you.

How can I stay motivated to keep losing weight?

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:42:18 +0000

Even when you accept that you need to lose weight to become or stay healthy, it can be hard to maintain your motivation over time. It’s common to start on a new diet with a burst of energy, then to lose your motivation to continue. Staying motivated can be especially hard when you hit a plateau or if you gain back a few of the pounds you had lost. But there are ways to keep pushing through these periods. If you stay motivated, you will feel better physically and mentally, and your heart will be healthier. These are some of the main ways that you can keep losing weight and moving toward your goal.

Avoid fad diets.
Work toward permanent behavior change.
Cope with your feelings without using food.
Find and ask for support.

Following these steps will keep you moving toward your weight-loss goal.

Avoid Fad Diets

You will be more likely to stick with your weight-loss program if you are following a reasonable meal plan. Many of us are long-time members of the diet-of-the-month club. We’re willing to try the newest gimmick whether or not it makes nutritional sense. Avoid extreme approaches that involve any of these elements:

crash dieting
eliminating whole categories of food, such as carbohydrates
limiting most of your diet to one category of food, such as protein
severely limiting calories
self-induced vomiting
use of laxatives, amphetamines, or diuretics
use of over-the-counter weight-loss products, which may be dangerous

These strategies can harm your health. Even if you do lose weight this way, you won’t be able to keep it off over time. Why? Because people simply can’t continue to eat this way for the long haul. Long-term weight-loss success isn’t about a quick fix. It’s about making changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life.

Work Toward Permanent Behavior Change

Any short-term diet – whether it’s a fad diet or not – is a recipe for failure because you go on the diet and then go off it. As soon as you return to your old eating patterns, the weight comes back. For lasting weight loss, try to make permanent changes in what you eat and how much you eat. By keeping this long-term goal in mind, you may find it easier to remember that any change in behavior takes time and practice. So be patient with yourself. Think of yourself as practicing your new eating habits – just as you would practice to learn a new musical instrument or language. Most change gets easier over time. In other words, the more you work at it, the easier it gets.

Cope With Your Feelings Without Using Food

Sometimes eating may be the way you comfort yourself. Or it can even be a way of avoiding other issues in your life that you may feel unable to deal with. Until you look at the reasons why you eat and find other ways to deal with your feelings, it may be hard for you to follow a healthy eating plan. If you think you might eat for emotional reasons, see Examine the Emotional Issues Behind Your Weight and Eating. When you better understand your feelings about food, it will be easier for you to deal with those feelings. That way, you’ll be able to stay focused on your efforts to lose weight and keep it off.

Ask for Support

You might feel embarrassed about telling friends and family about your weight-loss goals. This may be especially hard if you’ve tried to lose weight in the past but haven’t been able to keep it off. But if those closest to you know about your goals and your reasons for losing weight, they can help. In most cases, they will be less likely to tempt you with high-fat foods or encourage you to overeat. Let them know how they can be most helpful to you in your efforts. You may also want to join a local weight-loss program, such as Weight Watchers, or a local weight-loss support group through your hospital or health plan. Self-help groups can offer encouragement and practical strategies for changing your eating habits. So you won’t have to try and stay motivated all on your own. Lean on others when you need to.

What's the best exercise equipment for the office?

admin — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 12:42:18 +0000

These days, everyone from first lady Michelle Obama to television personality Jillian Michaels is encouraging people to stay active. While not traditionally known as a hotbed of physical activity, the workplace has been trying to provide more fitness opportunities in recent years. Some employers have outfitted employees with treadmill workstations. Others have forged relationships with nearby gyms and exercise groups to offer lunchtime boot camps, running clinics and spin classes.

As forward thinking as that is, you may still need to do more. Recent studies suggest that too much sitting can increase health risks — even if you exercise regularly [source: Kazmarzyk]. The good news is that, even if your job requires you to remain at a desk for the majority of the day, there are still many things you can do to stay active. In addition to taking the stairs and parking on the far side of the lot, here are a few more tricks for getting you out of your chair:

Have a Ball. Swap your desk chair for a large, inflatable exercise ball. You’ll exercise core muscles while you work.
Weigh In. Your body weight is a great exercise tool. Try stationary lunges, dips, pushups and squats in the comfort of your office or cubicle.

