Diet soda has been shown in several studies to increase your odds of being overweight. One study claims that for every can of diet soda you drink per day, you’re 41% more likely to be overweight. Holy crap. There are a couple predominate theories as to why this happens; our bodies get tricked into craving more sugar because it senses sweet but there are no calories, making us consume more calories in the long run. The other is that people eat more because they think they’re saving so many calories in their beverage, that they pay less attention to what they’re eating.
In one study, rats were fed yogurt with artificial sweeteners and real sugar. Guess what.. the rats who ate the yogurt with artificial sweeteners ate for longer and got fatter. What a dirty trick! All those poor souls who have been suffering through the taste of diet soda, only to find out that it really makes them fatter. Damn!
I was at the grocery store last week and saw a naturally sweetened diet soda called Zevia . It caught my attention because it was being marketed as the ”natural alternative” to diet soda. It’s sweetened with Stevia, an herb grown in South America that has been used for centuries, the Zevia website even claims that recent studies have found that it has antioxidant properties. Interesting…any reviews out there?
We could always stick to the tried and true drinks. Here’s some good alternatives to diet soda that have no calories and will not make you fatter for the drinking…….water, water, water, tea and coffee.
Published by molly on January 30th, 2009 in Eating Right.
People say there is a fat epidemic out there. Why do you suppose we’re suffering a fat epidemic, of all things? We do less physical labor? We over-eat? Too much fast food? Too many sodas? Not enough exercise?
All of the above. But in my case what really got me fat was going on too many starvation diets. When I was in junior high and just barely chubby I started my career as a bad dieter. And continued on that path for more than 30 years. Sure I would lose fat but it wouldn’t stay off. What was even worse, I would gain back even more than I lost. Each and every time. Well, you can see where that was going.
Once I tried diet pills a doctor gave me. Boy! I didn’t eat hardly anything for months. I had to make myself eat. And I love food. I did get thin. At least as thin as I’ve ever been but the fatness came back with a vengeance and I was fatter than ever.
What I didn’t realize until later was starvation diets lower your metabolism so after a starvation diet you burn fewer calories. Now even less food makes you fatter. How unfair is that?
Bad diets like mine make you lose fat for sure but along with losing fat you also lose muscle.
I’ll bet that most fat people have been on tons of starvation diets and for all their suffering they were just making their butts and their problems bigger.
The solution to this never ending cycle is to watch what you eat and lift weights. You lose fat and you keep it off. Muscles raise your metabolism making you burn more calories. Put on just 10 lbs. of muscle and you’ll burn 500 calories. That’s every day at rest.
It’s worked real well for me. I cut out sodas. I don’t go to fast food restaurants (well maybe once or twice a year). Overall I have reduced my eating. A little less here and there. Instead of 2 rolls, just one. I’ve cut back on fried foods. I’m trying to eat more greens. And soups. A lot of soups are healthful, taste good, are filling and low in calories.
But most importantly I started a weight lifting routine. I have lost weight very slowly. This lost fat will stay off and I will continue to lose fat and gain muscle. I hope to be just barely chubby again soon :)
Crohn’s disease leaves children with weak bones and muscles even after the disease is brought under control. 165 children will be provided Whole Body Vibration platforms to stand on at home for ten minutes a day for 12 months. To date, no vibration therapy devices are approved by prescription in the U.S. Two WBV devices are now government approved in Canada, where big pharma doesn’t stifle non-drug competition. The U.S. Army, the NIH and NASA have already funded enough studies on WBV to know that mechanical vibration therapy increases bone and muscle strength so the outcome of this study seems a foregone conclusion.
I’ve been a helicopter pilot for decades. Some vibration frequencies and amplitudes can be extremely fatiguing, not a good thing when quick reactions are needed. Overexposure to some vibrations can cause physical injury. That’s why there are WBV exposure limits in the workplace. The Soloflex WBV products allow one to stay within those OSHA limits at maximum amplitude (g-load) up to thirty minutes a day.
How much attention should we be paying to what celebrities do? One of the reasons we obsess over celebrities is because most of them look fabulous….so we ask…… what are they doing!!? The answer… they work really hard! They spend hours at the gym with personal trainers who put them through grueling workouts and count every calorie. It’s not uncommon to read about an actor spending 3 hour a day working out to prepare for a role. Celebrities know as well as anyone… ‘No Pain, No Gain’!
