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Healthy
Weight Loss
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by:
David McCormick
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I
am Mr. Weightless, and though I may be a superhero, and I may be immune
to heart disease and cancer, still Mr. Weightless can catch a cold.
Being fit means that it is very rare that I get sick, but a virus is a
virus, and I caught a cold. Although I felt miserable, there came some
good of it, because I came to a realization that will simplify how you
can think about good health and weight loss: Take the advice for the
sick, even while you're well.
Why Is This Advice for the Ill?
All of the things we tell sick people so that they recover more quickly
are exactly the things that we should be doing every day. Following
that advice will not only ward off disease, but also lead to greater
energy and vitality, and best of all, weight loss. How we came to
ignore these positive factors in our daily lives, I don't know.
In our society, we have a tendency to put off what is most healthy
because we think it is inconvenient. When we get sick and can't perform
our "more important" jobs, then we make the decision to do what is best
for the body. If we took these simple pieces of advice in our regular
routines, we would be sick fewer days. So for those who think their
work is more important than their health... if you take care of your
health first, you'll be able to work longer and take fewer sick days,
so you'll accomplish more work!
Prevent Disease and Lose Weight with the Best Diet for Men
Fluid Intake
"Drink plenty of fluids" is the thing everybody says whenever someone
says they have a cold. Drinking water and natural fruit juices is so
easy, yet most people don't do it. There are a myriad of benefits to
drinking water all day, which you can find in my article on Water.
Drink a lot of water all day. The improvements to your digestion,
energy balance, joint health, skin health and the function of virtually
every organ will astonish you. You will start losing weight right away
when you drink at least your quota of 8 glasses of water per day. And
there is no danger of drinking too much water, so you don't need to
keep track or count glasses, just keep drinking it.
Natural fruit juices are also great for you. They contain sugars to
give you energy, but won't dehydrate you like caffeine will. They also
contain all of the other vitamins and nutrients from the fruits
themselves. In the case of citrus fruits, like oranges, vitamin C comes
in high concentrations. We'll get to the vitamins in the next section.
Other juices are good for different reasons, but remember that there is
no such thing as a "bad" natural fruit juice. Many natural juices are
also fortified with calcium, which is another excellent nutrient that
will not only strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis when you
grow older, but it is also related to fat loss.
No matter how good the label looks, do not drink artificial
fruit-flavoured juice, because those only contain sugar, water and
flavouring.
Vitamins and Herbs
Many people suggest high doses of vitamin C to cure the common cold. It
is such a good nutrient, it should be taken daily, whether you're sick
or not. Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is known to boost the immune system,
which is why it is recommended for treatment of the common cold. But a
good immune system is always beneficial; it is better to prevent
getting a cold by having a strong immune system than to treat it once
you're sick. Vitamin C is also a most powerful antioxident, which means
that it prevents all sorts of cellular decay and counteracts
cancer-causing carcinogens. Finally, vitamin C boosts the production of
adrenaline, which will boost your feeling of wakefulness, energy and
speed your metabolism, supporting weight loss.
Vitamin C is not the only supplement that sick people are told to take.
My mother is particularly fond of echinacea. This is an herb that also
boosts the immune system. It has proven effective in treating the
common cold, but unlike vitamin C, it does not show a significant
effect on healthy people.
Taking a multivitamin everyday that contains high doses of vitamin C,
as well as a full complement of other vitamins, minerals and essential
nutrients is a positive step for anyone. It is virtually impossible to
get every nutrient that you should every day unless you take a
multivitamin. For those attempting to lose body fat by reducing their
food intake, it becomes essential. Not only will you replace the
nutrients you're not getting from your restricted diet, you're also
packing in those nutrients that can speed up your weight loss.
The best multivitamins and nutritional supplements can be found on the Diet
Products page.
Chicken Noodle Soup and Other Good Food
When you're sick, you may have a friend who offers to take care of you
and make you some chicken noodle soup. There are a lot of theories
about why chicken soup may be good for you when you have a cold. Some
say that it's just the steam and hot liquid that opens up the airways;
others claim that it inhibits neutrophils, white blood cells
responsible for inflammation. My theory is simpler: chicken noodle and
chicken vegetable soups are just good food, and should be consumed
regularly. In a tasty meal, you've got protein from the chicken, carbs
from the noodles and/or vegetables, spices and seasoning that have
herbal benefits, and the chicken fat as well. A good rule of thumb is
to eat simple, good food that has these properties.
An easier, faster way to get such a balanced meal (more complete than
even chicken soup) is to have a meal replacement for two meals a day.
These can be found on the Products page, click here.
Sleep
The final and most important ingredient to beating a cold is rest. Of
everything discussed in this article, it is also the element that most
modern men disregard. Even when sick, we tend to get up and do some
work, rather than concentrating on getting well. Sleep is the time your
body and mind recuperate from the day's activities. Without sufficient
sleep, your body cannot heal properly, and your mind cannot function
properly. There have been some studies that show that sleep deprivation
can lead to overeating and obesity, due to the elevation of certain
hormones.
Sleep recommendations have varied tremendously in all the studies done.
Most people today believe that 8 hours is the optimum duration of
sleep. However, some adults can't bring themselves to sleep longer than
6 hours, and many will sleep for 10 if not awoken by an alarm. The need
for sleep steadily declines throughout your life. A baby can sleep as
much as 18 hours a day, but it will come at odd times until their
rhythms match their parents. So, it seems like they never sleep because
they're always crying in the middle of the night, but they're sleeping
a lot of the rest of the time. In contrast, the elderly awake early and
frequently cannot fall asleep until very late. Some may nap frequently,
but in all, they are awake far longer than most adults.
The amount of sleep any person needs seems to be quite individualistic.
To find your perfect sleep duration, try waking up at the same time
every day for work, but go to bed one half-hour earlier each night. You
may not feel comfortable right away, but you'll probably fall asleep
within 10 minutes. Eventually, you will find a time that is ideal in
that you will fall asleep easily and wake up feeling really energetic.
On a weekend, you can test your theory by going to bed when you feel
tired, and not set an alarm to wake you. When you wake up, write a note
of the time you first woke up (in case you want to sleep in further).
Then it is a simple matter to figure out how long your body wants to
sleep.
Sleep is not the only component of rest. People will actually tell you
to "take it easy" to help you recover. This is also a good idea for
everyday life, not only when you're ill. Learn to take time every day
to relax. There have been many books and studies on the benefits of
meditation. None that I know of relate meditation to weight loss, but
it is related to a reduction of stress. Lower stress levels will reduce
your risk of heart disease, and if you're an "emotional eater", then
reducing your stress through meditation can be a big step towards
weight loss.
Feeling Under the Weather?
Until you become weightless, like me, you'll be "under the weather"
because the clouds are above you. So, every day behave as if you're
under the weather: drink plenty of fluids, especially water and natural
fruit juices; take a multivitamin and the proven herbal health
boosters; eat natural food in good proportions; and get adequate sleep,
including meditation or some form of relaxation.
Article Originally Posted: Healthy
Weight Loss
About the Author
David "Mr. Weightless" McCormick is the founder of
Weightless Products, the best weight loss program for men. All articles
are available in full for FREE, with no banners, no pop-ups and no
registration. Wait Less for Weight Loss, visit the Fast Weight Loss
Diet for Men
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