Jump for the Phone. When the phone rings, jump to your feet and stand for the duration of the call. Apply this same technique any time a distraction pulls you away from your desk work. Try to stand while you work, too, since standing requires shifting your weight from one foot to the next.
Meet Up. Got a standing meeting with your work team? Put the "stand" in standing by suggesting that everyone stay on their feet during those regularly scheduled brainstorming sessions.

Healthy employees are more productive and take fewer sick days than unhealthy ones. For this reason, your boss will probably welcome your attention to staying active in the workplace, even if it means the staff suddenly starts lunge-walking to the water cooler.

For lots more information and related articles about fitness and the workplace, see the links on the next page.

5 Yoga Tips for Beginners

admin — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 12:42:18 +0000

If you’ve never taken a yoga class before, the idea of setting foot in a studio may make you more anxious and intimidated than relaxed and blissed out. But with a little bit of planning — and some insider know-how — you can breeze through your first class like a pro.

"Instructors are always happy to see beginners in their classes," says Laura Burkhart, founder of Yoga Reach International and an instructor in San Francisco. "Introduce yourself beforehand and let your teacher know if you have any concerns or questions, and then just try to go with the flow and enjoy the class."

A big part of feeling comfortable in class, of course, is blending in and being able to follow along with your instructor and fellow students. Luckily, the following tips will help you do just that. Namaste! (That literally means "I bow to you" and is a gesture acknowledging the soul in one by the soul in another; your teacher may say it at the end of class.) See? You’re an expert already!

Contents

Get the right gear
Take a beginner class
Don't give up too fast
Don't try too hard
Focus on your breath

Get the right gear

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Yoga pants don’t have to look like you just stepped off the mat.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

You don’t have to buy a ton of expensive designer yoga apparel or a room full of props to practice at home, says Burkhart — but it does help to have one or two outfits that work well in a yoga class. That means tops and bottoms that are comfortable and allow you to move freely, but aren’t too baggy; you may be doing inversions (postures that require you to flip upside down) or open-legged poses, and loose clothing can sometimes reveal more than you planned. Form-fitting clothes also allow your instructor to see your form and alignment, and can adjust you if needed. Buy your own mat, too, says Burkhart (you can find them online ranging from $20 to $80), so you can practice at home in between classes.

Take a beginner class

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Beginner classes teach basic moves and focus on the basic principles of yoga.

©iStockphoto.com/iofoto

Pay attention to the name and description of the class you’re walking into: You’ll find it a lot easier to keep up with a Level I or Beginner-specific class than an Advanced or Level III one. (If you see "open level" on a description, it means that all skill levels are welcome.) Most studios and gyms will offer a variety of classes throughout the week — maybe even a variety of different styles — so talk to an instructor or front-desk person to decide what class best fits your needs.

Don't give up too fast

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It may take time for you to reap the benefits of yoga.

iStockphoto.com/FurmanAnna

"I recommend sticking with it for a minimum of 10 classes," says Burkhart. "That can help lay down a really strong foundation, so try not to get frustrated or form too many opinions about your practice before you reach that mark." Of course, you’ll keep getting better long after then 10-class milestone, and you’ll continue to see your practice evolve for months and even years, if you keep it up and practice regularly.

Don't try too hard

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With practice, you’ll master most yoga moves. Just don’t force them in the beginning!

Hemera/Thinkstock

One of your main goals in yoga class should be to blend in — and this rule goes for newbies as well as for advanced yogis who might be tempted to show off, breathe extra hard, or "om" extra loud. Simply follow along with the people around you, and take a break (rest in Child’s Pose) if you need one. Most importantly, don’t compare yourself to others. "Don’t be judgmental toward yourself or toward others," says Burkhart. "If you can’t do something that someone else is doing, don’t compare yourself to them. Just modify the pose so that it works for you, and focus on your own practice."

Focus on your breath

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Breathing is an important part of yoga.