It seems that a few of these Hollywood types have a new, secret tool that’s helping them look fabulous. But I ask, is it just the famous people who want to spend less time to look fabulous? NO way! So get vibrating!
Don’t take our word for it. There have been dozens of articles published about celebrities using whole body vibration platforms….Madonna, Jessica Alba, Claudia Schiffer, Jane Fonda, P.Diddy, George Clooney and Clint Eastwood….. just to name a few. If it’s good enough for them?
Dr. Oz is the chief medical consultant on Discovery Health, has produced more than 400 publications (including the best selling YOU series) and is vice-chair and professor at Columbia University.
Working out at home is definitely the way to go. It’s private. You can do it when you want. You can dress any way you want. I work out in my gown.
The exercises I do: squats, curls, deadlifts, overhead presses and bent over rows. My equipment: Soloflex dumbbells, Soloflex Rockit and Soloflex Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platform and a Soloflex WBV Attachment on my Rockit.
Every other day I do squats on my Rockit. On the other days I do my upper-body exercises while standing on my WBV platform.
The good vibrations have upgraded my workout. Vibrating while weight training produces better gains than weight training alone.
I am convinced that weight lifting is the essential exercise. Nothing works as well at shaping your body and raising you metabolism (burning calories at rest).
My tips:
Begin weight training today.
Do compound exercises. I do 12 reps of overhead presses, curls, bentover rows and deadlifts, all in one set. I do 3 sets.
Don’t use heavy weights.
Make sure squats are included in your routine. Squats work more muscles than any other exercise. Do these until you’re breathing hard.
Start slow and light.. If you over-do you are more likely to quit.
This doesn’t have to take a lot of your time, about 15 minutes a day.
If you exercise at home I’d really like to see what equipment you use and how you use it.
I’ve never been very flexible. I can’t remember the last time I touched my toes. My neck and shoulders are tight enough to cause pain most of the time. My husband, tired of my whining, is always telling me to stretch. Stretch? How about a nice aromatherapy massage followed by a steam?
That was me until about three years ago. When my doctor told me to start stretching, I paid a little more attention. There was a Soloflex WBV in the office. I tried it a few times, following the stretching routine in the User Guide. Within three minutes, I was able to touch my toes and my neck and shoulders didn’t bother me quite as much. Hmmm, more work than a massage, but it seemed to help. I got a machine for myself and started stretching almost every day. I am a believer in stretching.
I’ve been using my Soloflex WBV for yoga for a while now and I’m about to step it up and add weightlifting. I want to keep stretching, but I’m not sure about the best time to stretch. I thought the answer would be either before or after, but it turns out it’s both. It’s bad to stretch cold muscles, so about 5 minutes of light activity is recommended to start. Then, some stretches. Loose muscles perform better and are up to 50% less prone to injury. Stretching after a workout prevents the build-up of waste products (lactic acid, for example, the cause of muscle soreness) and relaxes your muscles and tendons. Makes sense to me. Even without the benefits I’ve mentioned, I’d keep stretching just because it feels so good.
A quote from Dr. Oz’s book ‘YOU Being Beautiful’... “Biomechanical stimulation is getting more and more attention for its effect of giving muscles more energy. You stand on a machine or plate, and the machine vibrates to stimulate muscle energy and strength. Early research shows that the technique provides the benefits of flexibility, energy and better coordination and balance. These machines are used in gyms, by professional sports teams, and by patients suffering from chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia.”
Dr. Oz knows what he’s talking about. He has been on several Discovery Health programs (Dr. Oz is the chief medical consultant on the show) and has written a series of best selling books, YOU on a diet, YOU Staying Young, YOU being Beautiful and many others (he’s produced over 400 publications). His latest gig… “health expert on Oprah”! Last month during the ‘Live Your Best Life’ week, he broke down the basics to good health. People love him because he knows what he’s talking about and his advice produces the desired results! Dr. Oz has a worldwide following. Besides the obvious message of ‘eat right and exercise’, he keeps an open mind about new and innovative tools we can use to achieve our best health. He is currently at the forefront of the health and fitness industry.
