Vitamin D is Real

Posted on Jul 14th 2009, 09:50 am, under Nutrition

As a young, working professional, there are days when I never see the sun. This no-sun phenomenon, I imagine, never occurs while surfing in the luke-warm waters just off the Costa Rican coastline. Anyway, on those few and beautiful days near home where I find myself outside soaking up the rays, my health-conscious, self-preservation taught habits kick in and I rub my body over with sunblock.

Sunblock serves well as a UV ray blocker, and just as well as a vitamin D blocker. Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin found most abundantly by us humans through synthesis in the skin triggered by the sun’s UV rays, and less abundantly in foods. According to sources on a fact sheet about the vitamin at the Office of Dietary Supplements, “Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.”

If you understand all such health jargon or not, the consensus is vitamin D is important and is too often overlooked and consumed at less than adequate levels. I took a walk around the grocery store the other day to see in which foods I might find such a treasure – it turns out it was more difficult than I thought to find. Reading various package labels on snacks, dried fruits and such, I found many no mentions of our treasure. When I finally made my way to the refrigerated section of juices and milks it struck my eye  - milk! - milk, that is, fortified with vitamin D. It wasn’t until later on the internet that I discovered vitamin D is found naturally in buttermilk, cheese, cream, eggs, fish, goatmilk, meat fats and organ meats, mushrooms and sour cream.

You might ask, what about my Flintstone-esque multivitamin that I happily chew each day? Well, I answer, one adult serving of Flintstone gummy vitamins does in fact contain the recommended daily amount of vitamin D - 400 international units (IU).

So with this said, I will strive to gather my very own treasure by making sure to spend a few minutes naked in the Costa Rican sun before rubbing down with my very important blockers…or perhaps just doing a better job of drinking milk and eating fish regularly. Others may take the reasonable approach of ensuring that vitamin D, be it in Fred, Barney, Wilma or someone else, is included in their daily

Does Green Tea Really work for weight loss?

Posted on Jul 14th 2009, 09:48 am, under Green Tea

Have you ever heard the mantra, “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days without diet or exercise” or “boost your energy and melt away the pounds”?  These claims are more or less ubiquitous with the most recent diet products, but how trustworthy are these diet plans?

TheDietSearch set out on a path to enlightenment.  The goal? To discover a diet strategy that really works.   Drum roll please and Ta-da! Green Tea is the answer.

Green tea is one of the easiest, safest and most effective weight lose elements on the planet.  Why?  Because Green tea contains an element called ‘epigallocatechin gallate’, which translates into polyphenols (antioxidants).  These antioxidants that help you lose weight and boost your immune system are 30% more common in Green tea than normal black tea.

Here is how it works.  The polyphenols increase the body’s natural process of thermogenesis (heat production), which essentially speeds up the your metabolism.  Having an increased metabolism helps you process calories faster and more efficiently thus burning more calories regardless of whether you are running a marathon or playing video games.  A recent study compared men who were given green tea versus plain water.  The green tea caused a 4% boost in metabolism.  A 4% boost in metabolism is significant enough to burn more calories and lose weight.

The best part of using Green Tea as a weight-loss supplement is that it can help prevent certain cancers and diseases.  In fact, due to Green Tea’s unique properties the natural wonder has been known to improve cholesterol levels and help stave off infection.

In conclusion, if you enjoy drinking tea and are looking to lose a few pounds then Green tea is the answer.  Replace your normal daily coffee routine with Green tea and you will see the results within a few months. At the very least, your body will reward you for supplying it with such healthful nutrients.

5 Ways to Force Yourself to Exercise

Posted on Jul 11th 2009, 10:37 am, under Losing Weight

Well, first, let me clarify – this title is highly misleading as there is no “magic bullet” theory to force you to exercise. No one will ever hold a gun up to your head trying to save your life by forcing you to exercise. It is a personal decision to take control of your mental and physical health. What this article will do, however, is outline five steps which will make it easier for you to think logically about the structure of your workouts based upon your own personality traits and schedule.

1) Morning, Noon or Night

What’s the point of working out in the morning if you are an extremely happy person in the morning? Your workout will simply be a manifestation of your mood and no one wants that. You must find the time of day that works best for you to maximize the massive endorphins that are released during exercise to prolong the “natural high.” You’ll soon find yourself addicted.

2) Avoid the Boring Machines

Staring at the local weather on a stationery bike for 45 minutes is going to make any sane person want to head directly to the local eatery for some fried chicken. Mix it up in the gym. Split a 45 minute bike ride into 15 minute intervals with a mixture of sit-ups and jump-rope in between – the feeling of doing something new or different will keep you interested. Just remember to keep the heart-rate up in between your intervals.

3) Set Reasonable Planning Expectations

We have become a very bad at managing our time as people. As a result, if we want to accomplish anything we will need to plan it. Don’t say, “I’m going to exercise this week.” Say, “I’m going to exercise at 4:30PM on Wednesday for an hour. Without a structure things turn to chaos and we end the week feeling out-of-control and frustrated.