Robert Kneschke/Veer

To get the most out of a yoga class, you should connect your breath to your movements. Many instructors will ask you to use your "ujjayi breath," which means that you should breathe through your nose with your throat slightly closed, so that your breath is audible, like a whisper. This will help increase your concentration, and flow more seamlessly from one pose to another as you inhale and exhale. Try to match the volume and rhythm of others in the class, and breathe deep into your belly for best results.

10 Most Absurd Fad Diets

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:35:40 +0000

Lord Byron is alleged to have maintained his pale, lean look with some self-imposed strict dietary rules — thin slice of bread, cup of tea, a few potatoes soaked in vinegar, some seltzer water — and the Romantic poet is not the only celebrity to cause a weight loss craze in his days. Fast-forward to our own century, and it’s pretty clear we, along with our celebrities, will try pretty much anything to drop a few pounds.

Ask Americans on any given week whether or not they’re on a diet and about 20 percent will say yes; some dieters hoping for a quick fix try pills, laxatives and diuretics in an effort to lose weight fast [source: Hellmich]. And don’t forget the fad dieting — do we really truly think eating cookies as meal replacements is a good long-term solution to losing weight and keeping it off? Hint: It’s not.

The Cookie Diet isn’t the only absurd fad diet we’ve heard about. Here we have 10 more, and we’ll begin with how your blood type doesn’t determine what foods you should eat.

Contents

Eat Right for Your Type Diet
The hCG Diet
Cotton Balls
Cabbage Soup Diet
Vinegar Diet
Fletcherizing
The Sleeping Beauty Diet
Baby Food Diet
Lemonade Diet
Tapeworms

10: Eat Right for Your Type Diet

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Your blood type isn’t really the best guide for good nutrition.

Some people believe your blood type — A, B, AB, or O — is a good predictor of what your personality traits are, including whether or not you’ll be introverted or extroverted and even how well you’ll do in the romance department. In fact, in 2011 Japanese politician Ryu Matsumoto blamed the offensive remarks he made after the devastating earthquake and tsunami on his blood type, which is cold and impulsive type B [source: Reuters].

In the mid-’90s, the Eat Right for Your Type diet encouraged Americans to be healthier by eating a menu determined by your blood type. For example, O blood types are an "old" blood line and should focus on ancient eating habits that include meats and fish; wheat, on the other hand, should be avoided because it makes O types sluggish and bloated. Type A? Try an A-for-agrarian (vegetarian) diet. We could go on, but there’s no evidence that following such a diet is at all beneficial for good health and decreased risk of chronic illness [source: Cusack].

9: The hCG Diet

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The hormone hCG is extracted from the urine of pregnant women.

The hCG diet sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Lose 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) in a month — and all you have to do for those results is be injected with the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is extracted from the urine of pregnant women. Oh, and in addition to that shot, you’re only allowed to consume 500 calories — and that’s per day. Considering the average American adult male consumes more than 2,600 on an average day, that’s going to hurt — literally. You’ll have stomach pains from near-starvation eating this way, and daily caloric intake this low qualifies as anorexia nervosa, which can cause damage to every organ system in your body.

The problem, though, aside from starvation, is that there is no evidence that injecting yourself with hCG is a viable long-term weight-loss solution — and hCG is only approved as a way to treat infertility, not as a way to lose body fat. All hCG products are supposed to come with a warning that they aren’t intended as a way to lose weight, as an appetite suppressant or as a way to melt hard-to-lose fat; but, frankly, whether the injection works or not, a diet with calories this restricted will cause weight loss regardless of the hCG.

8: Cotton Balls

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Cotton balls should never, ever be considered an entrée.

Would you eat cotton balls to help curb your hunger? Some models do, it turns out, and since the cotton tastes, well, cottony, often things are flavored up with a quick dip in orange juice (of which an ounce adds 14 calories).

This isn’t a diet; rather, it is a dangerous way to trick your body into feeling full without actually eating any food. (Of course, if you’re not eating food you’re going to, inevitably, lose weight.) Cotton balls weren’t meant to be in your digestive system, and can cause all sorts of problems when you eat them, beginning with aspiration pneumonia from fibers and liquid that could make their way into your lungs all the way to twisted intestines, abdominal pain and bowel obstruction and necrosis.

7: Cabbage Soup Diet

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Aside from the boredom of eating the same thing at every meal for a week, the cabbage soup diet deprives you of nutrients your body needs.