It’s explained in several of his books that weight lifting will; increase bone density, ramp up your metabolism, improve your immune system, keep you strong, injury free and give you the beautiful, shapely body you’ve always wanted. And biomechanical stimulation (WBV) can help you achieve those goals faster. He is strengthening the message that we’ve been broadcasting at Soloflex for over 30 years! Nice work Dr. Oz.
When are we going to realize that the new hope and change that President Obama keeps reminding us we need - is needed personally as well. We can not change the world, the community, nor the family if we can not change ourselves. We have the power if we are willing to save us from ourselves. We are a nation of “someone take care of that for me”. We rarely stop to ask ourselves, “can I make the change that matters”. It can and will happen when we take charge of ourselves by better living. What I mean is…if I feel good and am taking care of myself physically and emotionally I have more strength to recognize hope and change. If I am eating right, exercising, reading what needs to be read, really listening, caring and sharing change has already begun with me.
When we are preaching to others to have hope for change you better practice what you preach. People will listen when led by example. President Obama has been able to tell us we need hope and change because he himself is willing to make it start with him. He must take care of himself and then he can take care of his people.
As I have already mentioned, our life style will give us the power to get the job done. Exercise and eating right will not only give us this it will help our community to thrive because we will not need to take as much from the available health care funds. America is in a health care crisis. We need to start with preventative medicine and a healthy life style; it is the beginning. We will also help our environment. Eating raw and natural foods and local is important. Not sprayed with pesticides or injected with hormones will keep the earth cleaner and safer for our kids. Giving them hope and change when they grow older it will all be there for them; safe and clean.
Exercise will give us the strength and clarity it takes to be a leader for you, your family, your world. President Obama stays fit knowing that it single handily will be the difference between the energy to help us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He must be ready to react at any given moment and if he is out of shape physically or emotionally he can not do his very important job of offering hope and change. We are in the same boat with our families. If we are not physically fit we can not lead our families to better things, everyday.
Working out is the key to success. We must get up and move. Weight lifting is probably the most important type of physical fitness. Cardio and stretching are still very important but we must build muscles to give us the power to go all the time and live a long life. Weight lifting helps with blood flow and, the obvious, strong muscles to carry you for you life. If we are in a position of not being able to do a weight lifting routine nor a cardio routine there are now great options for us. Whole Body Vibration is one of the most important addition to our lives if you want to save ourselves. It is proven that vibration therapy will increase strength and agility, build muscle and reduce fat, increase metabolism, improve balance and flexibiliy, combat osteoporosis and increase bone density, help with incontinence, relieve chronic pain, increase motor control. Have I given you enough reasons? By simply standing, sitting, or laying on a WBV piece of equipment we can have these great things happen to us. If you want to or are able to you can add weights, yoga, pilates, or your own current routine. Why would you not want to feel great for less effort than ever before, only 10-20 minutes a day. We are busy people but we all have that kind of time to make sure hope and change begins with us.
Americans are some of the fattest people in the world. WHY? It’s about what we’re eating, not how much!
The answer to why is fairly simple. Asia and Northern Europe are the fittest places in the world, with an overweight population of of less than 10%. In those areas, the people tend to eat whole foods (unprocessed) and live an active lifestyle. Big theory, I know; diet and exercise are the key. Well, If the answer’s so simple why can’t we (Americans) get it right?
Besides driving everywhere, one of America’s biggest problems is fast food and processed foods (those with high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, fillers, preservatives, all the other ingredients you can’t pronounce on that label). If you’re not paying attention, you’re probably eating this stuff everyday. It’s lurking in your chips, crackers, sauces, breads, cheeses and just about anything else you’re eating with more than three or four ingredients. In Michael Pollen book, ‘Omnivore’s Dilemma’ , he claims that there’s now 30,000 food products in the grocery store that contain high fructose corn syrup!
I think if we got a little more active and ate more natural foods, we could be as fit as any country. That means eating more whole foods (organic fruits & vegetables, sustainably raised meat, nuts, seeds, you know…foods found in nature!) , drinking more water and tea and moving some each day! Right now 64% of American are overweight or obese and a new study shows that if current trends continue 86% of Americans will be obese by 2030.
Americans keep importing cheap, plastic crap…maybe it’s time we imported some of the world’s lifestyle habits too.
Published by molly on January 24th, 2009 in Eating Right.