When you think "fad diet," you probably think of things exactly like this: the cabbage soup diet, a menu plan that has you forgoing almost all foods except, of course, cabbage soup. There’s no denying you’ll lose weight — dieters report losing as much as 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) in only a week — but there are problems with this plan.

First, imagine eating cabbage soup for all your main meals for seven days; it’s a tedious and uninspired menu. And second, it’s not healthy weight loss. In the long run, eating nothing but cabbage soup (and maybe a little bouillon, black coffee, or a tomato) may give you good results for the week you follow the menu, but these are not the foods of a balanced diet. This diet is low calorie, low fat, low protein, and low on essential nutrients, so the weight you do lose is really nothing more than fluids — water retention — rather than fat. So? That means as soon as you return to eating real foods again, you’ll still be trying to find ways to lose that belly fat.

6: Vinegar Diet

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Apple cider vinegar has been used as a health remedy for many years, but it’s unwise to base an eating plan around any single ingredient.

Vinegar, specifically apple cider vinegar, is considered among some to be a healthy remedy for disease; some cancers, obesity and type 2 diabetes may be improved when apple cider vinegar is taken as a dietary supplement. Some studies suggest vinegar may have a beneficial effect on our glucose levels, and historically, white vinegar has been used as a way to feel satiated without overeating. But also, maybe not. Studies about the effect of vinegar as a dietary supplement are limited, at least in humans, but we do know there are risks: Vinegar is acidic and may cause esophageal damage (and damage to your tooth enamel, too). Too much vinegar could also lower your potassium levels, weaken your bones, and interact with certain medications.

Until we have more evidence, maybe save the vinegar for sprinkling on fish and chips or for cleaning the coffee maker.

5: Fletcherizing

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If you had to chew your pizza until it completely liquefied, you would probably eat less of it. Even so, Fletcherizing is an extreme way to approach eating.

Slow eaters eat fewer calories compared to people who eat quickly, and they also weigh less. Did you know it takes your body and brain a minimum of 20 minutes to realize that you’re full? Quick eaters, on the other hand, take bigger bites of food and are more likely to swallow foods before properly chewing them [source: Hellmich]. Between 1895 and 1919, Horace Fletcher — "The Great Masticator" — evangelized the importance of chewing your food; it became a weight loss method known as "Fletcherizing". And while yes, it’s important to slow down, chew and enjoy the foods you eat, Fletcher’s fad diet advocated something a bit more extreme than taking slower bites: He believed we should chew every bite of food without swallowing any of it until the food liquefied.

4: The Sleeping Beauty Diet

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You can’t eat while you sleep, but sleeping for several days under heavy sedation isn’t really a viable long-term weight control plan.

Getting a good night’s sleep, and getting it often, is an important part of losing or maintaining weight. The less sleep you get each night, the more likely you are to be overweight; for example, if you only get five hours of sleep each night, you’re 50 percent more likely to be obese than a person who routinely gets more than you — and the worse your sleep deprivation, the worse your weight problem may be [source: Pritchard].

So armed with that knowledge, you may think something like the sleeping beauty diet sounds like a viable weight-loss plan. Elvis is rumored to have tried it, and he was the King, so why not? The sleeping beauty diet involves, as you might guess, a lot of sleep — while under heavy sedation, which you might not have guessed. It turns out, though, that sleeping for several days straight won’t make you thinner; and neither will the potentially addicting pills.

3: Baby Food Diet

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Maybe Horace Fletcher would have been a fan of the baby food diet’s pre-liquefied nosh.

If you want to diet like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston allegedly do, start shopping in the baby food aisle. Yes, this fad diet (started by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson) has adults chowing down on pureed fruits, vegetables and meats instead of foods that require, say, teeth to eat them.

The baby food diet uses jars of baby food as meal replacements; the idea is to substitute a jar of pureed food for each meal and snack, and the plan recommends eating 14 jars plus an optional adult-worthy dinner every day. (Yes, that’s a lot of tiny meals and snacks throughout the day.) The problem, aside from flavor, is that baby food is for babies, not adults. Adults have different nutritional needs that can’t be met with this quick-fix fad diet, and watch out — baby food portions are very small, which can lead to overeating. And not all jarred baby food is low-calorie.

2: Lemonade Diet

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Most of the weight you lose on a liquid diet is just water. Is faux weight loss really worth drinking cayenne pepper and maple syrup in lemon water?

Beyonce, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Eddie Vedder have all tried it — the "cleanse" — as a way to detoxify and (or) cut some weight. The lemonade diet, also known as the master cleanse, is a liquid weight loss plan that’s supposed to wash the "toxins" and waste out of your body. This weight loss plan is severely restrictive, allowing for six (or more) servings of water mixed with lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper each day — and if you feel like straying from that menu, you’re allowed a salt-water flush in the morning and an herbal laxative tea in the evening.

Yes, you will lose weight on this plan, but what you’re really doing is losing water weight and your healthy lean muscle mass, not the fat you were hoping would get flushed out. Followers report side effects such as irritability, fatigue and nausea.

1: Tapeworms

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Seriously? Purposely ingesting a parasite to lose weight?

Ingesting a tapeworm is dangerous. Repeat after us.

Tapeworms are intestinal parasites, and when you consume one it will literally sink its hooks into you — after you swallow it (and you can purchase them in capsule form), it latches its head into your intestinal wall and when you eat, your new parasitic friend absorbs some of the nutrients before your body does. Yes, you will lose weight, but you will gain a tapeworm that could grow as large as 30 feet (9 meters), which will cause pain and an upset stomach — and may even kill you.

To rid yourself of the parasite you’ll need to take prescribed anti-worm medication to paralyze and starve the worm, which is then passed in your stool.

USDA Strength Training Guidelines

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 12:42:18 +0000

Strength-training activities are not sustained over a period of time. Instead, they are activities such as weight lifting, yoga, and calisthenics, that require short-bursts of effort. Strength training burns calories, though not as many as aerobic activity. More importantly, these activities build and strengthen muscle, increasing your muscle-to-fat ratio. Remember, the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism idles, burning more calories even at rest.

This article will look at the USDA strength training guidelines.

Benefits of Strength Training

Strength training offers many benefits. It:

increases bone density
strengthens joints
improves your balance and stability
increases your ability to do everyday tasks and with less fatigue
improves posture
reduces low back pain in some people
makes your body appear slimmer, more toned, and younger

What strength training does not do, however, is make fat leave any particular spot on your body. Fat gets used up throughout the body when you burn more calories than you consume — it’s the calorie-balance story. But you can tone the muscles that lie beneath the fat stores. Then as the fat diminishes, the toned muscles are revealed and you look trimmer. Building or toning muscles occurs when your muscles work against a load (weight) or a resistance. The load can be the weight of your own body, when you do push-ups, leg lifts, abdominal crunches, and squats. Or you can use actual weights as a load, such as small hand weights, dumbbells, weight machines, resistance bands, or medicine balls. The muscle cells adapt to the extra workload in ways that first make you stronger and then, after regular strength training for some time, increase muscle size. Don’t worry about getting bulky; the moderate strength training discussed here won’t bulk you up.

See the next page to get started.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Basics of Strength Training

Knowing the fundamentals will help you get the most out of your strength-training program while preventing injury.

How often? Experts recommend strength training two to three days each week, but not all in a row. Muscles need 48 hours to recover, repair, and grow before working again. You can strength train most days if you don’t do a full body workout. Just alternate the muscle groups you work: One day work your upper body and the next day your lower body.
BreathingTo get the most out of your strength-training routine, be sure to breathe. That may sound obvious, but many people unconsciously hold their breath. Be deliberate about breathing. Exhale at the point of greatest exertion or when you’re lifting a weight. Inhale as your muscles relax or you lower a weight. Breathing properly may help keep blood pressure from going too high, and it may decrease your chances of becoming light-headed or dizzy.
How many? Repetitions, also known as "reps" in strength-training lingo, refer to the number of times you perform an activity, such as doing lunges, extending stretch bands, or lifting hand weights. A set refers to the number of repetitions you perform in a row before resting. The standard guideline for increasing muscle strength is to do two sets of 10 to 12 reps. If you can’t complete 10 reps with the weight you’re using, the weight is too heavy. If you can do 15 at the end of your second set, the weight you’re using is too light. Remember that you’ll need different weights for different exercises. Exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and/or multiple joints, such as a bent-over row, can manage a heavier weight than those that use only a single muscle group or weight, such as a biceps curl. As you get stronger, you can increase the number of reps and sets you do to keep building muscle. That’s true for any strength training, whether it’s with or without actual weights. No matter how many you do, it should take 4 to 6 seconds to complete one repetition. Be sure to perform each rep slowly and with control.
Rest between sets. Muscles need to rest between sets. For instance, if you are instructed to do three sets of 12 lunges, you’ll do 12 lunges, rest, do 12 more, rest, and do 12 more. Muscles need time to recover, and that takes about 30 to 60 seconds for the recommended 10 to 12 reps.

Strengthening Equipment

Some strengthening equipment is portable, while others are not. Here’s the lowdown on what’s available to tone and develop your muscles.

Stretch bands. Stretch bands, also called resistance bands, look like giant rubber bands. Buy them in the sporting goods section of a variety store or purchase about four feet of surgical tubing and tie a large loop in each end. Here are some ways to use them to strengthen your muscles:

Seated Row: In seated position, wrap band around bottom of feet, holding either end. Pull band back, bending your elbows and pulling to either side of body so the shoulder blades squeeze together. Do not let shoulders creep up. This movement is like rowing a boat and works back muscles.
Single leg press: Loop band around just one foot. Bend leg at the knee and lift leg slightly off floor. Press foot into band, straightening at the knee, a little like stomping the accelerator. Continue to bend and straighten, keeping the leg suspended off the floor, until you’re finished with the set.
Triceps overhead press. Hold the band in one hand, then raise that arm up over your head as if to scratch the back of your neck. Put your other hand behind your back and grab the loose end of the band. Now holding the lower hand in place, extend your other hand over your head to stretch the band up high. (This gets rid of those floppy underarms!)
Seated arm curls. Loop the band under your feet, as in the seated row. With your palms up, keep elbows at your side while you do the curls.

Your body. You can’t get simpler or more convenient than this! Put your body to work, making it the weight that your muscles need to resist. Here’s how:

Do modified push-ups, resting on your knees.
Do standing push-ups, facing a wall.
Slowly lower into a sitting position while leaning against a wall.
Do repetitions of abdominal crunches (modified sit-ups), side-lying leg lifts, and squats.
Do different kinds of lunges; they’re great for building large muscle groups in the lower body. Support yourself with one hand on a chair or wall. Place your right leg about three feet or two strides in front of your left. Keeping your back straight and placing your free hand on your hips, slowly lower your body, keeping your weight evenly distributed between your legs and making sure your right knee doesn’t extend beyond your ankle. Push back up into a standing position. Repeat four times and switch legs. You can build up to 10 to 15 lunges on each side.

Medicine ball. A medicine ball is a training tool that serves as a weight. Typically made of synthetic rubber, it is almost like a soccer ball filled with heavy sand. Medicine balls range in weight from 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) to 8 kilograms. They can be used for a complete body workout, providing resistance through a full range of motion. A medicine ball is especially good if you’re training for a particular sport and want to practice the pattern of movement in your chosen sport to strengthen the muscles involved. You can do many different types of movements with a medicine ball either standing, sitting or lying down.

From straight-arm throws and torso twists to abdominal curls and double-leg kicks, a 30-minute workout can exercise all your muscle groups. Books on strength conditioning with medicine balls will give you the details you need to safely use this tool.

Expert advice. You’ll get the most from strength training if you get some expert advice. A personal trainer can teach you proper form and provide a personalized training program. Even an hour session will go a long way toward improving your technique and maximizing your workout. A low-cost alternative, though not as helpful, is to rent or buy some fitness videos. They will demonstrate proper form, and they’ll show you an array of moves that will keep your strength-training workout fresh and ensure that you train all your muscle groups most effectively.

If you want to build and strengthen muscle, it’s best to use strength-training and resistance exercises. The USDA strength training guidelines forms a good primer for this type of exercise.

Publications International, Ltd.